Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate Study in Art History

The Department of Art History offers lecture and seminar courses to undergraduates that cover the history of art in different time periods and from different critical perspectives.  Required coursework for majors and minors allows for a broad exposure to the field, but also gives students some flexibility to allow for a more focused study of a particular time period or region. Graduates of the department pursue careers not only in the traditional areas of research and teaching but also in fields as diverse as library and museum work, government service, publishing, and business.

Art historians are concerned with the many faceted historical implications (personal, social, political, and aesthetic) of imagery and objects (buildings, paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs, films, and decorative arts). They study the makers, critics, patrons, and users of these objects and images. These investigations reveal changing views of humanity and the world and, by extension, develop the student's own critical perspective. The art history faculty offer diverse approaches to the arts of the Western world, Africa, Asia, and the ancient Americas. Courses are also taught by curators and other professionals from the Museum of Fine Arts and other art institutions in the area. Boston's excellent museum and gallery collections and its range of more than 300 years of architecture bring students into intimate and productive association with major examples of visual culture throughout history. The undergraduate Art History Association sponsors trips to museums and galleries, and organizes film and lecture series. The undergraduate Architecture Society sponsors walking tours and visits to architectural offices. Both organizations enrich the department's social and intellectual life.

The art history concentration provides excellent interdisciplinary preparation for graduate work in the humanities or social sciences and complements studies in the natural sciences. Graduates may work in museums, galleries, municipal and state cultural programs, educational institutions, publishing, and architectural and planning firms. Many go on to graduate studies in a variety of fields.

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

Old Art History Concentration Requirements

Concentration in Art History
(For Students who declared their Major/Minor Fall 2007 and later)

The concentration in Art History requires the student to take eleven Art History courses, including one seminar plus at least four courses at the 300-level or above. All Art History concentrators are encouraged to select additional courses in related fields in consultation with their advisor.

Principal Courses
The eleven courses in Art History must include CAS AH 111 and 112 (survey of Western Art), plus two surveys of other artistic traditions, to be chosen from AH 215 (Arts of Africa); AH 220 (Islamic Art and Architecture); AH 222 (Art and Architecture in Ancient America); and AH 225 (Arts of Asia). Of the remaining seven courses, at least four courses must be taken at the 300-level or higher, including at least one seminar at the 400 or 500-level. Courses taken beyond the four introductory surveys must include one course each from the following four groups: A) Ancient, Medieval, and Ancient American, B) Asian, African, and Islamic, C) Renaissance, and Baroque and eighteenth century, D) nineteenth and twentieth century, including American.

Students receiving a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement test in Art History must take eleven courses at Boston University as listed above, but are exempt from the requirement to take CAS AH 111 and AH112.

Seminar
One seminar at the 400 or 500-level, preferably taken in the second half of the junior year or the first half of the senior year, is required. A second seminar is recommended.

Related Courses
The department encourages all Art History concentrators to select additional courses in related fields in consultation with their advisor.

Language
The department also 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 course.

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

Minor Concentration in Art History

All students choosing a minor concentration in Art History are encouraged to take courses in both Western and non-Western Art, and in architecture as well as painting and sculpture, but the options listed below allow students to concentrate in one of three major areas as follows:

Option 1 (Western Art, 1004):
One course chosen from CAS AH 111, 112, 210; plus four other Art History courses, including at least two Western Art classes and at least two courses at the 300-level or higher.

Option 2 (Non-Western Art, 1005):
One course chosen from CAS AH 215, 220, 222, 225; plus four other Art History courses, including at least two non-Western Art classes and at least two courses at the 300-level or higher.

Option 3 (Architectural History, 1006):
AH 205; plus four other Art History courses, including at least two architectural history classes and at least two courses at the 300-level or higher.

Students receiving a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement test in Art History may select any of these options, and to complete the five-course requirement must take three courses in Western Art (1004), non-Western Art (1005), or Architectural History (1006), plus any two other Art History courses. At least two of the five courses must be at the 300-level or higher.

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.

London and Paris Internship Programs in the Arts

Art history concentrators, minor concentrators, and others interested in careers in art history should consider the London and Paris Internship Programs in Art and Architecture sponsored by Boston University. Courses in British and French arts prepare students for professional experience in architectural firms, galleries and museums, auction houses, preservation societies, and other cultural institutions. For further information, consult the general description of the London and Paris Internship Programs in this website.

Student Organizations

The Undergraduate Art History Association is an organization for art history concentrators and other students interested in the study of art history. Activities include discussions, lectures, and museum trips. Members also assist at events designed for prospective art history majors.

Email: aha@bu.edu