Program Overview
Introduction to the Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design
The Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design offers a variety of programs for students interested in pursuing a degree in art, art history, or design.
Undergraduate Programs
- BA/BS in Art + Design
- BA/BS in Art History
- BA/BS in Cultural History of the Arts
- BFA in Art Practice
- BFA in Graphic Design
Graduate Programs
- MFA Art + Social Practice
Minors
- Advertising Management Minor for Graphic Design Majors
- Art History Minor
- Art Practice Minor
- Design Management Minor for Advertising Majors
- Graphic Design Minor
- Sustainable Fashion Minor
Certificates
- Art History Certificate
- Athletic + Outdoor Project Management Certificate (Graphic Design or Textile Arts Pathways)
BA/BS in Art History
Program Overview
The BA/BS in Art History program enables students to think critically and communicate effectively about visual and textual evidence. The program offers a broad spectrum of courses covering art created in the earliest days of human culture to the contemporary art scene.
Study Art and Visual Culture
Art history looks at art in its historical context, taking into account the time, location, cultural ideals, philosophy, aesthetics, and techniques involved in its creation. The program allows students to forge an individual path of study based on their interests and goals.
Course Offerings
Students can delve into courses like Italian Renaissance Art, Chinese Painting, Islamic Art, and Latin American Women Artists, as well as thematic courses like Medieval Monsters and Nature into Art.
Research Opportunities
Most classes are small, ranging from 15-35 students, and offer research opportunities throughout the curriculum. Motivated students have the option of a senior year thesis project.
Travel Funds
The program has travel funds that allow several art history classes a year to take free-for-students trips to places like Los Angeles, New York, and Denver. These excursions often involve unique behind-the-scenes experiences not available to the general public.
Community Engagement
Every year, the program hosts guest lectures by visiting scholars representing a variety of art-historical themes. Students also have the opportunity to create community through participation in the Art History Student Association.
Location
The program's location in the heart of Downtown Portland places it just steps from museums, hundreds of independent art galleries, and Portland's vibrant creative scene.
Art History Major - BA or BS Degree
Studying art history enables students to think critically and communicate effectively about visual and textual evidence, skills that apply to a range of professions. The program offers one path of study that can be used to deepen or extend learning while earning a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in Art History.
Choosing Between BA and BS
The choice between the BA and BS should be discussed with an art history faculty advisor. For most people, both options can work well. If interested in art conservation, the BS is recommended, whereas the BA is the recommended option for those who anticipate continuing on to graduate school in art history, museum studies, and related fields.
Opportunities
Tooze Visiting Scholars
Lectures and workshops showcasing scholars in Ancient and Islamic Art History through the Mary Ausplund Tooze Endowed Visiting Professor of Islamic + Ancient Art.
Holmes Travel Fellowship
A travel fellowship that assists serious students in their scholarly pursuits through the opportunity to experience academic research outside the Portland area.
Tooze Scholar Travel Award
An award that supports travel for students to engage in field study and research in Ancient and Islamic Art.
Engram Journal
A student art history journal that's written, edited, and designed by Portland State University students.
Art History Research Project Prizes
Excellence in research and writing is rewarded with small cash prizes to students who produce outstanding term papers or class projects.
PSU Research Week
Research Week honors and elevates the exceptional research, scholarship, and creative work of PSU faculty, staff, and students.
Medieval Portland
A database of art, objects, and medieval-inspired architecture in Portland and the surrounding region, gathered for research and learning about the global Middle Ages by PSU students.
Art History Requirements
- ARH 204, 205, and 206: Art History: The Ancient World, the Medieval World, and the Modern World (12 credits)
- ARH 106 or ARH 110: Visual Literacy (2 or 4 credits)
- ART 104 and ART 105: ART coursework transferred to PSU (4 credits)
- ARH 401, 407, 410, 449: Seminars (8 credits)
- ARH 300- or 400-level: Upper Division Art History of your choosing (24 credits)
- Faculty Advisor-Approved Individual Path of Study: 8 credits of ARH, any level, that will apply automatically here. Alternatively, to apply courses from a department outside of Art History, your faculty advisor can approve these by submitting an exception request.
- Art History Major Residency Requirement: A minimum of 24 credits of upper-division (300- or 400-level) Art History courses must be at PSU. These courses also count towards fulfilling your other art history requirements.
- Total: 58-60 credits
Art History Minor and Certificate
Information on the Art History Minor and Certificate is available, but details are not provided in the input context.