Concentration in Art History
(If you are a student who declared their Major/Minor for Art History prior to Fall 2007 you may choose between these old requirements or the new requirements.)

The concentration in art history requires the student to take ten art history courses, plus four additional courses in related disciplines that must be pre-approved by a department advisor. Of the fourteen required courses, at least seven, including one art history seminar and at least two art history courses at the 300 level or above, must be taken at Boston University.

Principal Courses The ten courses in art history must include CAS AH 111 and 112, and one non-Western introductory art history course to be chosen from AH 215, Arts of Africa; AH 222, Art and Architecture in Ancient America; and AH 225, Arts of Asia. Of the remaining seven courses, at least five courses must be taken at the 300 level or higher, including at least one seminar at the 400 level or higher. Courses taken beyond the three introductory courses (AH 111, AH 112; and AH 215, 222, or 225) must be chosen from four different areas of art history. Specifically, students must take courses in two of the following three areas: 1) non-Western, 2) classical, 3) medieval; and additional courses in two of the following three areas: 4) Renaissance, 5) Baroque and eighteenth century, 6) nineteenth and twentieth century, including American.

Students who have earned a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement test in art history do not take AH 111 and 112, but must substitute any two art history courses at the 200 level or higher.

Seminar One seminar, preferably taken in the second half of the junior year or the first half of the senior year, is required. A second seminar or a 500-level course is recommended. Prerequisites for seminars are posted each semester and usually include permission of the instructor.

Related Courses Students are required to take four courses, two of which must be at the 300 level or higher, in related areas. These courses are to be chosen in consultation with a department advisor to suit the student's needs and interests. Qualifying fields include African American Studies, American and New England Studies, Anthropology, Archaeology, Classical Studies, English, Film and Television, History, literature courses in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, Music, Philosophy, Religion, Sociology, Theatre Arts, Visual Arts, and Women's Studies. Courses in programs not on the list will be accepted only with an advisor's prior approval. Credit received for Advanced Placement courses cannot be used to fulfill the related-courses requirement for the art history concentration.

Language The department strongly recommends that art history concentrators planning to pursue graduate study acquire reading knowledge of a second foreign language in addition to the one language required for graduation by the College.

Grades A grade of C is the minimum acceptable for a concentrator in a department or related course.

For information about concentrations, see the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Minor Concentration in Art History

The department offers a minor concentration consisting of five courses in art history as follows:

Option 1 CAS AH 111 and 112 plus any three AH courses at the 200 level or higher.

Option 2 CAS AH 111 plus four AH courses at the 200 level or higher, including one Renaissance or Baroque and one modern or American art course.

Option 3 CAS AH 112 plus four AH courses at the 200 level or higher, including one ancient or medieval art course.

Option 4 CAS AH 210 plus four AH courses at the 200 level or higher, including one ancient or medieval, one Renaissance or Baroque, and one modern or American art course.

Option 5 (reserved for students receiving a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement test in art history) Any five art history courses at the 200 level or above.

Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all courses taken toward the minor concentration. For information about minor concentrations, see the Director of Undergraduate Studies.