Program Description
The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Art Studio is a professional degree that allows students to develop a concentration of 18 advanced-level credits in any of the following areas:
- 2-dimensional media
- 3-dimensional media
- Digital media
- Graphic design
- Painting
- Printmaking
- Drawing
- Ceramics
- Jewelry
- Sculpture
Delivery Mode
Traditional (on campus)
Curriculum
The following eight-semester schedule of courses provides a recommended framework for completing this program of study in four years.
Course | Credits |
Freshman Year | |
First Semester | 16 |
ART 110 Drawing I | 3 |
ART 119 Design 2-D | 3 |
ART 120 Design 3-D | 3 |
ENG 101 English Composition I OR HON 150 | 3 |
UNI 100 First-Year Seminar | 1 |
General Education Course | 3 |
Second Semester | 15 |
Art History Course | 3 |
Art Studio Course | 3 |
General Education Courses | 9 |
Sophomore Year | |
Third Semester | 15 |
Art History Course | 3 |
Art Studio Courses | 6 |
General Education Courses |
6 |
Fourth Semester | 15 |
Art History Course | 3 |
Art Studio Courses | 6 |
General Education Courses | 6 |
Junior Year | |
Fifth Semester | 15 |
Art Studio Courses | 9 |
Laboratory Component Course | 3 |
General Education Course | 3 |
Sixth Semester | 15 |
ART 388 Critical Writing in Art | 3 |
Art History Course |
3 |
Art Studio Course | 3 |
General Education Courses |
6 |
Senior Year | |
Seventh Semester | 15 |
ART 490 Senior Studio Thesis | 3 |
Art Studio Courses | 9 |
General Education Course | 3 |
Eighth Semester | 15 |
Art Studio Courses | 9 |
Free Elective | 3 |
General Education Course | 3 |
Total | 120 |
Program Notes
- 35% of the required 120 credits must include upper division courses (300-400 level).
- All art studios 300 level and above are repeatable.
- Requirements in Major: Students must complete 18 credits in one of the four listed concentrations as an area of emphasis (single studio area, 2-dimensional, 3-dimensional or digital media).
Note: One Laboratory Component course must be completed as part of the General Education requirements.
Required Major Courses (33 credits)
- ART 110 Drawing I (3 credits)
- ART 119 Design 2-D (3 credits)
- ART 120 Design 3-D (3 credits)
- ART 310 Advanced Drawing OR ART 438 Figure Drawing (3 credits)
- ART 376 Jewelry/Metals: Casting OR ART 377 Jewelry/Metals: Fabrication (3 credits)
- ART 382 Ceramics Studio (3 credits)
- ART 383 Painting Studio (3 credits)
- ART 385 Sculpture Studio (3 credits)
- ART 388 Critical Writing in Art (3 credits)
- ART 490 Senior Studio Thesis (3 credits)
Choose one from the following list (3 credits):
- ART 350 Printmaking: Relief
- ART 351 Printmaking: Intaglio
- ART 295 Surface Design
- ART 352 Printmaking Processes
Required Art History Courses (12 credits)
Choose from (3 or 6 credits):
- ART 212 Art History I and ART 214 Art History II
- ART 106 Art Appreciation
- ART 109 Landmarks of World Art
Choose two to three courses from the following list (6 or 9 credits):
- ART 109 Landmarks of World Art
- ART 118 History of Making
- ART 212 Art History I
- ART 214 Art History II
- ART 243 Introduction to Asian Art
- ART 308 Art History: Ancient to Medieval
- ART 311 Medieval Art and Architecture
- ART 316 Art History: Renaissance Through Rococo
- ART 317 Art History: Neoclassicism Through the Present
- ART 319 Ancient Greek and Roman Art
- ART 323 Women in Art
- ART 324 Modern Art
- ART 326 Contemporary Art
- ART 328 Italian Renaissance Art
- ART 333 American Art: European Settlement through 1918
- ART 345 Methods of Art History
- ART 420 Contemporary Issues in Art OR ART 422 Art History: The Art World After Modernism
- ARB 343 Images of Islam: From Spain to Iran
Areas of Emphasis (18 credits)
Students must complete 18 credits in one of the four listed concentrations as an area of emphasis.
Single Studio Area Concentration
Students complete 18 upper-level credits in any single ART studio area, including ART 329 and 490.
2-Dimensional Concentration
- ART 112 Introduction to New and Emerging Art Media
- ART 130 Biological Illustration: Form and Function
- ART 215 Digital Painting I
- ART 227 Graphic Design Studio 1
- ART 233 Natural Science Drawing
- ART 262 Color Theory
- ART 266 Selected Topics
- ART 295 Surface Design
- ART 310 Advanced Drawing
- ART 329 Art Internship
- ART 350 Printmaking: Relief
- ART 351 Printmaking: Intaglio
- ART 352 Printmaking Processes
- ART 383 Painting Studio
- ART 438 Figure Drawing
- ART 458 Figure Drawing and Modeling
- ART 490 Senior Studio Thesis
- ART 496 Advanced Painting
3-Dimensional Concentration
- ART 118 History of Making
- ART 266 Selected Topics
- ART 329 Art Internship
- ART 376 Jewelry-Metals: Casting
- ART 377 Jewelry/Metals: Fabrication
- ART 382 Ceramics Studio
- ART 385 Sculpture Studio
- ART 448 Figure Modeling
- ART 458 Figure Drawing and Modeling
- ART 490 Senior Studio Thesis
- ART 493 Advanced Ceramics
- ART 498 Advanced Sculpture
Digital Media Concentration
- ART 127 Introduction to Graphic Design
- ART 215 Digital Painting I
- ART 227 Graphic Design Studio 1*
- ART 261 Typography
- ART 262 Color Theory
- ART 266 Selected Topics
- ART 329 Art Internship
- ART 427 Graphic Design Studio 3
- ART 428 Graphic Design Studio 4
- ART 490 Senior Studio Thesis
- CDC 120 Visual Communications 1
- CDC 252 The Art of Film
- CIS 120 Application Programming I
- DMT 101 TimeBased Media
- DMT 180 Multimedia Foundations
- DMT 225 Digital Layout and Design
- DMT 240 Electronic Desktop Publishing
- DMT 300 Digital Photography
- DMT 320 Digital Video
- DMT 331 Web Publishing
- DMT 340 Computer Animation and 3-D Imaging
- DMT 365 Color Imaging
- DMT 410 Digital Portfolio
- DMT 945 Graphic Communications Internship
- GET 130 Introduction to Engineering Technology
* Pre-requisites of ART 227 include ART 120, CDC 120, ART 261 and ART 262, and students must pass a Portfolio Review in February of their sophomore year, which admits only selected students to the two-year junior and senior year cohort of Graphic Design Studios 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Program Webpage
https://www.calu.edu/academics/undergraduate/bachelors/fine-arts/index.aspx