“Creativity takes courage” _ Henri Matisse

Degree requirements

Students majoring in art must complete 42 credits of course work in art, 52 credits of liberal arts core requirements and a 15-credit minor concentration. Each of the separate concentrations has groups of required courses in its areas of specialization. Guidance by the students’ individual advisers is essential in guiding them through each specialization.

The required courses in art are designed to provide students interested in the visual arts with a strong foundation program of 24 credits in drawing, design, color and art history. Additionally, in the senior year, a 6-credit senior project and seminar are required for the degree.

The remaining 15 credits (for a total of 42) may be taken in a variety of art electives, as well as required courses for the concentrations in arts management, computer art and design, graphic art and design, and painting and/or drawing.

Outline of Program

Except for the freshman foundation courses (which must be scheduled in the first and second semesters as indicated below), the semester assignment of courses in this outline is only suggested. Students have the option of distributing the electives, with the approval of a faculty adviser, among the semesters as they deem appropriate.

Required courses 

Freshman Foundation Required Art Courses

First semester

  • ART1141 Two-dimensional Design
  • ART1151 General Drawing I

Second semester

  • ART1144 Color Theory I 
  • ART1153 Life Drawing I

General Requirements

Third semester

  • ART1107 Development of Art I
  • ART1108 Development of Art II

Remainder

  • ART1120 Modern Art to Mid-century
  • ART4821 Portfolio

Computer Art and Design Concentration

The computer art and design concentration focuses on the interactive world of broadcast, 3D, gaming, and animation. Students learn principles of 3D modeling, animation and interactivity including texture, lighting, and camera action.

Major Requirements (18 credits)

  • ART1107 Development of Art I
  • ART1108 Development of Art II
  • ART1141 Two-dimensional Design or
    ART1142 Three-dimensional Design
  • ART1144 Color Theory I
  • ART1151 General Drawing I or
    ART1161 Painting I
  • ART4821 Portfolio

Major Concentration (15 credits)

Choose five from the following courses:

  • ART1177 Introduction to Digital Media
  • ART1178 Multimedia on the Internet
  • ART1192 Digital Photography I
  • ART1843 Design for the Web
  • ART2271 Adobe® After Effects: Broadcast Graphics
  • ART2274 Computer 3-Dimensional Modeling
  • ART2294 2-D Computer Animation
  • ART2295 3D Computer Animation
  • CSCI3317 Computer Game Programming

Graphic Art and Design Concentration

The graphic art and design concentration exposes students to all aspects of graphic design and data visualization with outputs to print, web and smart devices.

Major Requirements (18 credits)

  • ART1107 Development of Art I
  • ART1108 Development of Art II
  • ART1131 History of Graphic Design and Illustration
  • ART1144 Color Theory I
  • ART1151 General Drawing I or
    ART1161 Painting I
  • ART4821 Portfolio

Major Concentration (15 credits)

Choose five from the following courses:

  • ART1141 Two-dimensional Design
  • ART1167 Collage and Mixed Media
  • ART1174 Desktop Publishing I
  • ART1177 Introduction to Digital Media
  • ART1179 Digital Illustration and Design
  • ART1192 Digital Photography I
  • ART2215 Photoshop® for Advertisement and Illustration

Course Descriptions

  • ART1107 History of art from ancient through medieval times. (Not open to those who take ART1102 Introduction to Art History.) Required of all art majors.

  • ART1108 History of art from the Renaissance through the present. (Not open to those who take ART1102 Introduction to Art History.) Required of all art majors.

  • ART1120 The major movements in painting, sculpture and architecture in Europe and America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

  • ART1131 A survey of visual communication systems from early global civilization through book and magazine illustration, poster and advertising art from the 19th century to the present.

  • ART1141 Basic elements and principles of two-dimensional design and composition. (Freshman art major foundation.) Fall

  • ART1142 Basic elements and principles of three-dimensional design and composition. (Freshman art major foundation.) Spring

  • ART1144 The physical and psychological properties of color and the application of these phenomena in the creative arts.

  • ART1151 Basic techniques and concepts in creative drawing from observation and imagination. (Freshman art major foundation.)

  • ART1153 Basic concepts and techniques of drawing the human form through observation of live models. (Freshman art major foundation.)

  • ART1161 Painting in acrylic or oil media. Problems of form, expression and technique. Fall, Spring

  • ART1167 Constructing works of art from paper and castoff materials, including three-dimensional objects and boxes in assemblage.

  • ART1174 Fundamentals of layout, design and typography on the computer. Introduction to publishing on the computer using Quark Xpress, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.

  • ART1177 Fundamentals of using the computer as a drawing/painting medium. Digitizing, video imaging, manipulation of digital information to create visual art.

  • ART1178 Fundamentals of interactive design for the web using Macromedia Flash. Useful in multimedia and web design. Three contact hours required for all students. Extended lab of two contact hours required for all art majors only.

  • ART1179 The use of the computer as a primary tool in illustration and design. Three contact hours required for all students. Extended lab of two contact hours required for art majors only.

  • ART1192 Fundamentals of electronic imaging to input photographic materials and manipulate them in a digital environment for creative use and commercial application.

  • ART1843 Intro to design issues specific for the web. The course includes an overview of how internet functions. It covers basic website interactivity and navigation, image adjustment and compression, as well as basics of multimedia on the web.

  • ART2215 The use of Photoshop in the creation and manipulation of digital artwork for editorials and advertising in print media. Student projects modeled after real- word commercial assignments.

  • ART2271 This course is an introduction into the world of Broadcast Motion Graphics for TV and Web using an industry leading software, Adobe After Effects. Students learn basic animation techniques while creating short movies - animated logos, titles and openings.

  • ART2274 Students will learn the design aspects of creating three-dimensional graphics for broadcast applications and design tools for creating virtual sets.

  • ART2294 Development of storyboards and characters, introduction of two-dimensional animation on the computer for online games and short movies.

  • ART2295 Fundamentals of creating three-dimensional animation from conception to final presentation on the computer.(Equivalent to COMM 1175 Computer Animation I.)

  • ART4821 Students will learn to prepare a professional portfolio for presentation after college: portfolios for specialized needs will be addressed.

  • CSCI3317 Introduction to Computer Game Development. Topics include fundamentals of Microsoft DirectX game and graphics libraries, 2D graphics and animation, audio output, keyboard/mouse handling, and fundamentals of 3D modeling, and programming.