PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

Are you thinking about taking an art history course or majoring (or minoring) in art history? Click on a link below to find the answer to many of your questions.

Prospective Students

Why should I study art history?
Have you ever looked at a photograph, a painting, a building, a sculpture, or even a billboard advertisement and found it so beautiful or perhaps disturbing that you could not take your eyes off it? While art history is for people who find images compelling and historically important, our program also provides skills that go far beyond the appreciation of art. ‘Literacy’ is the ability to read texts, but to function effectively in modern society you also need to be visually literate, that is, you need skills enabling you to understand how images displayed in your environment effect your actions, desires, and beliefs. Thus, in art history courses you will focus on improving your writing ability and gain valuable experience as a critical thinker while investigating many types of images from many cultures, past and present.

What is special about the art history major?
Art History’s focus on the visual arts, past and present sets it apart from all other majors. As an Art History major, the bronze statue in a town square, the ancient artifact in a museum, and the design of a shopping center will take on much more meaning to you. Moreover, our program offers you an introduction to an exceptionally broad geographical, cultural, and historical range of topics. Not many majors are designed to give you this cultural diversity. As an art history major at UCI, you are likely to learn, for example, how to recognize the aesthetic qualities admired in the porcelain and stoneware of dynastic China as well as artistic expressions of the experiences of African American artists in the twentieth-century.

What would I learn as an art history major?
Majoring in art history will give you a deeper understanding of all kinds of artifacts, ranging from the ancient to the recent, artifacts from your own culture or from cultures you may know little about. Common questions asked by art historians concern:

Technique: How did artisans make an ancient bronze ritual vessel unearthed in China?

Patronage: Why did the Roman Catholic church spend so much money on beautiful buildings?

Identity: How did modern Japanese painters contend with the Euro-centrism of modern art?

Gender: Why were most nineteenth-century European painters men and why did they paint nude women so frequently?

Reception: What values did thinkers in Renaissance Italy associate with the art of Classical antiquity that they so admired?

Theory: What ideas have been advanced about what art is and how it functions as a visual ‘language’ and as a form of social practice?

What is the difference between art history and studio art?
Would you rather learn about the art of many societies from many historical periods, or create your own works of art? Art Historians write about and analyze the art of the past and present, but they do not usually create works themselves. The Department of Art History is part of UCI’s School of Humanities which emphasizes writing skills and critical thinking to train effective communicators for our global society. The Department of Studio Art is part of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts.

Who can help me decide if art history is for me?
To find out about the art history major and minor programs, please contact one of the Art History Faculty Advisers located in the Art History Department in the lower level of the Humanities Instructional Building (HIB 85) (Campus map). We will be happy to discuss the courses you may take and help you plan a curriculum appropriate to your personal interests and objectives. For a description of the requirements for the major and minor, consult the art history section of the UCI Catalogue. The Department of Art History is part of UCI’s School of Humanities and you will find academic counselors available in the Humanities Undergraduate Office on the first floor of the Humanities Instructional Building (HIB 143) who can help get you on the right track to fulfill lower-division requirements.

How do I transfer into UCI’s art history program?
If you have taken Art History courses at another university or college, you may be able to use these courses to fulfill requirements for the Art History major at UCI. The first step is to discuss your previous courses with the Academic Counselor in the Humanities Undergraduate Counseling Office (HIB 143). For further information about transferring, check the Transfer Services Counseling Program.

Who can help me with the nuts and bolts of getting started at UCI?
For general information about the art history department and its courses as well as other campus resources, contact the Office of the Department of Art History. To find out about how to enroll at UCI, see the Office of Admissions. Contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to find out about financial assistance. For information about living on campus, see Undergraduate Housing. Consider taking a Campus Tour or participating in the Stay Over Program during your high school years.

What can I do with a BA in art history?
With its strong emphasis on developing higher skills in visual analysis, writing, speaking and critical thinking, Art History provides an excellent preparation for many careers, including medicine and law. Following their graduation, students with a B.A. in Art History have found employment in art galleries, auction houses, and museums, and they have entered graduate programs with a view to careers in university teaching, curatorial work, and art conservation. Other professions that often require expertise in art history include art investment, art law, art librarian, arts organization consultant, corporate curator, estate appraiser, and curator of visual resources. Here is an excellent website that introduces many more Career Alternatives for Art History.