BA in Art
Degree Program Description
The School of Visual Studies' Art program offers opportunities for creative development, provides instruction in visual literacy, and trains students in the necessary technical and conceptual skills needed to pursue a lifetime of creative activity. Through a variety of studio art courses, students learn critical thinking skills, creative problem solving, and become life-long learners. The Art program offers courses in ceramics, drawing, fibers, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. The BA degree is a liberal arts degree in which students complete 30-40 hours of studio art courses and 9 hours of courses in Art History. Students who earn a degree in art pursue a variety of careers, including professional artists and illustrators; art educators; museum and gallery curators and directors; commercial and studio designers; and graphic, web, print and packaging designers. Most businesses are looking for creative thinkers and innovative problem solvers, and these are skills acquired in an art degree.
Major Program Requirements
Art majors earning a BA degree complete art foundations courses, art core requirements, and art studio electives. No more than 40 credits in studio art may be included in the BA curriculum. Students receiving an BA in Art must earn a grade of C-or better in Art and Art History courses.
All art majors must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours of MU art coursework numbered 2000 or above. In addition, 9 hours of Art History courses, including two 3-credit classes numbered 2000 or above, are required.
In addition to University, general education, and College of Arts and Science requirements, students must also meet the following major program requirements. All major requirements in the College of Arts and Science must be completed with grades of C- or higher unless otherwise indicated.
All students wishing to pursue a BA or BFA degree in art will need to pass the Art program BA/BFA Portfolio Review. A student will need to have completed four (4) Art Foundation courses before submitting a portfolio (it is acceptable to be enrolled in the last class(es) the semester the portfolio is submitted) for either the BA or BFA. The courses are ART_VS 1020, ART_VS 1030, ART_VS 1040, ART_VS 1050. For more detailed information on the portfolio, please refer to the School of Visual Studies website.
| Major Core Requirements | ||
| Art Foundations (12 credits) | ||
| ART_VS 1020 | Introduction to Visual Studies | 3 |
| ART_VS 1030 | 2-D Materials and Methods | 3 |
| ART_VS 1040 | 3-D Materials and Methods | 3 |
| ART_VS 1050 | Drawing Materials and Methods | 3 |
| (Art Portfolio Review required.) | ||
| Art Core Requirements | 9 | |
| Select one of the following 2000-level 2D Art studio courses: | ||
| ART_VS 2210 | Beginning Color Drawing | 3 |
| ART_VS 2500 | Beginning Painting | 3 |
| ART_VS 2600 | Digital Photography | 3 |
| ART_VS 2700 | Etching and Relief Printmaking | 3 |
| ART_VS 2730 | Screen Printing | 3 |
| Select one of the following 2000-level 3D Art studio class: | ||
| ART_VS 2100 | Hand-Built Ceramics | 3 |
| ART_VS 2320 | Weaving | 3 |
| ART_VS 2310 | Papermaking and Artists' Books | 3 |
| ART_VS 2800 | Beginning Sculpture | 3 |
| Art BA Capstone | ||
| ART_VS 4510 | Career Development for Visual Artists | 3 |
| ART Studio Electives | 12 to 18 | |
| Two 3000+ Art studio classes | ||
| One 4000+ Art Studio class | ||
| Other electives Art Studio courses 2000+ or above ((may include 15 credits in one media area) | ||
| Art History (ARH_VS courses ) | 9 | |
| ARH_VS 1130 | Introduction to the History of Art | 3 |
| or ARH_VS 1130W | Introduction to the History of Art - Writing Intensive | |
| Select one 3-credit 20000-level course from below: | ||
| ARH_VS 2850 | Introduction to Visual Culture | 3 |
| or ARH_VS 2850W | Introduction to Visual Culture - Writing Intensive | |
| ARH_VS 2860 | The Lives of Objects | 3 |
| or ARH_VS 2860W | The Lives of Objects - Writing Intensive | |
| ARH_VS 2150 | The Art of the Book | 3 |
| or ARH_VS 2150W | The Art of the Book - Writing Intensive | |
| Select one 3000+ level Writing Intensive Art History course to fulfill requirement. | ||
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available. (Students focusing on graphic design will take (ARTGD_VS 4976) Fall of their fourth year instead of an art studio elective which they will move to the Spring of their fourth year and take instead of ART_VS 4975)
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Art Foundations Course | 3 | Art Foundations Course | 3 |
| ARH_VS 1130 | 3 | Second Language I | 4 |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | Behavioral Science | 3 |
| Behavioral Science Course | 3 | MATH 1050, 1100, or STAT 1200 | 3 |
| American History or Government Course | 3 | ||
| 12 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Art Foundations Course | 3 | Art Core Requirement | 3 |
| Second language II | 4 | Second language III | 4 |
| ARH_VS 2000W+ level Course | 3 | Humanities Course | 3 |
| Humanities Course (2000+) | 3 | Biological/Physical/Math Science Course (lab) | 3 |
| Social Science Course | 3 | Social Science Course | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Art Core Requirement | 3 | Art Core Requirement | 3 |
| Humanities Course | 3 | Art Studio Elective | 3 |
| Biological/Physical/Math Science Course (MRP) | 3 | Humanities Course | 3 |
| Behavioral Science Course | 3 | Biological/Physical/Math Science Course | 3 |
| ARH_VS Art History Course (2000+) | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Art Studio Elective | 3 | Art Studio Elective | 3 |
| Art Studio or General Elective | 3 | General (or Art) Elective | 3 |
| Art Studio or General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | ART_VS 4975 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.