Art History (BA)

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Offered by the Department of Art , College of Arts and Sciences .

Admission to the Program

Formal admission to the major requires satisfactory completion (grades of C or better) of 12 credit hours of art history courses and departmental approval.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2 )
Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9 )

AU Core Requirements

Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6 )
Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7 )
Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11 )

For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements

39 credit hours with grades of C or better, including a minimum of 24 credit hours at or above 300-level, and at least 20 credit hours taken in residence at American University
- Art history majors are advised to take at least 12 credit hours in elective courses that complement their interests in art history from studio art , American studies , anthropology , history , literature , music , or philosophy , or a minor in one of these fields
- With approval of the art history advisor, two 3-credit courses taken through AU Abroad may be counted toward the major requirements

Course Requirements

Introductory (9 credit hours)

Complete 9 credit hours from the following:

Studio Art (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Introductory:

Intermediate (9 credit hours)

Complete 9 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Introductory:

Art History (3 credit hours)

ARTH-400 Approaches to Art History (3)

Upper-Level Electives (15 credit hours)

Complete 15 credit hours in Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, modern European, contemporary, and/or Asian art history from the following, or other special topics with permission of program director:

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s / Master’s Program and Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.