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Art History - B.A.

Discover the beauty and significance of art with the Art History program in the School of Art at 5XÉçÇø. Our Bachelor of Arts in Art History provides a comprehensive education in the history and theory of art, preparing you for a wide range of careers in the arts and humanities. With a curriculum that spans cultures and time periods, opportunities for internships and research and faculty who are experts in their fields, you'll develop a deep understanding of the power of art and its impact on society.

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Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History

The art history major examines both the creative expressions of individual artists and the cultures that supported them.

In addition, students enrolled in the degree program will have a wellspring of forms, symbols and ideas to stimulate their own creative endeavors. The program provides a strong foundation for the successful pursuit of advanced degrees and other opportunities in the field, including teaching, research, publishing and curating.

All courses in art history are supported by easy access to institutions such as the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Akron Art Museum, the Toledo Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Additionally, visiting professionals provide insight into the most current research being done in the field.

Faculty expertise includes African, Asian, American, or European with sub-themes ranging from Renaissance patronage to curatorial studies to critical theory. 

Learn about our Art History faculty

Program Information for Art History - B.A.

Program Description

Full Description

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History provides students with an understanding of major art and cultural achievements across historical periods, geographic regions and significant movements. The program fosters visual literacy, critical thinking, creative problem-solving and research development and writing competencies. Students are prepared for careers in non-profit and art organizations, graduate study in art history or museum studies and lifelong advocacy for the arts.

Study Abroad/Study Away Opportunities:

  • Travel to New York and Paris
  • Study Abroad in Florence, Italy, either for a full semester or a summer
Admissions for Art History - B.A.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the .

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning a minimum 525 TOEFL score (71 on the Internet-based version), minimum 75 MELAB score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score or minimum 48 PTE Academic score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive Program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's .

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the program's Coursework tab.

Transfer students with more than two studio courses should submit a portfolio of work for proper placement. The director of the School of Art may impose additional requirements considered reasonable and necessary. Transfer credits are evaluated consistent with the state Transfer Articulation Guidelines (TAG), although each student will be evaluated individually in terms of their ability to perform within the program. Transfer students should make every effort to complete admission requirements before the deadlines and to see an advisor in the School of Art for an evaluation of the portfolio and for schedule planning before registration.

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of art from a range of historic and cultural traditions.
  2. Observe, describe and interpret art objects, events and concepts within their cultural context.
  3. Engage with a variety of methodologies and theories relevant to different fields of art history.
  4. Demonstrate an advanced level of written and/or oral analysis.
  5. Become engaged citizens of a global community and recognize the role of art and cultural production as they foster communities, reflect identities and understand social systems.
Coursework

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA)
ARTH 22006ART HISTORY: ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL ART (KFA) 3
ARTH 22007ART HISTORY: RENAISSANCE TO MODERN ART (KFA) 3
ARTH 22010INTRODUCTION TO ASIAN ART (DIVG) 3
ARTH 22021ART HISTORY: AFRICAN ART (DIVG) (KFA) 3
ARTH 32000RESEARCH AND WRITING IN ART HISTORY (WIC) 13
ARTH 42001ART HISTORY METHODOLOGIES 3
Art (ART) or Studio Art (ARTS) Electives6
Art History (ARTH) Upper-Division Electives (30000 or 40000 level)18
Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA)
UC 10001FLASHES 101 1
Language Electives, choose from the following: 214
AFS 10101
ELEMENTARY KISWAHILI I
AFS 10102
ELEMENTARY KISWAHILI II
AFS 20101
KISWAHILI III
AFS 20102
KISWAHILI IV
Any American Sign Language (ASL) course
Any Arabic (ARAB) course
Any Chinese (CHIN) course
Any French (FR) course
Any German (GER) course
Any Greek (GRE) course
Any Hebrew (HEBR) course
Any Italian (ITAL) course
Any Japanese (JAPN) course
Any Latin (LAT) course
Any Russian (RUSS) course
Any Spanish (SPAN) course
6
3
3
6
6-7
3
Minor Requirements and General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours) 336
Minimum Total Credit Hours:120
1

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

2

Students must complete one language through the intermediate II level. If students are placed in or test out of the intermediate II level, they may take another language or general electives to fulfill the remaining requirements. Students seeking information on placement options should visit the Foreign Language Placement policy.

3

Students may elect an established minor or a block of approved courses chosen in consultation with an advisor in lieu of an established minor. Students not choosing a minor must have all their coursework approved in writing by the School of Art and the College of the Arts.

Graduation Requirements

Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA
2.250 2.000
Roadmap

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Plan of Study Grid
Semester OneCredits
ARTH 22006 ART HISTORY: ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL ART (KFA) 3
UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1
Language Elective 4
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours14
Semester Two
ARTH 22007 ART HISTORY: RENAISSANCE TO MODERN ART (KFA) 3
Art (ART) or Studio Art (ARTS) Elective 3
Language Elective 4
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours16
Semester Three
ARTH 22021 ART HISTORY: AFRICAN ART (DIVG) (KFA) 3
Art (ART) or Studio Art (ARTS) Elective 3
Language Elective 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Four
ARTH 22010 INTRODUCTION TO ASIAN ART (DIVG) 3
ARTH 32000 RESEARCH AND WRITING IN ART HISTORY (WIC) 3
Language Elective 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Five
Art History (ARTH) Upper-Division Electives (30000 or 40000 level) 6
Minor Requirements and General Electives 6
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Six
Art History (ARTH) Upper-Division Elective (30000 or 40000 level) 3
Minor Requirements and General Electives 12
 Credit Hours15
Semester Seven
ARTH 42001 ART HISTORY METHODOLOGIES 3
Art History (ARTH) Upper-Division Elective (30000 or 40000 level) 3
Minor Requirements and General Electives 9
 Credit Hours15
Semester Eight
Art History (ARTH) Upper-Division Electives (30000 or 40000 level) 6
Minor Requirements and General Electives 9
 Credit Hours15
 Minimum Total Credit Hours:120
Program Delivery
  • Delivery:
    • In person
  • Location:
    • Kent Campus
Accreditation for Art History - B.A.

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)

Admission to the School of Art does not require a portfolio submission.  If you have a scores of 4 or 5 on the Studio Art Advanced Placement (AP) exam through The College Board, you can receive credit for ARTS 14000 Drawing I, ART 10022 2D Composition or ARTS 10023 3D Composition. Students with a score of 3 on the Studio Art AP exam can receive art elective credit.  

The School of Art offers a limited number of scholarships for incoming art majors; the Scholastic Art Award is made through the competitive high school competition held each January on the 5XÉçÇø at Stark campus. In addition, the School of Art awards scholarships for enrolled students from the general scholarship fund each year. Dates for submission of materials for competition are announced each spring and awards made to enrolled students at any undergraduate level. For additional scholarships and awards available through the School of Art, visit the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center.

Art majors who also enroll in the Honors College (qualifying by meeting certain grade and ACT/SAT criteria) may apply for the Creative Artist Awards.

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries for Art History - B.A.

Those who complete the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History at 5XÉçÇø will be career-ready upon graduation.

Archivists

7.9%

faster than the average

8,100

number of jobs

$56,760

potential earnings

Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary

5.6%

faster than the average

116,300

number of jobs

$69,690

potential earnings

Curators

12.6%

much faster than the average

14,500

number of jobs

$56,990

potential earnings

Museum technicians and conservators

11.6%

much faster than the average

14,800

number of jobs

$45,710

potential earnings

Property appraisers and assessors

2.9%

slower than the average

75,100

number of jobs

$58,650

potential earnings

Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' . Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.