Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Major: Art History
Program Overview
The art history curriculum is designed to give students a broad grounding in a variety of artistic media with a strong emphasis on understanding the cultural context in which they were produced. Students develop technical and critical vocabularies as well as sound writing skills to analyze works of art. Study of and research on works of art in the Cleveland Museum of Art are essential components of the undergraduate curriculum. Internships for credit or with volunteer status are available at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and other arts institutions in University Circle.
Undergraduate Policies
For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Office of Undergraduate Studies section of the General Bulletin.
Accelerated Master's Programs
Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees. For more information and details of the policies and procedures related to accelerated studies, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Studies section of the General Bulletin.
Program Requirements
Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the latter set of requirements.
This major requires 36 hours of coursework in art history, including:
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| ARTH 101 | Art History I: Pyramids to Pagodas | 3 |
| ARTH 102 | Art History II: Michelangelo to Maya Lin | 3 |
| 3-6 |
| ARTH 396 | Majors Seminar | 3 |
| 15-18 |
| 3-6 |
Students must take one 200- or 300-level course in four of the following five areas: Ancient Art, Arts of Asia/Africa/the Americas, Medieval Art, Renaissance and Baroque Art, and Modern/American/Contemporary Art. Foreign language study (French, German, or Italian) is highly recommended.
Departmental Honors. Majors who wish to earn the Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in art history must make written application to the department chair no later than the fall semester of their senior year. Departmental honors are awarded upon fulfillment of the following requirements: a grade point average of at least 3.5 in the major and an A in ARTH 399.
