Department of Art

B.A. Art History

What is Art History?

The history of art is the global history of human experience. It is a visual record of how people have reacted to and negotiated their private, every-day lives, worked through their thoughts about the world around them, and acted on those thoughts and contributed passionate voices to the political, social, and cultural debates of their times.

In this B.A. program, we study the visual artifacts of these experiences, from western and non-western contexts, in the forms of painting, sculpture, photography, prints, and other media, to learn how visual culture supports the practice of socially, politically, and culturally responsible citizenship. As a consequence of their training, our students emerge as stronger thinkers, with a valuable set of marketable skills: keen observation and analysis; critical thinking and problem solving; initiative and self-discipline; and effective written and oral communication. Art history graduates have gone on to careers in museums, galleries, teaching, auctions houses, law, insurance, banking, diplomacy, and politics.

Why Art History at UToledo?

The Art History degree program at The University of Toledo emphasizes respect not only for the visual materials we study, but also for the historically and culturally diverse contexts in which they were created. We place a priority on historical research and critical thinking, and we practice these skills both in and out of the classroom. Our students learn how to ask pointed questions and learn the skills both to find their answers and express them effectively in writing and speech. They take an interdisciplinary approach to learning, in which psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, philosophy, gender studies, race studies, religion, literature, and music all may be relevant. They learn to be self-starters and follow a problem through to its logical solution, and they have the opportunity to put these emerging skills into practice through internships and other forms of civic engagement in Toledo and beyond.

B.A. in Art History Plan of Study

UToledo offers you a unique opportunity to explore the history of art and architecture at the award-winning Center for the Visual Arts on the campus of the world-renowned Toledo Museum of Art. The close relationship between the institutions enables you to make full use of outstanding research facilities including an art reference library, museum exhibitions, and the museum’s permanent collection. Advanced students are encouraged to participate in special undergraduate research projects. The optional concentration in Art Museum Practices offers you further opportunities to study Art History while gaining practical experience in the museum setting (see description of concentration below).

B.A. in Art History with Art Museum Practices (AMP) Concentration

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History with AMP, a concentration available to art history majors, represents an extraordinary opportunity for professional art-world training. The concentration introduces you to the purpose and function of art museums, with an emphasis on practice, through close collaboration with the world-class Toledo Museum of Art (TMA). You'll learn about various museum careers through lectures and discussions with high-level TMA personnel and through the AMP capstone project, in which you'll work with TMA staff to curate an exhibition at the Museum, using works and objects from its permanent collection.

To enhance your practical training, you'll also take a full-time, semester-long internship at a museum or other art-related organization. Our students have completed internships not only at local institutions such as the TMA and the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, but also in other cities, such as New York, San Francisco, Cleveland, Boston, and Los Angeles. See requirements for this concentration.

Plan of study for B.A. in Art History - AMP Concentration

Employment Opportunities for Art History Grads

Many of our Art History alumni find positions such as teachers or in one of the many aspects of museum work. Others find the flexibility, understanding, and critical skills they have acquired in their studies rewarded by many other fields. For example, our Art history graduates have gone on to careers in auction houses, law, journalism, insurance, banking, business, diplomacy, and politics.

Student Learning Outcomes for Art History

1. Identification abilities: Students will accurately identify works of art and/or architecture in terms of artist/architect/culture, title, location, and/or date.
2. Analytic abilities: Students will analyze the form and content of works of art and/or architecture in relation to social, historical, and cultural contexts.
3. Research skills: Students will identify and assess research sources, including effective uses of multiple global resources, to gather information about areas of interest specific to a topic and/or arena of study.
4. Written communication skills: Students will be able to describe, interpret, and summarize ideas in written work through the effective use of content, syntax, and organization of information
5. Oral communication skills: Students will be able to describe, interpret, and summarize ideas in oral presentations through the effective use of content, syntax, and organization of information

Requirements for the Major in Art History

The curriculum leading to the B.A. in Art History requires a minimum of 33 hours in art history courses and a maximum of 45 hours, which must include the following: 

• A two-part survey of the history of Western art composed of two three-credit hour courses. The courses may be taken in any order (6 hours)
  • ARTH 2050 History of Western Art I
  • ARTH 2060 History of Western Art II
• At least one course in non-Western art (choose from: ARTH 2100 Asian Art, ARTH 2200 Ethnographic Art, ARTH 3250 Topics in Asian Art, ARTH 3300 African Art, ARTH 3350 Ancient Art of the Americas) (3 hours)
• ARTH 2080 Modern Art (3 hours)
• ARTH 3400 Contemporary Art (3 hours)

Majors with a GPA in the major of at least 3.00 may elect to pursue up to six hours in Independent Study (ARTH 4990), which requires permission of a full-time art history faculty member who will direct the Independent Study project.

The art history major must also take 18 hours of related courses, which must be chosen from courses acceptable for major credit in studio art, anthropology, classical civilization, literature courses in English, or in a foreign or classical language (in addition to the college language requirement), basic courses in a second foreign language, history, music history or literature, philosophy or religion, theatre or film history, or in other areas approved by your advisor.

Honors in Art History

To earn a B.A. degree in Art History with Honors, the major must fulfill all requirements listed above. In addition, the student must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0, and of 3.5 in the major. Furthermore, along with the major requirement for 33 hours in art history courses, the honors major must complete two courses: Senior Thesis I and II (ARTH 4910 and 4920), worth 2 credit hours each. The thesis must be sponsored and supervised by a full-time member of the art history faculty and shall be approved in final form by that faculty member.

Requirements for the Minor in Art History

Students may minor in art history through the declaration of the minor with the College of Arts and Letters and the completion of a minimum of 21 hours of art history courses, which must include the following:

• A two-part survey of the history of Western art composed of two three-credit hour courses. The courses may be taken in any order (6 hours).
  • ARTH 2050 History of Western Art I
  • ARTH 2060 History of Western Art II
• At least one course in non-Western art (e.g., ARTH 2100 Asian Art, ARTH 2200 Ethnographic Art, ARTH 3250 Topics in Asian Art, ARTH 3300 African Art, ARTH 3350 Ancient Art of the Americas) (3 hours)

The remaining hours for the minor may be selected from any courses offered by the art history program. Minors may elect to pursue up to three hours in Independent Study (ARTH 4990). Independent Study requires the permission of a full-time art history faculty member who will direct the Independent Study project.

For the most complete and current art history course descriptions, please visit the UToledo Course Catalog.