The Art History area follows the AB program in Franklin College. 

In addition to six (6) hours of Introduction to Art History 2000-level courses, the major requires:

  • 15 hours of 3000-level Art History courses

  • 15 hours of 4000-level Art History courses

Intended majors should complete two 2000-level Introduction to Art History courses. After successfully completing two ARHI 2000-level classes and two ARHI 3000-level classes, with a combined GPA of 3.0 or above for these four classes, they can request their major be changed to Art History.

The following General Degree Requirements will be counted toward the major:

Area IV World Language and Culture, Humanities and the Arts:

  • three (3) of the required 12 hours must be an Introduction to Art History 2000-level course.    

Area F/VI Major Related Requirements: 18 hrs

  • a second Introduction to Art History 2000-level course
  • 15 hours of introductory and/or survey courses (1000 or 2000-level courses) from African American Studies, Anthropology, Studio Art, Classical Culture, Comparative Literature, Computer Sciences, Economics, Foreign Languages*, Geography, History, English, Mathematics, Music History, Philosophy, Political Sciences, Psychology, Religion, Sociology, Theater History, Women's Studies, Biological and/or Physical Sciences

* Note that Art History majors are required to complete course work through the fourth semester in a single foreign language.

Art History Sample Four Year Plan (pdf)

Major Requirements: 60 hours

All courses used to satisfy the major requirements must be passed with a grade of C or better.

ARHI Courses: 30 hours
  • 15 hours of 3000-level courses (at least one course in each of the four areas below)
  • 15 hours of 4000-level courses (covering at least three different areas, and including ARHI 4800)

The four broad areas currently taught in the Art History area are:

  • Ancient, Late Antique, Medieval, and Asian
  • Renaissance and Baroque
  • 18th- and 19th-century
  • 20th-century and Contemporary

Students are required to complete at least one 3000-level course in each of these areas. 4000-level courses must be taken in at least three different areas. Note that students MUST complete two (2) 3000-level courses before commencing a 4000-level ARHI course. For a complete list of the art history courses, by area, see the UGA Bulletin.

If a student intends to take courses in Art History while enrolled in a Study Abroad program, they should check with the art history area to determine whether credit is likely to be granted before completing registration for that program.

Senior exit requirement for the major: 4960R. This course is regularly offered in the spring semester and fulfills the Experiential Learning Requirement of Franklin College.

Major Electives: 18 hours

Choose eighteen (18) hours in Franklin College: Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences

In addition to the literature course required by Franklin College, these 18 hours must include a second literature course, approved by the Area Chair or from among those listed in the UGA Bulletin.

ARHI 4995 (Museum Internship), ARHI 4960R, ARHI 4970R, and ARHI 4980R may be taken for major elective credit. Credits for Museum Internship hours must have prior approval from the art history area (see below). Directed study Undergraduate Research hours are at the discretion of individual faculty members. Students are encouraged to inquire with the Art History faculty or the Area Chair about these opportunities.

General Electives: 12 hours

(Refer to College-wide requirements when selecting general electives.)

  • Upper division (at least 9 hours if not taken in major electives)
  • Any level (3 hours or more)

Guidelines for Honors Students:

The Art History Area regularly offers 2000-level Honors Introduction to Art History courses as small, focused chronological introductions to the discipline. In addition, many 3000 and 4000-level Art History classes may be taken as Honors Option courses at the discretion of the individual faculty members. Honors Students are encouraged to inquire with the Art History faculty or the Area Chair about these opportunities

Guidelines for CURO Students & Summer Research Fellowships

CURO Summer Research Fellowships

Applications to Art History Area Mentor by February 1

Application to include:

  • Cover letter explaining the value of the Summer Research Fellowship to academic and/or career aspirations
  • Official transcript
  • One-page research proposal

If approved, the preliminary application, plus a letter from the Art History Mentor will be submitted to CURO and to the Art History Area along with the student's application.

Application will be submmited to CURO office by February 15.

Expectations for Art History CURO Summer Research Fellowship:
  • Students are expected to submit a research paper to the Art History Mentor by the end of summer classes (leaving enough time for it to be read and a grade to be submitted before end of the semester).
  • The research paper should be 15–20 pages and reflect the scholarly research related to the work done with the faculty mentor.
  • The research paper should include a separate bibliography.
  • The style of the paper, footnotes, and bibliography should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style format.

Students accepted into the CURO Summer Research Fellowship program will enroll in HONS4960 and ARHI4990H (total of 6 hours). After the paper has been submitted by the student, the faculty menor will present it to the Art History Area. Together with the mentor, the area will determine whether, based on the merits of the paper, the student will receive ARHI4990H credit as elective or major credit.

Museum Internship Credit (ARHI 4995)

Students should discuss their interest or opportunities with the Art History area chair before the semester in which it will take place. Otherwise, a late course add may be necessary, and this entails a fee for the student. All internships, whether at the Georgia Museum of Art or elsewhere, must be approved by the Art History area chair.

All internships for art history credit must revolve around research. The supervising curator will write an official letter on letterhead, outlining the student’s duties and guaranteeing a minimum of 6 hours of work per week for 15 weeks, or the equivalent to the chair of art. At the end of the semester, the student will compose and submit a paper summarizing their work/research and what s/he has learned. The curator will write an official letter on letterhead defining the results of the internship and will identify a recommended grade based on the student's performance.

The course ARHI 4995 is only available as 3 credits and does not count toward the art history major's course requirements. It will count as a major elective.