Art, BA
Cultivate your creative expression while pursuing a well-rounded liberal arts education. The Bachelor of Arts in art is perfect for students interested in exploring different artistic disciplines while taking courses across a range of media.
Program Overview
The Art BA program builds a strong foundation in 2-D, 3-D, and time-based art, allowing students to pursue their creative and artistic expression with purpose.
The Bachelor of Arts degree in art is for students who are passionate about art making and wish to take courses across a range of media. Our area faculty provide instruction in traditional and contemporary methods of artistic expression, and students learn alongside mentors and peers.
The flexibility of the BA curriculum enables students to enhance their studies by taking additional courses or combining their study of studio art with a major or minor in another field. Graduates of our program develop the creative vision and communication skills needed to be thriving professionals in the visual arts and other cultural and creative fields.
Concentrations
Our current selection of concentrations includes:
- Art, BA (general)
- Arts Administration concentration
The Arts Administration Concentration prepares students for careers on the business side of art galleries, museums, and creative entrepreneurship. Core classes provide students with a broad introduction to traditional and new concepts, contemporary art practices, various art media and processes, and emerging technologies along with economics, finance, management, marketing, and advertising.
In addition to requirements in both the School of Art and Haslam College, electives in both units encourage students to focus more intensively or specialize in particular areas of interest.
Minors
If you’re interested in enhancing your Art, BA, or even another degree with a specialized area of art, our minor options would be a great fit!
Related and complementary minors includes:
- Art History minor
- Cinema Studies minor
- Studio Art minor
- Museum and Curatorial Studies minor
What Sets Us Apart
State-of-the-Art Facilities
Most of the UT School of Art’s facilities are located within the Art + Architecture Building, a 180,540-square-foot, light-filled building designed especially for UT’s Art and Architecture students. Since 1981, the building has evolved into a vibrant center for creative experimentation and inter-disciplinary exchange. With cutting-edge facilities, expansive studios, and shared spaces designed to foster collaboration, it supports ambitious work across all areas of art.
Creative and Passionate Faculty
At the heart of the University of Tennessee’s Art program is a faculty of internationally recognized artists and scholars who are not only at the forefront of their respective fields but are deeply committed to the success of their students.
Residences and Workshops
Our art students also benefit from opportunities to attend residences and workshops at various art centers across the country and the world. Recent students have completed summer workshops in local Tennessee areas such as the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Penland School of Crafts, and the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, giving them next-level experiences.
Why Study Art?
The Bachelor of Arts in art is perfect for students interested in exploring different artistic disciplines and mediums. Unlike the BFA, in which students choose one concentration area to focus on, BA students can develop their artistic skills across a range of mediums.
The flexible nature of the BA in art is also ideal for students who wish to double-major in another field and carve a unique path tailored to their individual career goals and interests. BA students have double-majored in psychology, biology, foreign languages, and many other areas.
What Can You Do with an BA in Art After Graduation?
Art majors develop the adaptability, critical-thinking and communication skills needed to be competitive job applicants in various fields. The School of Art at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, provides students with rigorous curricula designed to teach discipline-specific techniques while cultivating real-world skills.
Our students have access to vital campus professionalization resources as well as an extensive alumni network spanning the country. School of Art graduates have gone on to top-ranked graduate programs and secured successful careers as artists, designers, filmmakers, educators, business professionals, museum and gallery workers, and more.
Featured Courses
ARTA 231 Photography I
Introduction to the art of photography. Taking and processing of photographs through both traditional film/darkroom and digital.
ARTA 264 Screen Printing I
This course introduces students to screen printing as a fine art medium, including development and application of various basic stencils in compositional printing.
ARTB 221 Ceramic Sculpture
Students receive an introduction to sculptural formats with a focus on ideas and ceramic processes. This course will address clay preparation, clay finishing, and kiln firing.
ART 455 Professional Practice Seminar
This course covers the tools and skills necessary for arts professionals to advocate for themselves in a range of arts related environments.
Complementary Majors, Minors, and Certificates
The flexible nature of the BA in art is also ideal for students who wish to double-major in another field and carve a unique path tailored to their individual career goals and interests. BA students have double-majored in psychology, biology, foreign languages, and many other areas.
Looking For More Options?
The College of Arts and Sciences offers students the broadest range of academic programs and opportunities for research and creative activities at the University of Tennessee, powered by faculty expertise across every discipline.
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