Mar 29, 2024  
2020-2021 General/Graduate Catalog - Expires August 2026 
    
2020-2021 General/Graduate Catalog - Expires August 2026 [Archived Catalog]

Art (BA)


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Affiliation: School of Arts & Letters
 

THE MAJOR

The objectives of the degree programs in the visual arts are defined by and were developed to:

  1. Offer programs of concentrated study that are sensitive to the needs of students and relate to the overarching goals of the University.
  2. Ensure well-organized, coherent programs that provide opportunities for synthesis and integration across courses within those programs.
  3. Help students assimilate the knowledge delivered within the programs and develop the capacity to focus on methods of inquiry and analysis that enables them to use that knowledge.
  4. Encourage students to develop a critical perspective that enables them to learn about and from the variety of views existing within their chosen field of study.
  5. Guide students in the cultivation of liberal learning by helping them perceive and appreciate the connections among courses in their major and those in other disciplines.
  6. Assure practical support and encouragement for students’ intellectual and creative growth and development by providing opportunities for interaction and dialogue in an environment conducive to learning.
  7. Present students with a culturally diverse approach to art and to acknowledge biases that may be inherent within the discipline.
  8. Prepare students for graduate study or employment opportunities within the field. 

ART COMMUNICATION

In addition, all Art majors will significantly develop their skills as speakers and writers within their major courses. All majors are required to take Art History courses which develop a wide range of skills involved in research and writing and writing about research, and at least one of these courses is required to be a Writing-Enhanced (WE) course. Writing also occurs in many different forms throughout the curriculum including informal, creative, and professional modes – and via other Writing-Enhanced (WE) opportunities. All Art majors also engage in a wide range of oral communication activities including regular class critiques in studio contexts and formal class presentations in both studio and lecture courses.

DEPARTMENTAL HONORS IN ART: 

Departmental Honors are only offered for the Art History track in this degree. Students in the Studio track seeking a degree with honors are encouraged to become an Honors Scholar in the Arts and Sciences.

Departmental Honors in the Art History track requires:

  • GPA: 3.50 or above cumulative.
  • GPA: 3.50 or above in the major.
  • Receive an “A” in both semesters of Senior Thesis (ART 436 - Art History Capstone: Thesis I  and ART 437 - Art History Capstone: Thesis II ); Senior thesis participation is by invitation of the Art History faculty.
  • Provide documentation to Honors Committee Chair of presentation at an off-campus conference, either regional or national (NCUR, Midwest Art History Society, or other venue).

Becoming an Honors Scholar in the Arts & Sciences

The requirements for becoming an Honors Scholar in the Arts and Sciences are: complete five approved courses in the areas of mathematics, science, humanities, and social science with at least one course from each area; and earn at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA overall and in these five courses. Only grades of “A” and “B” may count toward the 3.5 minimum grade point average requirement in the five approved Honors Scholar courses.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:

Special Requirements for the B.A. in Art Degree


Students who declare the B.A. in Art degree will also need to declare a track or concentration in the major: Art History, Ceramics, Fibers, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, or Inter-Specialty.

BFA and BA candidates in art must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 in their major courses. Individual instruction courses are applied for through a written contract between the instructor, the advisor, and the student. Forms are available in the Office of the School of Arts & Letters or the Department Chair’s office. Consent of the instructor and the advisor are required. Independent study courses may not be substituted for existing courses. Transfer students who have satisfactorily completed studio art courses at another institution may, with a portfolio approved by the art faculty, be exempted from the studio prerequisites for some of the advanced studio courses.

The following required courses may not be transferred into the Art program or substituted:

Dialogues Requirements: 42-61 Credits


Missouri Statute (1-4 credits)


Bachelor of Arts Requirement: 0-8 Credits


  • Intermediate proficiency in ONE foreign language

       (see Liberal Studies section for details)

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS: 46 Credits


Both Art History and Studio tracks are structured with the same Art Foundations requirements as well as a two-hour Capstone requirement, with distinctive core, track, and elective requirements.

Art History Track:


Upper Level Art History: 18 Credits


  • Two 3-credit hour 300 or 400 level Art History courses on Art before 1800
  • Two 3-credit hour 300 or 400 level Art History courses on Art after 1800
  • One additional 3-credit hour 300 or 400 level Art History course
  • ART 429 - Historical Methods  

Major Electives: minimum 9 Credits


A minimum of 9 credit hours chosen from the following (aside from ART prefix courses, no more than two courses from any single discipline may fulfill this requirement):

Additional Requirements and Considerations


  • Students must complete a professional experience of at least 140 hours - this may be done for credit.
  • ART 436  and ART 437 , the research capstone, is offered only by invitation of the Art History faculty, and only as possible given staffing constraints, to students whose demonstrated capacity for research and writing make such an offering desirable. In such cases these courses will substitute for the one additional 3 credit hour 300 or 400 level Art History course listed under the Upper Level Art History section above and ART 495 - Art History Senior Capstone: Praxis , increasing the credit hours in the major by 1.

Studio Track:


Studio Core: 9 Credits


Art History: 9 Credits


  • Credit(s): 3 and six (6) more credits of Art History, three (3) or more must be taken at the 300-level or above. One must be writing-enhanced.

Selected Specialization:


Students will choose either one of the single Studio Specialties or Inter-Specialty Option.

Studio Specialty and Art Electives: 18 Credits

Studio Specialty in one of the following areas: 12 Credits

Ceramics

Fibers

Painting

Sculpture

Art Electives: 6 Credits

  • 6 additional credits in 2D or 3D Art Electives (opposite of area of Specialty)
Inter-Specialty Option

Inter-specialty combines coursework from two or more studio specialties (Ceramics, Fibers, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture and Photography).

ART 315 Foundations Exemption - The BA Inter-Specialty option does not require ART 315 - Intermediate Drawing Exploration I . Otherwise the foundations requirements of the BA single specialty tracks apply.

Support and Electives: 4 Credits

Breadth: 6 Credits

Choose two (2) classes from this list (these courses must be in specialty areas distinct from the 12 credit Specialty courses required below):

Specialty: 12 Credits

  • Level I Course - Credits: 3
  • Level II Course - Credits: 3
  • Level III Course - Credits: 3
  • Level IV Course - Credits: 3

Capstone Requirements: 2 credits


Electives to Total: 120 Credits


NOTE: If successful completion of the Dialogues and major requirements total less than 120 credits, electives are taken to bring the total to 120 credits.

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