The Department of Art and Visual Culture offers degree programs focused on fine arts and art history, including the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Art, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Art History, Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Art, and the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Integrated Visual Arts. Course offerings include studio arts, art history, art education, and scientific illustration and visualization.
B.A. in Art
The Bachelor of Arts in Art (formerly Art & Design, Art & Culture Option) is a four-year degree program for students seeking an inclusive, flexible program of study that encompasses studio art, art history and visual culture, and a complementary focus area of their choosing from within or outside of the College of Design. Working with an advisor, students design their own course of study; many students create a degree path that allows them to pursue the B.A. in Art together with another major or minor in journalism, advertising, business, entrepreneurship, history, or psychology.
Students in the program can gain real-world experience through one or more internships in a museum or gallery prior to graduation. Local possibilities include the Brunnier Art Museum and Christian Petersen Art Museum on campus, the Octagon Center for the Arts downtown, and the Des Moines Art Center. Summers are a great time for internships in more distant locales.
Students are also encouraged (but not required) to study abroad to gain first-hand knowledge of another culture. The College’s Rome Program is a frequent choice for those wanting to spend a semester in Europe. Summer excursions are also available, with ISU faculty regularly leading multi-week trips to Europe, Asia, and Central America.
The B.A. in Art offers students the opportunity to individualize their studies in studio art and tailor their degree paths to align with complementary fields of study. This flexible degree can serve as a springboard into a wide array of career and graduate school opportunities, including solo studio art practice, art criticism, art history, art sales, art conservation, and working with corporate art collections, galleries and museums, and art therapy. Since the program is highly customizable and includes courses in entrepreneurship and professional development, students create a personal course of study that targets post-B.A. careers.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will:
- Develop traditional and innovative technical skills and artmaking practices;
- Foster creative problem-solving abilities through design, research, and creative processes;
- Understand and express the relationship between objects, aesthetics, and meaning;
- Exhibit an awareness of their roles as artists and thinkers in regard to the ethical, cultural, and ecological impacts of what they do;
- Express through visual, verbal, and written means an awareness of global art movements and a meaningful understanding of historic and contemporary art;
- Engage with local, national, and global communities where they can participate in a broad exchange of ideas;
- Prepare for diverse careers through professional development seminars, internships, study abroad, and service-learning opportunities.