Bachelor of Arts
Explore traditional and emerging mediums through curriculum well-defined in drawing, painting, photography, printmaking or sculpture, video art or digital work. Discover new and different sources of inspiration as you pursue an established medium or expand your talents across a wide spectrum of forms and styles, with each discipline instructed by knowledgeable and experienced faculty.
Faculty members are active, practicing artists with a deep understanding of their mediums and the ability to help you find your own voice and style. Contemplate diverse and fascinating perspectives through guest lectures by artists and historians hosted by the department.
Tailor your experience in the art department by choosing a standard 36-credit major or get more in-depth with a 60-credit departmental major, designed to prepare you for graduate-level studies in art.
The Honors Program is designed for the exceptionally talented and committed student of art. Successful completion of the program is excellent preparation for graduate work in the Fine Arts. Studio space for Honors Students is limited. Successful completion of the program earns an Honors Certificate in Art and a nomination for graduating with “Honors in Art” from the University.
(36 credits)
18 credits from electives with an A ART prefix; 3 of these credits may be from any course that applies to the art history major
(60 credits)
3 credits
15 credits
The Painting and Drawing area provides the core of the studio foundation program, offering courses in Drawing, Painting, Two-Dimensional Design and Color Theory. Students gain a basic understanding of the formal and conceptual components of Painting and Drawing, as well as a working knowledge of historical and contemporary developments in the media. The primary emphasis is to cultivate a student's comprehension of visual principles and pictorial mechanics as elements that are fundamental to artistic progress. Students are encouraged to employ these skills in seeking a personal artistic expression.
The photography program encourages and facilitates artistic development and sensitivity. Students develop a basic understanding of photographic practices, both historical and contemporary, and explore the myriad ways in which photographs both reflect and define culture. Through courses in black and white and color photography, non-silver processes, and studio photography, students gain empirical knowledge of the many technical and conceptual dimensions of the medium.
The current convergence of most traditional forms of art-making with digital technology presents exciting and complex challenges for artists today. The Photography and Related Media program is structured to empower artists of the future to address these challenges by providing a multi-disciplinary artistic base, informed by a strong foundation in theory and criticism. Students work closely with faculty and peers to develop their unique direction and focus as working artists, utilizing state-of-the-art hardware and software to discover how emerging technologies might inform their work. We are committed to a lucid and critical approach to the myriad tools at artists' disposal today.
The Printmaking Program emphasizes artistic innovation and experimentation, while offering a thorough grounding in both traditional and contemporary technique. Course offerings include Etching, Silkscreen, Digital Printmaking, Collage, Woodcut, Photopolymer Gravure, Monotype, Artists' Books, and Animation. Printmaking is taught in terms of its relationship to the cultural issues of reproduction, communication, exchange, consumption, rarity, and originality, as well to the practices of drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture. A "print" may be a mixed media work-on-paper; a paper or printed fabric sculpture; a photo-etching created from a digital file, or a wallpaper installation, for example. The technical procedures employed may continue traditions dating to the Renaissance, utilize digital imaging, or combine both approaches in a single printwork.
Sculpture introduces students to a wide range of technical procedures and provides the means for exploration in both experimental and traditional media. Spacious and well-equipped common work areas shared with the Graduate Students in the new Boor Sculpture Studio, dedicated in Fall, 2002, offer an inspirational environment for creative individual growth. The facilities, designed with extensive safety features, include an undergraduate studio, a complete foundry, a welding and metal fabrication shop, an outdoor work pad, a full wood shop, mold making room, state of the art digital imaging facilities, and experimental presentation space.
You can save time and money by beginning your graduate degree coursework while still enrolled as an undergraduate student. Up to 12 academic credits, billed at the undergraduate rate, will count towards both degrees – so you’ll complete your combined program in only 5 years and spend less than you would if you completed each program separately.
Combine your Studio Art degree with the MS in Information Science program. This ALA-accredited master's program covers a broad range of interdisciplinary topics related to library science, information processing, information management and data analysis.
Seek further education, harness design sense in a behind-the-scenes creative role, or take an administrative role in the art world, with a degree in art. Diverse and compelling career options include:
"What I love about being an art major is that the work is hands-on, which prepares you more for what you want to do after college. Each professor gives me the privilege to express my thoughts and passion towards the work I do."
-Antwine Sakil, class of 2019
Learning objectives that UAlbany students are expected to attain through their course of study within their academic program.
Live and take classes with other incoming freshmen who share your personal interests, passions or intended academic major.
Become a global citizen: international experience is crucial to success in business, education, research, and public policy.
Research, scholarship, and creative activities at the University at Albany is an option for all students, across all academic disciplines. You will be able to learn more about a specific academic field or career path all while building a long-lasting mentoring relationship with a faculty member or principal investigator.
Build competency in a passion or strengthen your resume.
A minor consists of 18–24 graduation credits which must include a minimum of 9 graduation credits of advanced coursework at or above the 300 level. Most undergraduate degrees require completing a minor and it has to have a different title from your major.