Overview
The Department of the History of Art and Architecture offers an undergraduate program directed toward a B.A. degree and a graduate program leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Apart from a major in History of Art and Architecture, there are also emphases in Architecture & Environment and Museum Studies. The undergraduate program is designed to provide an understanding of the history and significance of the visual arts. It also prepares students for graduate work leading to careers as academic historians of art, museum curators, or critics, and in other fields such as art administration, historic preservation, and gallery work. The program is supported by an excellent arts library, visual resources collection, architectural drawing collection, and the Art, Design and Architecture Museum.
The department publishes a list that describes the content of courses offered each quarter; the publication is available prior to registration in classes. Advising is available in the department through the undergraduate advisor, faculty undergraduate advisor, and the department chair.
Undergraduate Honors Program
The departmental honors program is designed for undergraduate students interested in advanced research in art history. Students must have an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0, 12 upper-division units in the major, and a major grade-point average of at least 3.5. They must obtain the approval of the department chair as well as a faculty member who will agree to supervise their honors research project.
Honors students must complete an honors thesis, the product of a two to three-term research project supervised by a member of the faculty. The project will involve work begun in either an undergraduate seminar or upper-division History of Art and Architecture course which will be completed during one to two independent study courses (ARTHI199). Students participating in the honors program are also required to take a second seminar course as part of their studies. Alternative options must be approved by the department chair. After projects are completed and submitted, they are evaluated by a committee consisting of the student’s faculty supervisor and at least one other departmental faculty member, usually a specialist in a neighboring field. Among the criteria used in evaluating honors theses are scholarly presentation, originality, and quality of research. Students who successfully complete the honors program will receive Distinction in the Major at the time of graduation.