International Direct - Bachelor of Arts - Art

Program Description

International direct admission is for international students with advanced English-language skills. It focuses on academic, cultural, and professional growth so students can excel in school—and prepare for a successful future.

International direct students receive:

• Exclusive and rigorous academic coursework
• Priority access to in-demand courses that fit their interests
• Guidance from academic advisors and mentors
• Career development and networking opportunities
• Intensive classes with domestic students

The University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) Art Department offers a general major in art leading to a Bachelor of Arts. The faculty of the Art Department includes both scholars and professional artists, and the curriculum aims to combine their differing approaches to visual experience. The creative/studio curriculum provides a sound basis in the creative process, visual thinking, and certain technical skills. Courses in art history explore the aesthetic attributes of art objects contextualized in history, culture, and religion. Students may elect to focus their studies in art history, or in studio, or they may choose to balance the two.

A major in art takes students from introductory work to the advanced levels as they gain experience and knowledge. All art majors take a capstone course in the last year of their coursework. Many courses in studio art and art history satisfy General Education requirements. Additionally, the Art Department offers opportunities for internships and fieldwork, independent study when primary coursework in regular departmental course offerings are exhausted, and a two-semester course sequence for writing an honors thesis.

Graduates with the BA in Art from UMass Boston will:

• Gain an understanding of basic studio and Art history concepts that will be evident in their work.
• Gain an understanding of basic knowledge and concepts of Art history that will be evident in their studio and/or written work.
  
• Explore studio experiences with traditional and contemporary media.
  
• Gain knowledge of the technical and expressive possibilities of at least two media.
  
• Acquire a depth of understanding and experience within a specific area of the Arts
  
• Develop critical skills in the ability to describe, analyze, interpret and judge their own work and the work of others.
  
• Gain knowledge of methods of professional publication and exhibition.