Undergraduate Programs

Program Requirements

The BA in Art with K-12 Licensure gives students broad knowledge and specialization in studio art to teach general art classes in K-12 settings. In addition to the education curriculum, the Art Education program prepares students to obtain a broad foundation in the formal and conceptual traditions of studio art, art history, and art criticism. Students are expected to participate in student teaching and a practicum. The program prepares students to be effective leaders and supervisors of art-related community projects and educational departments in non-academic settings.

Major Requirements (Art Education)

36 semester hours (sh) of major courses:

Required core courses (24 sh): ART 1030, 1040, 1100, 2000 (minimum 3 semesters), 2100 or 3100 (taken for 4 sh), 2020, 2030, 2040 or 2050, 2060, 4010, 4011

Art history requirement (6 sh): — One course (2 sh) from ART 2017 or 2018; two courses (4 sh) from ART 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

Major electives (6 sh): — Art History beyond the 6 sh requirement or ART 2080, 2081, 3020, 3030, 3040, 3060, 3061, 3081, 3082, 3910, 4020, 4060, 4910, 4970

Participation in a Fourth Year Show/Curatorial Project is required for all art students.

Students seeking teacher certification for art K – 12 do not need to complete co-requirements.

Students seeking teacher certification for art should review the K–12 education requirements.

Academic Catalog  Core Curriculum

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Course Descriptions

The following descriptions are a sample of courses you may take as an art major. For a complete list of required courses, please review the academic catalog.

Introduction and application of the elements of visual language. Studies in shape, color, line, texture, and value as they relate to two-dimensional art.


Elements of visual language as they apply to three-dimensional art. Projects based on the study of volume, space, line, color, and texture.


Line, tone, and composition in relation to a variety of subjects, such as still-life, architecture, figure, and landscape. Media will include pencil, ink, charcoal, Conte crayon, ink wash, etc.


This creative ensemble welcomes all students interested in art to register. This experience ushers students into the collaboration of art making and the organization of creative events. It fosters student interaction with and investment in Chicago's rich artistic landscape. Activities include studio and institutional visits, service projects both on and off campus, guest speakers, performances, and discussions. Course is variable credit and repeatable. Experienced students will have the opportunity to direct projects and activities.


Study of the art produced on the continent of Africa. This course will include analysis of social and cultural traditions and how they have shaped visual arts from region to region. This course may cover art from any period, ancient through contemporary.


Study of the art produced in North, Central and South America. Analysis of indigenous religious traditions and social structures and the way they have shaped the visual arts in the Americas. The art will be studies before contact with European civilization and after conquest and colonization.



Study of Grecian and Roman art from B.C.E. 800 to C.E. 500. Architecture, sculpture, painting, and ceramics will be some of the art forms studied. Attention will be given to how the art produced by these two societies is similar and how it diverges.


Early Christian, Byzantine and Medieval art which was produced from about 300 C.E. to 1300 C.E. will be studied. The course will trace the development of Christian art from its origins in Roman art and culture to its full flowering in the Byzantine and Gothic styles.


Study of art produced in Europe between the years of 1400 C.E. and 1700 C.E. The course will study painting, sculpture, and architecture and will analyze the roles of the Reformation and the counter-Reformation as they impacted European Art.


Study of art produced primarily in Europe and America in the nineteenth century. The course will study various media including some or all of the following: painting, photography, architecture, and sculpture. Focus on major movements which may include Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, and/or Impressionism will structure analysis of the culture and society during this period.


The art of the first half of the 20th century produced primarily in Europe and America. All forms of modern visual expression will be included but the primary focus will be upon the arts of painting, photography, sculpture, and architecture.


The art of the second half of the 20th century and the art of the 21st century. The course will study all forms of visual expression including new media as well as covering art theory. A substantial portion of the course will focus on the art produced in America but art from around the world will also be studied.


Development of technical and conceptual skills involved in painting. Both direct and indirect techniques are stressed in oils and acrylics.


Investigation of media, tools, and techniques employed in ceramics, sculpture, and other three-dimensional forms of visual expression. Materials used may include stoneware clay, plaster, stone, wood, fabric, metals, and found objects. Techniques employed may include the ceramic techniques of hand building and wheel throwing and the sculpture techniques of modeling, carving, welding, assemblage, and installation.


This course is an exploration of relief woodcuts and linoleum block printing. Various approaches to relief, along with both the history and theory of the techniques, are investigated.


This course explores a variety of intaglio printing processes such as etching, engraving, drypoint, and aquatint. Students create plates with metal and plastic using traditional and contemporary techniques in black and white as well as color.


This course will introduce students to camera mechanics, digital processing techniques and photographic criticism. Students will explore creative techniques and operations with digital cameras.


This course is an introduction to the basic principles of visual communication, including an introduction to problem-solving strategies, symbolic association, and the problem of effective communication in a global culture. Students will explore the relationships between form and content, word and image, and practice the selection, organization and presentation of information in the form of text and images.


This course considers advanced concepts in visual communication, including an introduction to user-based design theory. Students will explore the world of print media through a series of case studies, and practice single page compositions, multi-page compositions, and the integration of form, image, and text. Lab.


Continuation of Drawing I with the human form as subject matter. Drawing in various media directly from the figure.


Intermediate study of painting in both oils and acrylics. Study of the history of painting included.


Intermediate study of spatial arts.


Intermediate study of printmaking.


Intermediate studies in digital photography and alternative processes, as well as photographic theory and criticism.



This class familiarizes students with the vocabulary, tools, and methods of vector-based drawing and reinforces ties to traditional media. Advanced concept in illustration software programs.


This class familiarizes students with the vocabulary, tools and methods of raster-based drawing and photo editing, and reinforces ties to traditional media. Advanced concepts in photo editing programs.


Advanced study of figure drawing. This is a studio course that incorporates discussion of assigned readings and investigates the conceptual aspects of drawing. The course includes the use of the computer.


Investigation of a selected subject in art.


This course provides a culminating experience for the art major. It will help art students prepare for a professional life by supporting and directing the development of a focused fourth-year project. The course will deal with such topics as preparations for professional shows, integration of theory and practice, integration of art historical precedent, organizing and mounting art exhibitions, and development of a professional portfolio.


A continuation of the fourth-year seminar.


Advanced study of painting.


Advanced study of photography.


The fourth-year students majoring in art may do additional work in history of art or in one of the applied fields.


An apprentice experience in the professional world of art. The University has a working arrangement with several design studios, offices, and advertising agencies. Please refer to the Internship Section of the catalog for further internship requirements and guidelines.