Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of General Studies in History of Art
Why study the history of art?
The study of the visual arts in their historical contexts enriches our understanding of human creativity and the human condition. It provides students with visual and cultural literacy and critical thinking, research, problem solving, and communication skills that are relevant for a variety of careers. Art history majors may find work in arts institutions such as museums, galleries, and auction houses. Many also go on to careers in other professions such as education, business, law, media, or government.
Undergraduate Admission
Admission to KU
All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.
Visit the International Support Services for information about international admissions.
Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of Admissions website.
History of Art Programs
Bachelor’s degrees with majors in the history of art are offered in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (B.A. and B.G.S.) and in the School of the Arts (B.F.A.). See Bachelor of Fine Arts in History of Art in the School of the Arts Department of Visual Art section of the catalog for B.F.A. requirements.
Requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. Major
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Foundation Courses: | 9 | |
| History of Western Art: Ancient Through Medieval | ||
or HA 160 | History of Western Art : Ancient Through Medieval, Honors | |
| History of Western Art: Renaissance to Contemporary | ||
or HA 161 | History of Western Art: Renaissance to Contemporary, Honors | |
and | ||
| The Visual Arts of East Asia | ||
| Breadth Courses: Six courses total; a course or topic may fulfill only one requirement, either for geographical or chronological breadth. | ||
| 2. Breadth Courses, Geographical Regions: complete one course in three out of four geographical regions. | 9 | |
| A. Americas, Africa, Middle East | ||
| Modern and Contemporary African Art | ||
| African Art and Gender | ||
| Art of the United States | ||
| Special Study in African Art: _____ | ||
| Special Study in American Art: _____ | ||
| Archaeology and Art of Ancient Egypt and the Near East | ||
| Islamic Art and Architecture in Africa | ||
| African Design | ||
| B. Europe | ||
| The Art and Architecture of the British Isles | ||
| European Architecture 300-1300 | ||
| Aegean Archaeology and Art | ||
| Greek Archaeology and Art | ||
| Roman Archaeology and Art | ||
| Italian Renaissance Art | ||
| Rococo to Realism: Painting in Europe c. 1750-1848 | ||
| Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: 1848-1900 | ||
| Renaissance Architecture in Italy | ||
| Baroque Art in Europe | ||
| Art in the Age of Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer: Northern Baroque | ||
| Special Study in Medieval Art: _____ | ||
| Special Study in Renaissance Art: _____ | ||
| Special Study in Baroque Art: _____ | ||
| Early Medieval and Romanesque Art | ||
| Gothic Art | ||
| Medieval Manuscripts and Early Printed Books | ||
| From Court to City: Northern Art | ||
| Humanism and Reform: 16th Century Northern European Art | ||
| The Spatial Arts of Urban Italy | ||
| Pompeii and Herculaneum | ||
| European Art, 1900-1945 | ||
| C. East Asia | ||
| Special Study in Asian Art Before 1900: _____ | ||
| Manga: Histories and Theories | ||
| Ceramics of East Asia | ||
| Japanese Prints | ||
| Buddhist Art of Korea | ||
| Ceramics of Korea | ||
| Modern Korean Art and Culture | ||
| Art and Culture of Japan | ||
| Art and Culture of China | ||
or HA 468 | Art and Culture of China, Honors | |
| The Art of Buddhism | ||
| Japanese Painting | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Visual Arts of Japan | ||
| Special Study in Asian Art: _____ | ||
| Early Chinese Art | ||
| Chinese Sculpture | ||
| Chinese Painting | ||
| Japanese Sculpture | ||
| D. Cross-regional | ||
| Contemporary Art | ||
| Modern Sculpture | ||
| History of Photography | ||
| Art From 1945 to the 1980s: Modernism to Post-Modernism | ||
| 3. Breadth Courses, Chronological Periods: complete one course in three out of four chronological periods. | 9 | |
| A. Pre-1400 | ||
| European Architecture 300-1300 | ||
| Aegean Archaeology and Art | ||
| Greek Archaeology and Art | ||
| Roman Archaeology and Art | ||
| Buddhist Art of Korea | ||
| Special Study in Ancient Art: ______ | ||
| Special Study in Medieval Art: _____ | ||
| Early Medieval and Romanesque Art | ||
| Gothic Art | ||
| Medieval Manuscripts and Early Printed Books | ||
| Archaeology and Art of Ancient Egypt and the Near East | ||
| Pompeii and Herculaneum | ||
| Early Chinese Art | ||
| B. 1400-1850 | ||
| Italian Renaissance Art | ||
| Rococo to Realism: Painting in Europe c. 1750-1848 | ||
| Renaissance Architecture in Italy | ||
| Ceramics of East Asia | ||
| Japanese Prints | ||
| Baroque Art in Europe | ||
| Art in the Age of Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer: Northern Baroque | ||
| Special Study in Renaissance Art: _____ | ||
| Special Study in Baroque Art: _____ | ||
| Humanism and Reform: 16th Century Northern European Art | ||
| C. Post-1850 | ||
| Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: 1848-1900 | ||
| Contemporary Art | ||
| Special Study in 20th/21st-Century Art: _____ | ||
| Manga: Histories and Theories | ||
| Modern and Contemporary African Art | ||
| Modern Korean Art and Culture | ||
| Modern Sculpture | ||
| History of Photography | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Visual Arts of Japan | ||
| Special Study in African Art: _____ | ||
| Islamic Art and Architecture in Africa | ||
| European Art, 1900-1945 | ||
| Art From 1945 to the 1980s: Modernism to Post-Modernism | ||
| D. Cross-period | ||
| The Art and Architecture of the British Isles | ||
| Ceramics of Korea | ||
| Art and Culture of Japan | ||
| Art and Culture of China | ||
or HA 468 | Art and Culture of China, Honors | |
| Art of the United States | ||
| The Art of Buddhism | ||
| Japanese Painting | ||
| From Court to City: Northern Art | ||
| The Spatial Arts of Urban Italy | ||
| Chinese Sculpture | ||
| Chinese Painting | ||
| Japanese Sculpture | ||
| 4. Complete an art history capstone course, either HA 550 Capstone in Art History, HA 698 Honors Essay. (The art history capstone course may also fulfill one of the breadth requirements above, in which case an elective course should be taken for the final 3 required hours of art history.) | 3 | |
| Capstone Course | ||
| Capstone in Art History: _____ | ||
| Honors Essay in Art History | ||
| 5. Art history elective (0-3 hours; see number 4 above). | ||
| Total Hours: | 30 | |
Note: HA 100/HA 300 is a 1-semester survey of Western art history intended for non-majors and does not count toward the 30 required hours in art history. A student who takes HA 100 or HA 300 and then decides to major in art history must then also take either HA 150 or HA 151 (or both). A student who already has credit in either HA 150 or HA 151, however, should not take HA 100 or HA 300.
Major Hours & Major GPA
While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:
Major Hours
Satisfied by 30 hours of major courses.
Major Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 12 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.
A sample 4-year plan for the BA degree in History of Art can be found here: History of Art, or by using the left-side navigation.
A sample 4-year plan for the BGS degree in History of Art can be found here: History of Art, or by using the left-side navigation.
Departmental Honors
The department invites art history undergraduate majors to apply for graduation with departmental honors. They must meet the following criteria:
- An overall grade-point average of at least 3.25 and an art history grade-point average of 3.5 at the time of declaring intention to seek honors.
- In consultation with the departmental honors coordinator and with approval from a supervising professor, declared intention of seeking honors no later than the time of enrollment for the final undergraduate semester.
- Enrollment in HA 698 Honors Essay and full participation in a concurrent art history graduate seminar (numbered 700 or above) for which the student must write a substantial, original research paper to be submitted to the supervising professor as an honors essay.
- Approval of the honors essay by the supervising professor and 2 other faculty members who, as a committee, certify to the departmental honors coordinator that the student has successfully completed the requirements to earn honors.