College: College of Fine Arts
Degree: BA
Specialized Admission: No
Address: 1019 William Johnston Building
Phone: (850) 644-8207
Email: etjohnson@fsu.edu
*Please Note: Face-to-face/in-person instruction of this program is available ONLY at the main campus in Tallahassee, FL. This program is NOT available via Online/Distance Learning.*
Majors in the History and Criticism of Art program learn about art, creative practices, and visual and material culture in a wide variety of geographic, cultural and historical contexts. Each student will be able to analyze works of art and artifacts by examining the basic elements of the works studied and by developing a visual memory. At the advanced undergraduate level, students are introduced to theoretical and critical concerns in the discipline and explore one specific culture or historical period in depth. By providing students with the core competencies in the discipline, including a critical aptitude for professionally informed, advanced research in art history, the program objective is to prepare the student for a professional career in academic art history and related fields, including work in museums, archives, galleries, and publishing.
In addition to courses in the various periods and cultures of art history, majors also have the opportunity to take courses in the practice of art. The London, Florence, Valencia, and Paris summer programs are available and are highly recommended as outstanding opportunities to study the history of art in context abroad and to develop techniques of critical analysis. The department also offers Honors in Art History (through the Honors-in-the-Major program) and three minors, in Art History, Museum Studies, and Medieval Studies.
All courses except the foreign language coursework require a grade of C or higher.
ART X201 (3) Design I, 2D; or ART X202 or ART X203 or ART X205
ART X300 (3) Drawing I or ART X301 or ART X310
ARH X050 (3) History and Criticism of Art I
ARH X051 (3) History and Criticism of Art II
XXX XXXX (9-12) Competency requirement of a single foreign language
Though students may be admitted into Art History prior to completing all of these courses, all must be completed prior to graduation.
Note: State-wide common prerequisites are always under review. For the most current information and for acceptable alternative courses, visit the “Common Prerequisites Manual.” This is available from the “Student Services” section of http://www.flvc.org.
Foreign language requirement: Students in this major are required to demonstrate proficiency in a modern or classical foreign language through the intermediate (2220) or equivalent level.
Requirements for Progression to the Upper-Division Major
Students must complete at least 52 hours of credit with a minimum grade point average of 2.0, at least half the required General Education hours including English and mathematics, or an A.A. Degree.
Major Program of Studies at FSU: 48 hours
Students must earn a grade of C or better (C minus is not acceptable) in all courses required for the major except foreign language.
Art History courses (18 hours)
Each of the following:
ARH 2050 (Survey I) (3) Intro. to History and Criticism of Art I: Pre-historic through Medieval
ARH 2051 (Survey II) (3) Intro. to History and Criticism of Art II: Renaissance through Modern
Two ARH XXXX World Arts Courses (6)
Two ARH 4800 (6) Methods of Art Criticism or other approved seminar.
Advanced art history courses (18 hours)
Art history courses at the 3000 or 4000 level. All ancient art history courses at the 3000 level and above are considered to be advanced. Students not minoring in Museum Studies may apply one internship (ARH 4941) toward meeting this requirement. Students should select courses, in consultation with their advisor, that are consistent with their academic and career goals.
Professional Training Courses (6 hours)
ARH 2814 (3) Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age (meets Digital Literacy requirement)
ARH 2030 (3) Reading and Writing Art History
Creative Art (6 hours)
Any two 3-hour courses in studio art will satisfy this requirement.
Digital Literacy: 0 hours beyond the major.
Students majoring in Art History will satisfy this requirement by completing ARH 2814, which is required for the major.
Oral Communication Competency: 3 hours
Students must demonstrate the ability to orally transmit ideas and information clearly. This requirement may be met with an approved college-level course.
Minimum Program Requirements - Summary
Total Hrs. Required 120
General Education 36*
Major Coursework 48*
Minor Coursework 0
Foreign Language 0-12, depending on placement
Digital Literacy 0 beyond the major
Oral Communication Competency 0-3
Electives to bring total hours to 120
*Up to 9 hours of major coursework may also be applied to General Education requirements.
Mapping is FSU’s academic advising and monitoring system. Academic progress is monitored each Fall and Spring semester to ensure that students are on course to earn their degree in a timely fashion. Transfer students must meet mapping guidelines to be accepted into their majors. You may view the map for this major at www.academic-guide.fsu.edu/.
1. A minimum of 45 hours at the 3000 level or above, 30 of which must be taken at this University.
2. Half of the major course semester hours must be completed in residence at this University.
3. The final 30 hours must be completed in residence at this University.
4. To graduate, students must earn a minimum grade of “C” or better (“C minus" is not acceptable) in all courses required for the major, except foreign language.
Salary Information: For more information go to: National Association of Colleges and Employers (www.naceweb.org) or the Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm) provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Representative Job Titles Related to this Major: Baccalaureate level- Antiquarian Book Trade, Art Advisor, Art Gallery, Art Investment, Artist Representative, Arts Organization, Consultant, Freelance Collection Manager, Freelance Writing, Governmental Agencies, Museum Work, Publishing, Teacher(high school). With further study- Architectural Conservation, Art Law, Art Librarian, Corporate Curator, Curatorial Consultant, Preservation and Conservation, Teacher/Researcher(College/University), Visual Resource Center.
Representative Employers: Museums/Archives, Art Galleries, Television & Radio, School Systems, Colleges & Universities, Art Libraries, Publishing Houses, Newspapers & Magazines, Advertising Agencies, Local, State and Federal Government.
ACADEMIC MAP (Effective Summer 2025 and after)
*Please Note: Face-to-face/in-person instruction of this program is available ONLY at the main campus in Tallahassee, FL. This program is NOT available via Online/Distance Learning.*
This map is a term-by-term sample course schedule. The milestones listed to the right of each term are designed to keep you on course to graduate in four years. The Sample Schedule serves as a general guideline to help you build a full schedule each term. The General Education and Elective courses must be selected to satisfy all area and diversity requirements unless your program meets these requirements with major courses. Milestones are courses and special requirements necessary for timely progress to complete a major. Missing milestones will result in one of two types of map registration stops. The first level (Degree Map Off-track) is placed following grade posting if the student has missed a milestone (course and/or GPA) for the first time in the major. If a student is in non-compliance with milestones for two (2) consecutive semesters (excluding summers), a Major Change Required stop is placed on the student's registration.
To complete a major in Art History, a student will need 42 hours of coursework in art history with grades of C or better, and 6 hours of coursework in studio art with grades of C or better.
Mapping Coordinator: Eddie Page
Email: epage@fsu.edu
Sample Schedule and Required Milestones by Term
| Sample Schedule: Term 1 hrs |
| ENC1101 Freshman Composition3 |
| 1st GE Core Mathematics3 |
| GE History3 |
| GE Natural Science3 |
| Elective3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 1 |
| Complete ENC1101 ( ≥ C minus ) |
| FSU GPA ≥ 2.0 |
| Sample Schedule: Term 2 hrs |
| ENC2135 Research, Genre, and Context 3 |
| 2nd GE Mathematics or Statistics3 |
| GE Core Social Science3 |
| GE Core Natural Science w/Lab4 |
| Elective2 |
| Required Milestones: Term 2 |
| Complete ENC2135 ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Complete 1st GE Mathematics course ( ≥ C minus ) |
| FSU GPA ≥ 2.0 |
| Sample Schedule: Term 3 hrs |
| ARH2050 Intro. to History and Criticism of Art I: Pre-historic through Medieval3 |
| ARH 2814 Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age (meets Digital Literacy requirement)3 |
| GE Ethics3 |
| Elementary Foreign Language I4 |
| Elective3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 3 |
| FSU GPA ≥ 2.0 |
| Complete 2nd GE Mathematics or Statistics course ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Sample Schedule: Term 4 hrs |
| ARH2051 Intro. to History and Criticism of Art II: Renaissance through Modern3 |
| Oral communication Course3 |
| ARTxxxx3 |
| Elementary Foreign Language II4 |
| ARH 2030 Reading and Writing Art History3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 4 |
| See Academic Advisor in Art History |
| FSU GPA ≥ 2.0 |
| Sample Schedule: Term 5 hrs |
| ARH xxxx World Arts Course3 |
| ARH Advanced Course3 |
| ARH Advanced Course3 |
| Intermediate Foreign Language 4 |
| Elective3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 5 |
| FSU GPA ≥ 2.0 |
| Complete ARH2050 and ARH2051 or equivalent Course |
| Complete First Advanced ARH Course |
| Civic Literacy requirement |
| Sample Schedule: Term 6 hrs |
| ARH Advanced Course3 |
| ARH xxxx World Arts Course3 |
| ARTxxxx3 |
| Elective3 |
| Elective3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 6 |
| FSU GPA ≥ 2.0 |
| Complete Third Advanced ARH Course |
| Complete First Studio Art |
| Must start foreign language, if needed |
| Sample Schedule: Term 7 hrs |
| ARH Advanced Course3 |
| ARH Advanced Course3 |
| ARH 4800 Methods of Art Criticism 3 |
| Elective3 |
| Elective3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 7 |
| Complete Fifth Advanced ARH Course |
| Complete departmental pre-graduation check |
| FSU GPA ≥ 2.0 |
| Complete Second Studio Art course |
| Sample Schedule: Term 8 hrs |
| ARH Advanced Course3 |
| ARH 4800 Methods of Art Criticism 3 |
| Elective3 |
| Elective3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 8 |
| Complete Art History coursework and seminar requirement |
| Minimum overall GPA of ≥ 2.0 |
| Apply for Graduation in 1st two weeks |