Honors in Art History

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Available through the Department of Art , College of Arts and Sciences , the Honors in Art History program gives students the opportunity to develop independent research, deepen their knowledge and understanding of the discipline, and hone their presentation and interdisciplinary skills.

Admission to the Program

Students apply for admission in the spring of sophomore year or no later than the first semester of their junior year.

Students seeking admission must have achieved a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA and a minimum 3.67 major GPA. Students seeking admission must provide a letter of recommendation from an Art History faculty member; a student-written statement describing their motivation for joining the Honors program and their related academic goals including study abroad and internships; the scholarly topic of interest for a capstone thesis; which Arts and Humanities discipline from which they would take two courses; and their professional goals upon completing the program; and a copy of the student’s transcript.

Transfer students must provide a letter of recommendation from a faculty member at a previous institution in addition to both writing samples of Art History research papers and transcripts from past institutions.

Program Requirements

15 credit hours of Honors in Art History coursework
Capstone research project: thesis of 25-30 pages, as a supplement to the completion of ARTH-400 , with local resources (National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress etc.) for the study of both primary and secondary sources
Presentation of research from one of the honors supplements for the CAS Mathias conference or an equivalent experience as approved by the faculty honors committee
Participation in:
- internships and other work experiences relevant to the Art History major
- extra-curricular events organized by the Art History program (guest lectures, conferences, museum visits, etc.)
Minimum 3.67 major GPA in Art History (BA)

Course Requirements

Honors Supplements (6 credit hours)

Complete 6 credit hours from the following, with honors supplements, with grades of B+ or better:

Electives (6 credit hours)

6 credit hours in another arts or humanities discipline, with grades of B or better, as approved by the faculty honors committee

Capstone (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following with honors supplement:

ARTH-400 Approaches to Art History (3)