Department of Art History

• Degree Requirements
• Sample Course Schedule—Art History

302 Henry Hall (HH)
312-996-3303
http://www.uic.edu/depts/arch/ah/
Administration: Chairperson, Robert Bruegmann
Student Services: Director of Undergraduate Studies, Robert Munman

The program in the Department of Art History introduces the student to the study of both the built environment and the various forms of art: painting, sculpture, graphics, decorative arts, and design. A large selection of courses covers all periods of history and most of the world’s cultures. Various subjects and approaches are introduced: visual and stylistic analysis, criticism, iconography, historiography, and methodology. The architecture of Chicago and its suburbs and the many local museums and galleries are a living part of the general curriculum and are specific components in specialized courses.

While many art history graduates pursue graduate education toward scholarly careers in teaching and museum work, others are attracted to positions with foundations, architectural and art periodicals, or freelance research. Many students combine study in this discipline with graduate work in other fields, such as business administration, history, and urban planning; and still others find themselves in a variety of related professions such as editorial work and arts management.

For information on the Department of Art History at UIC, see the Web page http://www.uic.edu/depts/arch/ah.

B.A. in Art History

Degree Requirements

To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Art History degree from UIC, students need to complete University, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of Art History degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Architecture and the Arts section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.

Foundation Courses

General Education Requirements

^a Art History courses and courses cross-listed with Art History cannot be used by majors to fulfill the humanities requirement.
^b Lists of approved courses in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences can be found in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section of the catalog. Art History students fulfill the cultural diversity requirement by completing the non-Western art history requirement in the major.

Foreign Language Requirement

A reading knowledge of a foreign language is required, normally French, German, Italian, or Spanish, and should be attained by the end of the junior year. The requirement may be met by taking four years of high school language courses, two years of college language courses, or by passing a proficiency examination.

Major Course Requirements

A minimum of 36 semester hours in art history courses at the 200-, 300-, and 400-levels, of which at least two courses (6 semester hours) must be at the 400-level. The major includes the following specific requirements:

^a 400-level courses in non-Western art and architecture and 400-level courses in Western art and architecture covering material primarily before 1700 can count toward fulfilling both the 400-level requirement and the non-Western and pre-1700 requirements.

Electives

Sample Course Schedule—Art History

Minor in Art History

A minimum of 20 semester hours in art history courses, of which at least 10 hours must be taken at the University of Illinois at Chicago, distributed as follows:

Except for AH 110 and 111, courses taken to fulfill the requirements in the student’s major may not be counted towards the minor. A minimum grade point average of 2.25/4.00 is required for the minor.

Departmental Distinction

To be eligible for Departmental Distinction, a student must have done the following:

1. Attended UIC for at least three semesters.  
2. Attained a university cumulative GPA of 3.50/4.00.
3. Completed 21 semester hours at UIC in courses required for the major.
4. Attained a GPA of 3.75/4.00 in courses in art history.
5. Written a thesis that either expands work represented in a seminar or which grows out of an AH 492—Readings in Art and Architecture History course.

The Department of Art History’s Thesis Requirements are as follows:

1. Applicants for graduation with Distinction must take AH 490—Honors Thesis for three hours of credit.
2. Students must enroll in AH 490 in their penultimate semester of course work, in order to avoid time crunches and pressure to accept work that needs more attention.
3. The completed thesis must be acceptable to a committee of two faculty members from the Department of Art History.
4. The grading of the thesis and the grade in the course is either Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Students must receive a grade of Satisfactory in order to graduate with Distinction.
5. Completion of AH 490 must be in addition to the 36 semester hours required for the major.