Academic Programs
We offer students a dynamic array of in-depth programs of study in Art History, Art & Visual Culture Education (AVCE) and Studio Art with undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as a undergraduate degree in Design Arts & Practices (DAP) and a graduate certificate in Museum Studies.
- Art History
- AVCE
- Studio Art
- DAP
- First Year
- Art Minors
- Degrees
- Museum Studies
- Courses
Art History
The Art History program offers comprehensive studies of the history of art and architecture through critical engagement with existing scholarship, theories and methods. The program produces competitive, thoughtful scholars who contribute to the professional world of teaching, museums and arts-related organizations.
Learn MoreArt & Visual Culture Education
The Art & Visual Culture Education (AVCE) program offers undergraduate and advanced degrees that include track options in community & museums and teaching. It’s mission is to promote an understanding of social justice, multiculturalism and globalization issues in AVCE theory and practice.
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Studio Art
The Studio Art program guides artists to pursue their passion with an eye toward effecting meaningful change in today’s world. The program offers five disciplines: 2D Studies; 3D & Extended Media; Illustration, Design & Animation; Photography, Video & Imaging; and Interdisciplinary Practice (MFA Only).
Learn MoreDesign Arts & Practices
This bachelor’s degree is for students interested in applying interdisciplinary creative thinking and creative making to tackle real-world problems, including climate change, public health emergencies and social and environmental inequity. Students choose from one of the following four design emphasis areas: print, screen, object or spatial.
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First Year Experience
All Studio Art majors at the School of Art will begin their journey with the First Year Experience. The program is an engaging variety of 8-week thematic workshop-structured art courses, designed as an experiential initiation into professional artistic practice, creative methodology and studio work ethic.
Learn MoreArt Minors
Consider declaring a minor in Art History, Art & Visual Culture Education or Studio Art as a means of deepening your understanding of art and your artistic self. For instance, are you planning to major in Art History or perhaps a different area of study altogether, but you still feel the insatiable urge to create? The minor in Studio Art is available with a concentration in 2D studies, 3D and Extended Media, and Photography | Video | Imaging.
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BA/BFA Degrees
The Bachelor of Arts program is designed to allow students to explore the University of Arizona’s programs and incorporate those courses into your art research and your work! This program is geared toward students who want to get the most of their experience at the University of Arizona and leverage its broad offerings and expertise in Business and Management, Space Exploration, and Environmental Sciences, to name a few.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts program is geared toward students who plan to pursue a graduate degree in the arts or become a professional in the arts. No minor is required and most of the coursework for BFA majors are in studio courses.
The Art History program provides a broad range of specialities as well as diverse methodological and theoretical approaches. At the undergraduate level, Art History provides a major for students with professional interests in museums, galleries, archives, and other visual, creative, digital/technological, and artistic fields, as well as those who will pursue Art History studies at the graduate level. The program also lends essential support to the various studio programs and liberal arts degrees offered by the School of Art and the University of Arizona. Students are encouraged to develop advanced research skills and originality of thought as well as a thorough knowledge of the history of art.
The Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art provides a major for those students, who wish to develop and investigate a broad range of aesthetic, conceptual, and technical approaches. A minor is required for the BA program, allowing students to take advantage of the benefits of being a student at the University of Arizona, one of the world’s elite research institutions.
The Bachelor of Arts in Design Arts & Practices (DAP) degree will provide you the opportunity to develop a foundation in design thinking and making from an interdisciplinary perspective that you will be able to apply to a career in fields such as Experience and User Interface Design, Product Design, Industrial Design, Information Design, Graphic Design/Desktop Publishing, Interior and Spatial Design, Set and Exhibition Design, Environmental and Fashion Design, Art/Illustration, Multimedia Design/Animation, Art Direction, Web Design, and more.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art provides a major for those students, who plan to pursue studio art at the graduate level or as a professional in the field. Students are encouraged to advance within their selected area by taking courses that expand contemporary and historical awareness of the discipline, as well as hone their aesthetic, conceptual and technical skills.
Areas of Emphasis
Within the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art & Visual Culture Education (AVCE) program, students study the theoretical foundations of the discipline and interact with practitioners via hands-on experiences, field observations, student teaching, and community and museum internships. Our community of Art & Visual Culture Education students is professionally engaged, academically motivated and joyful.
Areas of Emphasis
- Community & Museums
- K-12 Teaching Certification
MA Degrees
Join our community of dedicated artists, educators and scholars in pursuing an advanced degree.
The Master of Arts in Art & Visual Culture Education is intended to meet the needs of students who wish advanced professional understanding within the field of Art Education. You may pursue an MA or, if interested in certification to teach in public schools and not currently certified, the MA plus certification. If you already hold an MA or MFA degree, you may want to be a part of our Doctoral Studies program.Please speak with an Art & Visual Culture Education faculty member or the Graduate Program Coordinator for more information.
Areas of Emphasis
- Art & Visual Culture Studies
- Community & Museums
- Teaching Certification
The Master of Arts in Art History provides a broad based and methodologically critical foundation essential to pursuing a career in Art History, whether in a university or museum setting. The Art History faculty offers an extensive range of specialties, theoretical approaches, and methodologies. Students are encouraged to develop diverse critical methods and originality of thought as well as a thorough knowledge of the history of art. Graduate students may take advantage of course offerings in related departments such as Architectural History, History, Classics, Anthropology, Media Arts, Women’s Studies, Religious Studies, and English, among others. In addition, they may participate in the activities of the African-American Studies Program, the American Indian Studies Program, the Southwest Institute for Research on Women, the Latin American Area Center, the University of Arizona Medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation Committee, and the Group for Early Modern Studies Graduate Certificate Program.
- Accelerated Masters: Art & Visual Culture Education
- Accelerated Masters: Art History
MFA/PhDs
The M.F.A. in Studio Art provides an interdisciplinary experience emphasizing conceptual development and critical understanding of contemporary issues.
The Ph.D. in Art History and Education provides an interdisciplinary, theoretically informed, methodologically diverse two track Ph.D. program: with one track in Art History and one in Art and Visual Culture Education.
The School of Art encourages interdisciplinary exploration so that students receive a well-rounded education and a breadth of experiences and influences to draw upon.
A sense of community among students and faculty is a defining feature of all our graduate programs. It it built through cohort-based required coursework, a wealth of co-curricular activities and events, and a Graduate studio building.
The Masters of Fine Arts in Studio Art is a three-year program that emphasizes conceptual development and critical understanding of contemporary issues. Our faculty offer a range of philosophic views and are focused on leading students toward conceptual growth and the defining of a personal voice. While students hone technical skills, they will learn to refine their ability to communicate the connection between the meaning of their art and the work itself. Faculty are committed to interdisciplinary pedagogy and their collective technical expertise serve the research and production directions of our diverse students. The resources of a comprehensive R1 University as well as the cultures and landscape of Souther Arizona provide top notch opportunities to work in innovative ways across disciplines.
Areas of Emphasis
- 2D Studies
- 3D & Extended Media
- Illustration, Design and Animation
- Photography, Video and Imaging
- Interdisciplinary Practice
See the admissions section for information on how to apply to these programs.
Email our Graduate Program Coordinator, call 520-621-8518, or set up an advising appointment to learn more about the programs and admissions.
The PhD track in Art History produces excellent scholars of art history who will be uniquely competitive in the professional world of university teaching, museum and related careers. The PhD in Art History and Education provides an interdisciplinary, theoretically informed, methodologically diverse two track PhD program: with one track in Art History and one in Art and Visual Culture Education. Subject Areas within Art History
- American
- Ancient
- Architectural History
- Contemporary Art and Theory
- Latin American
- Modern
- Museum Studies (Certificate Program)
- History of Photography
This advanced degree prepares artist/teacher/researchers who contribute to the research, creative scholarship, knowledge, theory, and practice of art and visual culture education in university, school, museum, community, or other arts leadership positions. The program is focused on contemporary intersections of art, visual culture, and education in all settings.This program enables students to investigate in-depth, significant issues pertaining to the theory and practice of Art & Visual Culture Education in North America as well as globally. Students in this program gain the tools to develop their research interests and explore methods of conducting research. Graduates from our program have gone on to pursue careers teaching in Higher Education, as well as to take leadership roles in arts organizations.
Museum Studies Certificate Program
The Museum Studies Certificate Program (MSCP) is designed to enhance existing graduate degree programs for those students seeking scholarly expertise and practical experience in the field of museum studies. The Certificate Program is also a stand-alone program, open to those who have completed an undergraduate degree but are not enrolled in a graduate degree program.
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