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.
B.A. in Art degree requirements
Total Degree Requirements: 122-123 credits
Only 65 credits from a two-year institution can apply and may include up to 16 technical credits; 9 P-NP credits of free electives; 2.00 minimum GPA.
International Perspectives: 3 credits
U.S. Cultures and Communities: 3 credits
Communication: 10 credits
(C or better grade in ENGL 1500 and ENGL 2500)
| ENGL 1500 | Critical Thinking and Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 2500 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition | 3 |
| LIB 1600 | Introduction to College Level Research | 1 |
| One course from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Communication Studies | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Listening | ||
| Fundamentals of Public Speaking | ||
| Total Credits | 10 | |
Humanities: 6 credits
6 credits from College of Design General Education Approved Course List
Social Sciences: 6 credits
6 credits from College of Design General Education Approved Course List
Math/Physics/Biol. Sciences: 6 credits
6 credits from College of Design General Education Approved Course List
General Education Courses: 9 credits
| 6 credits at level 3000-4000 from College of Design General Education Approved Course List | 6 | |
| 3 credits from College of Design General Education Approved Course List | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
College of Design Core: 13 credits
| DSNS 1020 | Design Studio I | 4 |
| DSNS 1150 | Design Collaborative Seminar | 1 |
| or DSNS 1100 | Design Exchange Seminar I | |
| DSNS 1310 | Drawing I | 4 |
| DSNS 1320 | Digital Design Literacy | 1 |
| DSNS 1830 | Design in Context | 3 |
| Total Credits | 13 | |
Art History and Theory: 15 credits
| ARTH 2800 | History of Art I | 3 |
| ARTH 2810 | History of Art II | 3 |
| Six credits from 3000-level or above from ARTH | 6 | |
| Three credits from courses in ARTH, or approved history courses in ARCH, CRP, or LA | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Art Concentration: 12 credits
12 credits from 2000-level or above in College of Design studio courses.
Complementary Area of Concentration: 30 credits
30 credits from an approved area of concentration, including 6 credits at 3000-4000 level.
Electives: 15 credits
1 credit from DSNS 3010 Study Abroad Preparation Seminar (Rome option only)
B.A. in Art
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| DSNS 1020 or 1310 | 4 | DSNS 1310 or 1020 | 4 |
| DSNS 1100 or 1150 | 1 | DSNS 1830 (or General Education) | 3 |
| DSNS 1320 | 1 | ENGL 1500 (or General Education) | 3 |
| DSNS 1830 (or General Education) | 3 | General Education | 3 |
| ENGL 1500 (or General Education) | 3 | General Education | 3 |
| General Education | 3 | LIB 1600 | 1 |
| General Education | 3 | ||
| 18 | 17 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Studio Option | 3 | Studio Option | 3 |
| Approved course in area of concentration | 3 | Approved course in area of concentration | 3 |
| General Education | 3 | General Education | 3 |
| ARTH 2800 (fall only) | 3 | ARTH 2810 (spring only) | 3 |
| ENGL 2500 (or General Education) | 3 | ENGL 2500 (or General Education) | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Studio Option | 3 | Studio Option | 3 |
| Approved course in area of concentration | 3 | Approved course in area of concentration | 3 |
| Approved course in area of concentration | 3 | Approved course in area of concentration | 3 |
| General Education | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| ARTH 3000-level or above | 3 | ARTH 3000-level or above | 3 |
| DSNS 3010 (Rome option only) | 1 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Approved course in area of concentration | 3 | Approved course in area of concentration | 3 |
| Approved course in area of concentration | 3 | Approved course in area of concentration | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Art History or Design History | 3 | ||
| 15 | 12 | ||
More information can be found at the College of Design website.
Art Minor
The undergraduate minor in Art offers students opportunities to explore studio art methodologies in a variety of media areas. Through hands-on artmaking, students enrich their academic proficiencies while engaging in creative practices. The minor is open to students with little or no prior experience, as well as to those with a lifelong interest in the arts. Students complete 15 credits within their Program of Study. The minor is open to undergraduates in all university majors.
At least six (6) of the 15 required credits must be taken at Iowa State University in courses numbered 1000-2000 level. At least nine (9) of the 15 credits must be taken at Iowa State University in courses numbered 3000 or above.
| Choose 6 credits of the following: | ||
| Drawing I | ||
| History of Art I | ||
| Studio Fundamentals: Wood | ||
| Studio Fundamentals: Jewelry/Metalsmithing | ||
| Studio Fundamentals: Ceramics | ||
| Studio Fundamentals: Printmaking | ||
| Color | ||
| Studio Fundamentals: Photo | ||
| Studio Fundamentals: Painting | ||
| Studio Fundamentals: Textiles | ||
| Introduction to Creative Digital Photography | ||
| Drawing II | ||
| Watercolor Painting | ||
| Studio Fundamentals: Digital Media | ||
| Choose 9 credits of the following: | ||
| Collage, Assemblage, and the Found Object | ||
| Computer Modeling, Rendering and Virtual Photography | ||
| Sources and Methods of Visual Art | ||
| Furniture Design and Woodworking | ||
| Intermediate Ceramics Studio | ||
| Jewelry/Metalsmithing II | ||
| Creative Photography | ||
| Drawing III: Life Drawing | ||
| Painting II | ||
| Introduction to Weaving | ||
| Natural Dyes | ||
| Dyed and Printed Textiles | ||
| Letterpress Book Arts | ||
| Relief Printmaking: Digital/Traditional | ||
| Intaglio and Monotype Printmaking: Digital / Traditional | ||
| Lithography: Digital / Traditional | ||
| Screen Printing | ||
| Principles of Character Animation | ||
| Principles of 3D Animation | ||
| Computer/Video Game Design and Development | ||
| Advanced Furniture Design and Woodworking | ||
| Advanced Ceramic Studio | ||
| Jewelry/Metalsmithing III | ||
| Advanced Photography | ||
| Drawing IV | ||
| Character and Scene Design | ||
| Sequential Narrative Drawing | ||
| Painting III | ||
| Dyed and Printed Textiles | ||
| Digital Textile Design | ||
| Advanced Printmaking | ||
| Sustainable Design and Fabrication of Furniture | ||
| Community-Engaged Arts Management | ||
| Artists, Designers and Sustainable Development | ||
| Data, Code, and Form | ||
| Video Art | ||
| Interactive Art | ||
| Selected Topics in Studio Art | ||