Art History
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Art History promotes an awareness of the significance of visual art in various historical cultures around the world. A BA in Art History prepares students for careers and graduate study in Art History and affiliated fields such as curatorship, museum sciences, and arts advocacy.
Beyond serving the needs of our undergraduate Art History majors and minors, the Art History area also offers the Art History Survey courses in the Art Foundations, which satisfy the Visual & Performing Arts requirement of the University Core Curriculum, as well as participating in the Fine Arts Ph.D. and providing Master's degree minors.
At all levels of study, the Art History area strives to make available activities that enhance the experience of art, such as access to art objects, guest lectures, study abroad, as well as pre-professional activities such as internships and curatorial pursuits.
Requirements for an Art History Major
Students working toward a BA in Art History must complete a minimum of 120 semester credit hours, including the studio courses in the Art Foundations, 39 semester credit hours of Art History coursework, a minor course of study, and the University Core Curriculum requirements for a BA in the College of Visual & Performing Arts.
After completing the three Art History Survey courses in the Art Foundations, students select a seven course breadth of study with at least one course from a minimum of five of following areas:
Ancient Art (Egyptian, Greek & Roman)
Medieval Art
Renaissance & Baroque Art
Native American & Pre-Columbian Art
Latin American Art
Eighteenth & Nineteenth Century American Art
Modern & Contemporary Art
Topics in Art History
Two final courses are then selected to determine an area of focus, which is capped off with the Senior Thesis. Students are encouraged to select a minor outside the department in collateral fields that enrich their educational experiences and opportunities. This minor course of study is designed to contribute to students’ preparation for graduate work in Art History and allied fields.
Requirements for an Art History Minor
Students working toward an Art History minor must complete a minimum of 18 hours, including ART 1310 – Art History Survey I, ART 2311 – Art History II, and ART 3312 – Art History Survey III. The remaining 9 hours must be chosen from the Art History courses offered at the 3000 and 4000 level.
Courses taken to fulfill any requirement for a student’s major may not be used as part of the requirements for a minor in Art History. These courses may serve, however, to fulfill prerequisites to upper-level courses. Students may transfer up to 12 hours of approved art courses from another institution for credit toward an Art History minor, however 6 hours at the Junior/Senior level must be taken in residence at Texas Tech University. Students must follow all prerequisites as they are listed for each course in the University Catalog.
