University Catalog

Overview

Areas of study for the BA and BFA degrees include:

• Design: Visual Communication (Graphic Design, Web Design, App Design, Game Design and Illustration)
• Film and Video (Filmmaking, Animation-2D/3D, and Screenwriting)
• 3D Studio (Sculpture, Clay, Glass, and Intermedia)
• 2D Studio (Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Intermedia)
• Art History (BA only)
• Art Education (BFA only)

For additional details, please review the Art and Art History Department's website: https://www.uta.edu/art/advising/degree-plans

The mission of the Department of Art and Art History in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Arlington is to provide and encourage an understanding and expansion of knowledge in visual arts, art history, and art education. Our curriculum provides students with varied opportunities to study and interrogate the fundamental nature of the visual arts, its methods, technologies, and boundaries. As a department, we encourage the use of wide-ranging media and methodologies, which enables our students not only to create unique and exciting work, but also to locate their work in the meaningful broader context of the history of art and society.  Our intellectual community is purposefully inclusive, enriched and enhanced by its diversity of race and ethnicity, gender identity, and religious tolerance.

Students are challenged to think in experimental and creative, as well as disciplined and established, ways as they prepare to engage with a changing and increasingly complex world. Situated in the center of two major metropolitan cities, Dallas and Fort Worth, UT Arlington is at the core of an internationally significant cultural community. The Department of Art and Art History enhances its programs through co-sponsorship of projects with area museums and cultural sites, as well as off-campus courses and student internships with local, regional, and national professional studios and businesses. This exceptional blend of resources and programs provides graduates of the department with a distinctive point of view and better prepares them to make the transition into a competitive professional world.

The Department of Art and Art History offers degrees in the following:

• Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Art
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Art Education (Teacher Certification)
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Art
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Art History

To assist you in your future program growth, we have created ART 1200 and UNIV 1131 (taken simultaneously) to establish your Art program foundation. These are required courses intended to provide a meaningful overview of the Art and Art History Department for all first semester UTA students. Credit for UNIV 1101 will be satisfied by the successful completion of ART 1200/UNIV 1131.

The Gallery at UT Arlington is an exceptionally valuable resource for students in the department. It presents a full program of major exhibitions in its 4,900-square-foot gallery, including lectures, symposia, screenings and publications.

Facilities

The Department of Art & Art History studios and classrooms are located in two facilities:

The Fine Arts Building at 502 S. Cooper Street houses Art History, Film/Video, Photography, Visual Communication, Animation, Drawing, 2-D Design, 3-D Design as well as the Digital Design foundation classes. Also included are Departmental Offices, The Gallery at UT Arlington and the Visual Resources Commons.

The Studio Arts Center at 810 S. Davis Street houses the following studios: Clay, Glass, Painting, Printmaking, Neon and Sculpture. It is also the site of Gallery West, a student-run exhibition space.

Student Concentration Portfolio Review

The student concentration portfolio review is a method of assessing art student's progress and their preparedness to enter advanced classes in the B.F.A. program. The review will be able to recommend either acceptance into the B.F.A./B.A. programs (a pre-professional program) or placement into the B.A. degree (a more general program).

Transfer and new students would be allowed to register for the B.F.A./B.A. as "Art intended." Those students designated as "Art" would be scheduled by the Art Advising Office into a set calendar of entrance reviews, by panels of appropriate faculty members.

As 21 and 36 studio class hours are achieved, each potential B.F.A./B.A. student will be reviewed by appropriate faculty (not by a standing committee). At 21 hours, the review would have the purpose of "entrance" into the B.F.A./B.A. programs.

For more information concerning the student concentration portfolio review, visit here or contact the Art and Art History advisor.

Computer and Oral Competency

Students majoring in Art or Art History are required to demonstrate computer use and oral communication competency.

Computer use proficiency can be demonstrated by completion of:

• ART 2304 (Required for Studio majors)
• ART 3300 (Required for Art History majors)
• or by completion of the University administered computer competency exam.

Oral communication competency can be demonstrated by completion of:

• ART 3300 (Required for Art History majors)
• ART 4100 (Required for Studio, Art Education¹, and Art History¹ majors) or ART 4201 (Required for BA Studio majors)
• COMS 1301, COMS 2305, , or COMS 3315.

¹ Art Education and Art History majors will select a specific section, with the assistance of advisors, of ART 4100 for Senior Lecture and Senior Research Presentation.

Degree Programs

To assist you in your future program growth, we have created ART 1200 and UNIV 1131 (taken simultaneously) to establish your Art program foundation. These are required courses intended to provide a meaningful overview of the Art and Art History Department for all first semester UTA students.  Credit for UNIV 1101 will be satisfied by the successful completion of ART 1200/UNIV 1131.
 

For additional degree plan details, please review the Art and Art History Department's website at https://www.uta.edu/art/advising/degree-plans or contact an advisor at art-arthistory@uta.edu. 
 

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art

Areas of study for the BFA degree include:

• Design: Visual Communication (Graphic Design, Web Design, App Design, Game Design, and Illustration)
• Film and Video (Filmmaking, Animation-2D/3D, and Screenwriting)
• 3D Studio (Sculpture, Clay, Glass, and Intermedia)
• 2D Studio (Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Intermedia)
• Art Education (see the CERTIFICATE, Art Education (Teacher Certification) section for additional requirements and information)

The B.F.A. degree program offers intensive pre-professional preparation in the field of studio art. This program is designed for those aspiring to work in their field of interest as professionals or to enter graduate school upon completion of the degree. In addition to fulfilling University and the College of Liberal Arts requirements, students planning to graduate with a B.F.A. in Art degree must complete required art foundational courses and major requirements specific to their intended area of interest. Please refer to the B.F.A. in Art degree course listings section below for more details. 

B.F.A. students must also maintain a 3.0 GPA within the major. A total of 124 credit hours will be achieved from all requirements. *B.F.A. Art Education students will complete 133 credit hours due to additional requirements (see the CERTIFICATE page for more details). 
 

Bachelor of Arts in Art (STUDIO)

Areas of study for the BA degree include:

• Design: Visual Communication (Graphic Design, Web Design, App Design, Game Design, and Illustration)
• Film and Video (Filmmaking, Animation-2D/3D, and Screenwriting)
• 3D Studio (Sculpture, Clay, Glass, and Intermedia)
• 2D Studio (Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Intermedia)

The B.A. program in Art is of a more general nature, and is more suited to those whose current academic interests and/or prior work are directed toward a broad overview of art and its relationship to other disciplines. In addition to fulfilling University and the College of Liberal Arts requirements, students planning to graduate with a B.A. in Art degree must complete required art foundational courses and major requirements specific to their intended area of interest. Please refer to the B.A. in Art degree course listings section below for more details. 

B.A. in Art students must also maintain a 2.5 GPA within the major and complete at least 18 credit hours of coursework toward a minor of the student's interest. Students are encouraged to select a minor that will further enhance their overall degree plan studies and ultimate career goals. A total of 120 credit hours will be achieved from all requirements. 
 

Bachelor of Arts in Art History  

The B.A. program in Art History emphasizes historical research, preparing students for graduate work in art history or museum studies. It is intended to provide a strong academic preparation for scholarly research and further study at the graduate level. In this degree program, a minor is required of at least 18 credit hours and may be in studio art. Other suggested fields for the minor are history, literature, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, and modern languages. Students seeking the B.A. degree in Art History must complete all requirements established by the College of Liberal Arts for the B.A. degree and an additional three hours of a 3000/4000-level history course.

In addition to fulfilling University and the College of Liberal Arts requirements, students planning to graduate with a B.A. in Art History must also fulfill required Art History foundational courses and major requirements. Students are advised to complete the foundation requirements before beginning work in 3000/4000-level art historical courses. Students are also required to take at least one advanced course in each of the three groups: Ancient to Medieval (Group I), Medieval to Modern (Group II), and Modern (Group III). Art History majors are required to complete at least one Art History course in a Non-Western Art History area. One course in a studio medium is required. Additional Art supportive elective courses are also required to satisfy accreditation standards (see advisors for more information). Art history majors may take an additional studio course in their 30 hours of 3000/4000-level art historical studies, upon faculty approval. Please refer to the B.A. in Art History degree course listings section below for more details.

B.A. in Art History students must also maintain a 3.0 GPA within the major. A total of 120 credit hours will be achieved from all requirements. 

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Degree Requirements

Regardless of which emphasis is selected, students are required to complete specific Art Foundation requirements prior to beginning work in the concentration.

Bachelor of Arts in Art (studio) Degree Requirements

Regardless of which emphasis is selected, students are required to complete specific Art Foundation requirements prior to beginning work in the concentration. 

Bachelor of Arts in Art History Degree Requirements 

Computer and Oral Competency

Students majoring in Art or Art History are required to demonstrate computer use and oral communication competency.

Computer use proficiency can be demonstrated by completion of:

• ART 2304 (Required for Studio majors)
• ART 3300 (Required for Art History majors)
• or by completion of the University administered computer competency exam.

Oral communication competency can be demonstrated by completion of:

• ART 3300 (Required for Art History majors)
• ART 4100 (Required for Studio, Art Education², and Art History² majors) or ART 4201 (Required for BA Studio majors)
• COMS 1301, COMS 2305, or COMS 3315.

²Art Education and Art History majors will select a specific section, with the assistance of advisors, of ART 4100 for Senior Lecture and Research Presentation.  

Minor in Art

The student's major department must approve any minor. Students will need to complete the University Minor Approval form, signed by their major advisor as well as other applicable applications and documents required of the department offering the minor. 

Students interested in Art as a minor must consult the Art and Art History department's Minor page to determine the selection of an approved sequence of courses per eligible minor. Students will also need to reference the Art Wait List policy for Non-Art majors regarding enrollment processes.

Minors in Art and Art History typically require at least 18 semester hours in Art coursework relevant to the minor, including six to nine semester hours of advanced work (may be subject to change per minor). 

Currently, the Art and Art History Department offers the following minors:

• Applied Design & Technology
  • ​Animation
  • Game Development
  • Illustration
• Art (General)
  • ​Art Therapy (see advisor)
  • Museum Studies (see advisor)
  • Packaging (see advisor)
• Art History
• Photography

Additional information, to include course listings, may be found at https://www.uta.edu/art/undergraduate/art-minors-for-non-art-majors. 

Art Education (Teacher Certification)

Texas Teacher Certification in Art entails completion of 133 credit hours earned within the Department of Art and Art History and the College of Education academic programs. It entails earning the B.F.A. degree in Art in addition to 15 hours of College of Education coursework that are required to fulfill minimum certification guidelines in Texas. Students earning the B.F.A. within this program are required to complete B.F.A. standard courses as well as:

• Maintain a 3.0 GPA within the Art major.
• As of Fall 2017, the College of Education will require a minimum GPA, not less than 2.75, for any applicant that leads to a cohort average of 3.0 or higher. A student's cumulative or last 60 credit hours GPA must meet or exceed 2.75 that leads to a cohort average of 3.0 or higher. This is a cumulative GPA that includes grades earned at both UTA and other institutions of higher education.
• As of January 1, 2017, the College of Education will use the TSI status for program admission. A status of "TSI complete" replaces the previous THEA requirement. Eligible students ready to begin coursework within the College of Education will need to contact an education advisor to review eligibility and the application process. A TEAL account must be created at that time. 
• Submit official transcripts for credit hours earned at ALL colleges attended prior to enrollment at UT Arlington.
• Have maintained a sufficient overall GPA at previous colleges to be considered for admission to the College of Education Teaching Program. Acceptance into the college may be delayed if the student's overall GPA does not meet the minimum GPA required by the College.
• Must complete 12 credit hours of art methods courses and a Senior Presentation class¹ within the Art major.
• Must complete 15 credit hours of certification coursework within the College of Education.

Art majors are encouraged to contact the College of Education regarding applying to the Teacher Education Program after one full semester of coursework has been completed at this university.

Art Education students will still have the option to exhibit work by petitioning the media areas for faculty review in the 4100 B.F.A. exhibition during their graduating term under the same terms and conditions as established for other Studio Concentrated majors.

Consult the College of Education Advising Office for information concerning any additional application requirements and/or State of Texas requirements for certification.