Art

(Drawing, Filmmaking, Graphic Design, Painting/Printmaking, Photography, and Sculpture)

Director of undergraduate studies: Lisa Kereszi, 122 GRN, 432-2600; art.yale.edu

Students in the Art major develop a critical and practical understanding of the visual arts and design through a studio-based curriculum that organically blends practice with critical thinking and art historical precedents; apply fundamentals of visual art across a variety of mediums and disciplines; relate the practice of making art and design to the study areas of art history and theory; and learn to embody the knowledge and practice of at least one artistic discipline through active search and research. Students may concentrate on a medium such as painting/printmaking, sculpture, graphic design, photography, or filmmaking, and interdisciplinary study is supported. Art majors learn to place their own work in the context of an inclusive group of contemporary art worlds and national and global cultures. This study is a crucial element in a liberal arts curriculum both for future arts practitioners and for those ultimately studying and working in other fields. A key element of the creative learning process is the critique, which is implemented via both group settings and one-on-one studio visits with faculty and visiting critics. Through rigorous practice and regular feedback, a student gains insight into one's own critical voice. Art majors have access to the graduate program by attending regular lectures, critiques, events, and exhibitions that represent a diverse set of art practitioners who regularly visit the School of Art.

Courses for Nonmajors and Majors

Courses in Art are open to all undergraduate students, but are registered by permission of instructor only due to limited class size. In cases where student demand for entry into a course is greater than can be accommodated, priority is given to School of Art students and declared Art and CPAR majors. The director of undergraduate studies (DUS) and members of the Art faculty typically hold counseling meetings during the registration period. See the Art department website listed above for more information. Students seeking advice about course selection or the program in Art should attend these advising sessions. Others wishing to elect an Art course should visit the course's Canvas site for details, and request instructor permission during early registration to apply for these limited-enrollment classes. Many studio art courses require the purchase of a limited number of supplies in addition to those materials provided in the class. All Art majors are required to register with the DUS at the beginning of each term in order to be enrolled or to continue in the major.

Prerequisites

The prerequisites for acceptance into the major are a sophomore review, which is an intensive advising session and evaluation of work from studio courses taken at the Yale School of Art, and five introductory courses (courses numbered 001-199). Four of the introductory courses must have been completed at the time of the sophomore review. Visual Thinking (ART 111) and Basic Drawing (ART 114) are mandatory, and may not be waived. At the time of the review, the student should be enrolled in the fifth 100-level prerequisite course. In exceptional cases, arrangements for a special review during the junior year may be made with the DUS.

Requirements of the Major

The Art major requires fourteen courses, including the following: (1) five prerequisite courses at the Introductory level numbered 001-199 (including Basic Drawing and Visual Thinking); (2) four courses at the 200 level or above; (3) the Junior Seminar (ART 395) or Critical Theory in the Studio (ART 301); (4) the two-term senior project (ART 495 and ART 496); and (5) two courses in the history of art. A student who has completed five courses numbered 001-199 may count a sixth such course towards the 200-level course requirement. Program guidelines and specific requirements for the various areas of concentration are described below.

Areas of concentration Each Art major selects an area of concentration from five possible choices: (1) graphic design, (2) painting/printmaking, (3) photography, (4) sculpture, and (5) filmmaking. Suggested courses for the graphic design concentration are: ART 132; ART 264; ART 265, 266 or 368; ART 369 or 370; and ART 468 or 469. Students in the photography concentration should take ART 136 and/or ART 138; ART 237 and/or 239; ART 337 or 338; ART 379; and ART 401. The sculpture concentration recommends ART 110; ART 120 or 121; ART 123 or 210; and 2 of the following: ART 348, 360, 371. Required courses for the filmmaking concentration are ART 142; ART 241; ART 341; ART 342; and ART 442 or 443. Students in the filmmaking concentration may substitute two non-production courses in Film and Media Studies for the history of art requirement, and the same for other concentrations only with permission of the DUS. Students wishing to work interdisciplinarily should consult with the DUS.

Requirements of the painting/printmaking concentration for the Class of 2023 and subsequent classes Specific courses recommended for this concentration are ART 116; ART 130; ART 331 or 332; ART 224, 245 or 356; and ART 421, 432, 433 or 457.

Credit/D/Fail Courses taken Credit/D/Fail may be counted toward the requirements of the major.

Senior Requirement

The senior requirement consists of a two-term senior project, ART 495 and ART 496.

Unique to the Major

Summer fellowship Art majors are eligible to apply for the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Fellowship for study at the Yale University Summer School of Music and Art in Norfolk, Connecticut. Applicants for the program must be officially classified as junior Art majors and be returning to Yale for two terms of their senior year. The program awards up to four course credits for work successfully completed. These credits cannot be used toward the requirements of the Art major; however, they may be counted toward the 36-course-credit graduation requirement.

Repeated and outside courses Some Art courses may be repeated for credit, with permission of both the instructor and the DUS. Course credits in studio art earned at other institutions may, in some cases, be applied toward the requirements of the major, but not to replace the two prerequisites, and is done solely at the discretion of the DUS and subject to a faculty review process.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR

Prerequisites Favorable faculty review of work done in studio courses before end of sophomore year; ART 111 and 114; 3 addtl courses numbered 001-199

Number of courses 14 courses (incl prereqs and yearlong senior project)

Specific courses required All concentrations—ART 395 or 301; Graphic design—ART 132; ART 264; ART 265, 266 or 368; ART 369 or 370; and ART 468 or 469; Painting/printmaking—ART 116, 130; ART 331 or 332; ART 224, 245 or 356; and ART 421, 432, 433 or 457; Photography—ART 136 and/or 138; ART 237 and/or 239; ART 337 or 338; ART 379, 401; Sculpture—ART 110; ART 120 or 121; ART 123 or 210; and any 2 of ART 348, 360, 371; Filmmaking—ART 142, 241, 341, 342; ART 442 or 443

Distribution of courses 4 courses at 200 level or above; 2 courses in hist of art

Senior requirement Two-term senior project (ART 495, ART 496)

Substitution permitted Filmmaking concentration—2 courses in Film and Media Studies may be substituted for the hist of art req

• $80 application fee or fee waiver
• Recommendations from two teachers and one counselor
• School Report with transcript
• Standardized test results (ACT or SAT) - not required for fall 2023 admission. (See below)
• English proficiency test results - required for non-native English-speakers (See below)
• Mid-Year Report & Final Report

See additional details about these required application components below.

Please note that if your application materials include any documents that are not in English, you must provide an official English translation in addition to the original documents.

$80 application fee or fee waiver

Applicants should pay the $80 application fee via the Common Application or Coalition Application website.

Applicants using the Common Application or Coalition Application may request that the application fee be waived. Learn more on the fee waiver page. The fee waiver scale is based on family size and income in US dollars but is applicable to all international students.

Recommendations from two teachers and one counselor

Request recommendations from two teachers who have taught you in core academic subjects (e.g. English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) who know you well, and who have seen you at your best. It is preferable, but not required, that recommendations come from teachers who have taught you during your final or next-to-final year of secondary school.

Also request a recommendation from your school’s college counselor. If your counselor does not know you well, the recommendation may still provide helpful contextual information about your school and its academic programs. If your school does not have someone serving as a college counselor, please request a recommendation from a school administrator such as a house master, principal, or academic advisor. 

School Report with transcript

Your counselor or other school official should submit a School Report with an official transcript that includes all your secondary school courses. If a question on the School Report form is not applicable to your secondary school, leave it blank. 

Recommendations and transcripts should be submitted electronically through the Common Application or Coalition Application website. If necessary, teachers and counselors may also submit their recommendations and transcripts via mail or digital upload. Recommendations may be sent before or after you submit your application; materials that arrive before your application will be kept on file. The admissions office will make reasonable allowances for late school documents in situations where it is not possible for teachers and counselors to meet the application deadlines.

Standardized test results

In response to the extraordinary circumstances associated with the pandemic, Yale has temporarily suspended its requirement that first-year and transfer applicants submit results from the ACT or SAT. The change will be in effect during the 2022-23 admissions cycles for applicants who intend to matriculate in fall 2023. 

More information on Yale’s test policies is available on the standardized testing page. Standardized tests are just one component of a student’s application and are viewed within the context of the student’s entire file. There is no minimum score required for admission, nor is there a score that will guarantee admission.

English proficiency exams

Yale requires that non-native English-speakers who have not taken at least two years of secondary education where English is the medium of instruction submit the results from any of the proficiency tests listed below.

The TOEFL requires pre-registration for available testing dates. Yale’s most competitive applicants have scores of at least 100 on the internet-based TOEFL.

The IELTS offers proficiency tests in locations around the world. Pre-registration is required. Yale’s most competitive applicants have IELTS scores of 7 or higher.

Cambridge English exams are available at testing locations around the world. Pre-registration is required. Yale’s most competitive applicants have Cambridge English scores of 185 or higher on the C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency, or B2 First exams.

Applicants may submit the Duolingo English Test (DET), which combines an English proficiency test with a brief video interview. Duolingo’s technology and format allows applicants to complete the test at any time or place with internet access. Yale’s most competitive applicants have DET scores of at least 120.

InitialView provides live, unscripted video interviews that candidates may submit to colleges for consideration with other application materials. Interview times must be reserved in advance. There is no scoring associated with these interviews.

Mid-Year Report & Final Report

Students who do not receive new secondary school grades by February 1, including students who have already completed secondary school, are not required to submit a Mid-Year Report. This includes many international students. Applicants who receive new grades by February 1 should submit a Mid-Year Report.

Only admitted students are required to submit the Final Report, which provides final secondary school grades and examination marks. Admitted students submit the Final Report in the summer before fall matriculation.

If your secondary school provides predicted results for external exams such as A-levels, the International Baccalaureate, and other international or national testing organizations, they should be submitted by your school alongside your transcript or Mid-Year Report.

All applicants for first-year admission must submit one of the following:

• The Coalition Application with Yale-Specific Questions
• The Common Application with Yale-Specific Questions
• The QuestBridge National College Match Application

Yale will accept any one of these applications, without preference for one over another. Students should submit one—and only one—application per admissions cycle.