Students who elect the major in art history are expected to complete a minimum of 36 hours of departmental requirements. This includes a 12-hour sequence of basic courses surveying the history of world art, 12 hours of upper-level courses spread across four of six major divisions of world art, a methodology course in art history research and nine hours of art history electives, three hours of which must be at the 400 (senior) course level.
In addition to these requirements in the department, the major in art history also includes 18 hours of "cognate" or complementary courses which may be taken in related fields such as history, philosophy, anthropology, archeology, or studio art, depending on the student's career goals. A minimum of 6 hours of studio art must be included in the cognate selections. If desired, additional art history courses may also be used as cognate hours. Bachelor of arts degree students in art history must also satisfy the university's foreign language requirement.