BA in Art
Units required for Major: 48
Total units required for BA: 120
Program Description
The Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art is a four-year program that gives students a foundation to pursue graduate study and/or a broad range of careers in the arts. The B.A. program provides students with an overview of the fine art areas of ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, interdisciplinary and new media art. The studio curriculum of the B.A. program emphasizes breadth of experience alongside technical competence and creative experimentation. The curriculum also provides a foundation in visual art thinking, contemporary art history and critical theory through a global lens. The degree is designed for undergraduate students who want to combine broad and innovative studio art practice with an outstanding education in the liberal arts.
Courses, programs, and exhibitions sponsored by the Art Department serve to engage students in the visual arts within a liberal arts context and to promote appreciation of the fine arts in the general student population. Fieldwork experiences can be arranged with the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, and other public and private art institutions and galleries in the Capital region. Opportunities to study art and art history abroad are available through the Office of International Programs and Global Engagement at Sacramento State and the California State University International Program. University credit can be obtained for a semester to a year of study at college and international centers in Britain, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
California State University, Sacramento, is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Minimum Grade Requirements
A minimum grade of "C" is required in all courses applied to the BA in Studio Art.
Notes:
- Whenever possible, classes should be selected in consultation with a faculty advisor.
- It is recommended that students complete a minimum of 75% of the lower division requirements (20 units) before enrolling in upper division courses while recognizing and following prerequisite requirements.
- Lower division prerequisites for some courses may be waived on the advisement of an Art instructor and a portfolio review.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Lower Division Core Courses | 27 | |
| Global Modern and Contemporary Art 1 | ||
| Beginning Drawing 1 | ||
| Intermediate Drawing 1 | ||
| Beginning Painting | ||
| Beginning Printmaking | ||
| Beginning Hand-Built Ceramics | ||
| Form, Space Vision | ||
| Beginning New Media Art | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Art, Religions, and Power before 1400 | ||
| Art, Empires, and Cross-Cultural Exchange, 1400-1800 | ||
| History of Islamic Art | ||
| Traditional Asian Art | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Asian Art | ||
| European Visual Traditions | ||
| Art of the Americas | ||
| Required Upper Division Studio Core Courses | 12 | |
| Select four courses from one of the following studio course groups or, in consultation with two faculty members, select four courses from the studio course groups to build an interdisciplinary focus. 3 | ||
Drawing Group | ||
| Advanced Drawing | ||
| Advanced Painting and Drawing, Experimental Studies | ||
| Figure Drawing | ||
| Life Studio | ||
| Collage and Assemblage | ||
| Painting/Drawing Studio | ||
| Special Problems | ||
Painting Group | ||
| Intermediate Painting | ||
| Advanced Painting | ||
| Advanced Painting and Drawing, Experimental Studies | ||
| Life Painting | ||
| Life Studio | ||
| Painting and Drawing in the Field | ||
| Collage and Assemblage | ||
| Painting/Drawing Studio | ||
| Special Problems | ||
Printmaking Group | ||
| Collage and Assemblage | ||
| Intermediate Printmaking | ||
| Digital Printmaking | ||
| Advanced Printmaking Studio | ||
| Graphics/Printmaking Studio | ||
| Special Problems | ||
Sculpture Group | ||
| Collage and Assemblage | ||
| NewMedia: 3D Computer Modeling | ||
| Public Art Processes | ||
| Public Art Studio | ||
| Figure Sculpture | ||
| Intermediate Sculpture | ||
| Advanced Sculpture | ||
| Installation and Performance Art | ||
| Sculpture Studio | ||
| Special Problems | ||
Ceramics Group | ||
| Advanced Ceramics | ||
| Hand-Built Ceramic Techniques | ||
| Ceramics Studio | ||
| Figure Sculpture | ||
| Special Problems | ||
New Media Art and Animation Group | ||
| New Media: Sampling and Remix | ||
| NewMedia: 3D Computer Modeling | ||
| New Media: 3D Character | ||
| New Media: 3D Scene Animation | ||
| Digital Printmaking | ||
| New Media: Creative Coding | ||
| Video Art | ||
| Alternative Photographic Processes | ||
| Installation and Performance Art | ||
| New Media: 2D Character Animation | ||
| New Media: 2D Expanded Animation | ||
| New Media: Physical Computing | ||
| Special Problems | ||
| Upper Division Art History Elective Requirement | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Origins of American Indian Art | ||
| Themes in World Art and Visual Culture | ||
| Art of the Ancient Mediterranean | ||
| Medieval Art | ||
| Renaissance Art | ||
| Baroque and Rococo Art | ||
| 19th Century Art | ||
| Modern Art | ||
| US and Caribbean Art: Race and Representation | ||
| Latin American and Latino Art History | ||
| Contemporary Art | ||
| Asian Art and Mythology | ||
| Topics in Early Modern Art | ||
| Topics in Asian Art | ||
| Topics in Modern and Contemporary Art | ||
| Art of India and Southeast Asia | ||
| Art of China and Japan | ||
| Art of Korea | ||
| California Architecture and Urban History | ||
| Public Art in the Americas | ||
| African American Art and Visual Culture | ||
| Global Animation History | ||
| Film as an Art Form | ||
| Studio Breadth Elective Requirement | 3 | |
| Select one upper division studio course or one of the lower division studio courses listed below: | ||
| Beginning Ceramics | ||
| Two-Dimensional Composition | ||
| Beginning Sculpture | ||
| Digital Photography I | ||
| Darkroom Photography | ||
| Special Topics in Art Studio | ||
| Advanced Drawing | ||
| BFA Junior Studio | ||
| Intermediate Painting | ||
| Advanced Painting | ||
| Advanced Painting and Drawing, Experimental Studies | ||
| Figure Drawing | ||
| Life Painting | ||
| Life Studio | ||
| Painting and Drawing in the Field | ||
| Collage and Assemblage | ||
| Painting/Drawing Studio | ||
| New Media: Sampling and Remix | ||
| Intermediate Printmaking | ||
| NewMedia: 3D Computer Modeling | ||
| New Media: 3D Character | ||
| New Media: 3D Scene Animation | ||
| Digital Printmaking | ||
| Advanced Printmaking Studio | ||
| New Media: Creative Coding | ||
| Video Art | ||
| Graphics/Printmaking Studio | ||
| Advanced Ceramics | ||
| Hand-Built Ceramic Techniques | ||
| Ceramics Studio | ||
| Public Art Processes | ||
| Public Art Studio | ||
| Figure Sculpture | ||
| Intermediate Sculpture | ||
| Advanced Sculpture | ||
| Installation and Performance Art | ||
| Sculpture Studio | ||
| Alternative Photographic Processes | ||
| New Media: 2D Character Animation | ||
| New Media: 2D Expanded Animation | ||
| New Media: Physical Computing | ||
| Special Problems | ||
| Upper Division Breadth Elective Requirement | 3 | |
| Select any upper division Art Studio, Art History, or Art Education course | ||
| Origins of American Indian Art | ||
| Themes in World Art and Visual Culture | ||
| Art of the Ancient Mediterranean | ||
| Medieval Art | ||
| Renaissance Art | ||
| Baroque and Rococo Art | ||
| 19th Century Art | ||
| Modern Art | ||
| US and Caribbean Art: Race and Representation | ||
| Latin American and Latino Art History | ||
| Contemporary Art | ||
| Asian Art and Mythology | ||
| Topics in Early Modern Art | ||
| Topics in Asian Art | ||
| Topics in Modern and Contemporary Art | ||
| Art of India and Southeast Asia | ||
| Art of China and Japan | ||
| Art of Korea | ||
| Modern Architecture | ||
| California Architecture and Urban History | ||
| Public Art in the Americas | ||
| Directed Research in Art History | ||
| Advanced Drawing | ||
| BFA Junior Studio | ||
| Intermediate Painting | ||
| Advanced Painting | ||
| Advanced Painting and Drawing, Experimental Studies | ||
| Figure Drawing | ||
| Life Painting | ||
| Life Studio | ||
| Painting and Drawing in the Field | ||
| Collage and Assemblage | ||
| Art and the Artist in the Marketplace | ||
| Painting/Drawing Studio | ||
| Theories in Art Education | ||
| Art Education for Children | ||
| Interdisciplinary Art | ||
| Overview of Secondary Art Education | ||
| Art for Exceptional Children | ||
| New Media: Sampling and Remix | ||
| Directed Research in Art Education | ||
| Intermediate Printmaking | ||
| NewMedia: 3D Computer Modeling | ||
| New Media: 3D Character | ||
| New Media: 3D Scene Animation | ||
| Digital Printmaking | ||
| Advanced Printmaking Studio | ||
| New Media: Creative Coding | ||
| Video Art | ||
| Barrio Art for Ethnic Groups | ||
| Graphics/Printmaking Studio | ||
| Advanced Ceramics | ||
| Hand-Built Ceramic Techniques | ||
| Ceramics Studio | ||
| Special Topics in Art Studio | ||
| Alternative Photographic Processes | ||
| Public Art Processes | ||
| Public Art Studio | ||
| Figure Sculpture | ||
| Intermediate Sculpture | ||
| Advanced Sculpture | ||
| Installation and Performance Art | ||
| Sculpture Studio | ||
| Global Animation History | ||
| Film as an Art Form | ||
| Senior Seminar in Studio Art | ||
| Senior Seminar in Art History | ||
| Senior Seminar in Art Education | ||
| Curatorial Projects | ||
| Introduction to Curatorial Studies | ||
| Fieldwork | ||
| Experimental Offerings in Art | ||
| Protest and Play: Northern California Art of the 1970s | ||
| New Media: 2D Character Animation | ||
| New Media: 2D Expanded Animation | ||
| New Media: Physical Computing | ||
| Special Problems | ||
| Total Units | 48 | |
- 1
Course also satisfies General Education (GE)/Graduation Requirement.
- 2
Courses in the lower division cannot be repeated for credit towards the major.
- 3
All courses must be chosen with advisor approval. See the current course catalog for courses that may be taken more than once for credit.
General Education Requirements1
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Area A: Basic Subjects (9 Units) | ||
| A1 - Oral Communication | 3 | |
| A2 - Written Communication | 3 | |
| A3 - Critical Thinking | 3 | |
| Area B: Physical Universe and Its Life Forms (13 Units) | ||
| B1 - Physical Science | 3 | |
| B2 - Life Forms | 3 | |
| B3 - Lab (Note: Lab experience to be taken with one of the following: B1, B2 or B5) | 1 | |
| B4 - Math Concepts | 3 | |
| B5 - Additional Course (Any B to reach 12 units) - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements. | 3 | |
| Area C: Arts and Humanities (6 Units) | ||
| C1 - Arts 2 | 0 | |
| C2 - Humanities | 3 | |
| C1/C2 - Area C Course 2 | 0 | |
| C1/C2 - Area C Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements. | 3 | |
| Area D: The Individual and Society (9 Units) | ||
| Area D Course | 3 | |
| Area D Course | 3 | |
| Area D Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements. | 3 | |
| Area E: Understanding Personal Development (3 Units) | ||
| Area E Course | 3 | |
| Area F: Ethnic Studies (3 Units) | ||
| Area F Course | 3 | |
| Area F: Ethnic Studies (3 Units) | ||
| Area F Course | 3 | |
| Total Units | 46 | |
- 1
To help you complete your degree in a timely manner and not take more units than absolutely necessary, there are ways to use single courses to meet more than one requirement (overlap). For further information, please visit the General Education page.
Note: There is no way to list all possible overlaps so please consult with a professional advisor. The Academic Advising Center can be visited online, by phone (916) 278-1000, or email.
- 2
Required in Major; also satisfies GE.
Graduation Requirements1
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation Requirements (required by CSU) (9 Units) | ||
| American Institutions: U.S. History | 3 | |
| American Institutions: U.S. Constitution & CA Government | 3 | |
| Writing Intensive (WI) | 3 | |
| Graduation Requirements (required by Sacramento State) (12 Units) | ||
| English Composition II | 3 | |
| Race and Ethnicity in American Society (RE) | 3 | |
| Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement 2 | 6 | |
- 1
To help you complete your degree in a timely manner and not take more units than absolutely necessary, there are ways to use single courses to meet more than one requirement (overlap). For further information, please visit the General Education page.
Note: There is no way to list all possible overlaps so please consult with a professional advisor. The Academic Advising Center can be visited online, by phone (916) 278-1000, or email.
- 2
If not satisfied before entering Sacramento State, it may be satisfied in General Education Area C2 (Humanities). "C- or better required." The alternative methods for satisfying the Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement are described here: https://www.csus.edu/college/arts-letters/world-languages-literatures/foreign-language-requirement.html
Labor Market Insights
The Labor Market Insights tool allows you to look up live labor market trends pulled from real-time data to explore top employment opportunities. Whether you are graduating and searching for a position or just beginning your career exploration journey, this tool has something for everyone!
- Desired educational level for each position
- Average annual earnings for each job
- In-demand skills by occupation
- Relevant job titles
- List of employers that are currently hiring
- Employment trends and predictions over the next ten years
Go to the Labor Market Insights | Sacramento State (csus.edu) to search employment data to help inform your career decisions.