As a student majoring in art history, you will begin with courses
that survey the arts of Asia, Europe, and America. More
specialized lecture courses and proseminars follow in global art
and visual culture from ancient times to the present day.
Students majoring in Art History are expected to fully engage
with the wide-ranging opportunities its curriculum presents for
learning and research. Students who complete a B.A. in Art
History should have acquired the knowledge and skills listed
below. The many students who take Art History courses for General
Education credit or as a designated minor benefit from them as
well.
Students in a variety of majors find they benefit from an Art
History minor. Because upper-division courses in Art History have
no prerequisites, our minor conveniently fits into many academic
plans. Art History is both visually-oriented and analytical, and
because it is a writing discipline, the minor has also provided
an interesting and useful source of core GE credits (AH, VL, WC,
ACGH, WE).
The Honors Program is encouraged for senior Art History majors
who are considering attending graduate school. The Honors program
in Art History entails a sequence of three courses—12 units
total—in addition to and after having completed the 60 units
required for the major. Students interested in writing an honors
thesis must have completed the entire 70 units of the Art History
major before taking the additional 12 units required for the
honors thesis.
You might want to approach your professors for letters of
recommendation. Professors get lots of these requests, and they
are very time-consuming—they’re not a casual task. For most
applications, letters of recommendation are critically
important to your success (they’re not just generic quick
character references, but detailed assessments tailored for each
student and each position). So follow these guidelines carefully,
and be prepared and proactive:
The Art and Art History Club is open to all art studio and art
history majors, minors, and friends. Our purpose is to learn
about and discuss all things relating to art and art history. We
do this through open discussions at meetings, going on field
trips to art museums and galleries, watching art-related movies,
selling student-made art, and promoting art education. We are
working hard to create an art community among UC Davis
undergraduates.
