Art History

History of Art Major Program

The Major in History of Art is designed to give students solid grounding in the artistic traditions, practices, and contexts that comprise historical and contemporary visuality. Equally, it introduces the discipline's history, methods, and debates. It prepares students to do independent research, to evaluate evidence, to create coherent and sustained arguments, and to develop skills in academic writing. In a series of increasingly focused courses " lower division, upper division, seminar, and honors program " the major provides a format for students to learn how to analyze and interpret visual, material, and textual evidence from specific cultural settings and historical circumstances. Major requirements are also designed to maximize exposure to different historical periods, geographical regions, and topics while allowing flexibility for students to pursue specific interests by selecting a Focus of Study.

Declaring the Major

To declare the major in the History of Art Department, a student must complete two courses taught in the department and receive a grade of C- or higher in each course. All subsequent courses a student wishes to apply to the major must also receive a grade of C- or higher. Once these prerequisites are met, students may formally petition to declare the major by making an appointment with an Undergraduate Adviser at any time during the fall and spring semesters. (Students in residence at UC Berkeley are strongly urged to complete all lower division requirements and one upper division course by the end of their sophomore year.) Transfer students should plan to take two History of Art courses in their first semester.

Majors who declare early, especially in the sophomore year, enjoy several advantages:

1. A more thorough preparation for seminars and time to study more closely with several members of the faculty.

2. Greater flexibility in coordinating major requirements with College of Letters & Science (L&S) requirements and in planning a sequence of courses that allows for special courses or programs of study, e.g., study abroad, curatorial internships, independent study, a double-major, and the honors program.

3. Time for a generally higher level of study in the senior year, and opportunity to experiment with and prepare for diverse career opportunities.

Honors Program

Students with at least a 3.7 grade point average (GPA) in the History of Art major are eligible for admission into the honors program. Candidates for honors in History of Art are required to complete satisfactorily, within their senior year, an honors thesis consisting of at least two semesters of continuing academic work under faculty supervision (usually a seminar, directed research, or independent study course in the first semester plus, in the second semester, HISTART H195). Those who have completed the program will graduate with honors, high honors, or highest honors in the major depending upon their final GPA in all upper division courses taken to fulfill the major requirements. Please see the department's honors program webpage for further information.

Minor Program

The minor program in the History of Art Department is designed to provide a structured and broad program for those students majoring in other disciplines but with a strong interest in the history of art. For information regarding declaring the minor, please contact the department.

Visit Department Website

Lower Division:

1. Students are introduced to principles of visual analysis.
2. Learn to think about images within a historical and cultural context.
3. Learn to craft coherent arguments about works of art by integrating visual analysis with historical/cultural context.
4. Develop familiarity with specific sites, objects, artists, cultures, and facts pertaining to them.
5. Students learn to understand techniques and skills used in the creation of works of art.

Upper Division:

1. Students' skills in all of the above are reinforced.
2. They learn to analyze key texts relating to the artworks under discussion.
3. Write longer papers that include research.
4. Understand in depth the dynamic relationship between visual art and its historical, social, cultural, economic, and political contexts.
5. In small seminars, students pursue independent research projects.
6. Undertake intensive interrogations of particular problems in the history of art.
7. In History of Art courses, HISTART 100 and HISTART 101, students come to understand the history and tools of the discipline.

• finish secondary school and
• earn a certificate of completion, which allows admission to a university in their home country or country of graduation

In addition:

Students who have completed the IGCSE or O-level exams have not yet met the requirements for admission at UC Berkeley. The university requires further study, either completion of the two-year A-level program with a minimum of three academic exams, the IB diploma program, or another similar academic curriculum.

Students from countries requiring entry into military service upon completion of secondary education should not submit an application until the obligation has been met. UC Berkeley cannot defer admission to a later term.

Students may have to meet additional admission requirements and follow certain guidelines for filling out the undergraduate application, depending on country or educational system.

Department and University Honors

Honors in Art History: Students with a 3.7 GPA in the major may complete and submit an honors thesis by enrolling in HA195 (4 units, graded). A student whose thesis receives a grade of A- or better will receive Departmental Honors (Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors). The Honors Thesis is a two-semester project conducted under faculty supervision, as follows: a seminar, upper division lecture, directed research, or independent study course in the first semester, followed by HA195 in the second. For specific details regarding the Honors Program, students should speak with a faculty undergraduate advisor and read the Guidelines for the Preparation of Theses.

University honors are awarded to students on the basis of overall GPA as follows: Distinction, High Distinction, and Highest Distinction (roughly equivalent to cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude). Requisite GPAs for University honors change each year. In 2016-2017 they were: Distinction: 3.724; High Distinction: 3.845; Highest Distinction: 3.947.

Maybelle M. Toombs Awards recognize the potential talent and ability of students based upon their record in the major up to the beginning of the senior year. By that time, the students must have completed at least two semesters of coursework as a History of Art major at Berkeley. Criteria for the award are outstanding grade point average and receiving financial aid. The award carries a stipend payable in the student's senior year for research and travel.

For the Departmental Citation, presented at Commencement to a graduating senior, the Departmental Award Committee considers grades to be the principal criterion, but it also takes into account the character of the student's overall program, its ambition and depth; the student's ability to sustain a high level of excellence throughout his or her undergraduate work, from the freshman to the senior year, in the Art History Department as well as in other subjects; and the ways in which this broad experience is brought to bear in an honors thesis of high quality, one that notably demonstrates the ability to do research in the discipline and a genuine independence of mind and maturity of judgment.

Brochures, Announcements, and Files 

Announcements and brochures on graduate study, internships, work experience, fellowships, study abroad, training programs, and special lectures and symposia are posted on the departmental bulletin board or distributed by email. If you are interested in a particular program and need more information, please contact the undergraduate student services adviser.

Undergraduate Association

The History of Art Undergraduate Student Association (H.Art) is an official campus group that exists to serve the interests of the department's majors. In the past, the association has compiled an internship directory, hosted a student-faculty brunch, sponsored special lunchtime talks with faculty and graduate students, and assisted in organizing career seminars. All majors are invited and encouraged to participate in the association. If you would like more information please leave a message in the association's mailbox in 416 Doe or speak with the undergraduate student services adviser. 

https://ucberkeleyh.art.blog

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