The intention of this concentration is to prepare students for futures that may include graduate studies in art therapy, studio arts, art as social practice, careers in helping professions, and non-profit arts organizations. Emphasis will be placed on artmaking as a means for self-expression, dialogue, and inquiry, as well as an opportunity to explore one’s place within the context of community. Experiential learning opportunities such as travel abroad, internships, and community-based projects are encouraged. This is a multidisciplinary concentration that will require students to build strong foundations in studio art, art history, and behavioral psychology. As part of the Art Therapy curriculum, students will be interning in a medical facility and completing psychology courses connected to the concentration. Students in their senior year will develop a self-directed capstone project that will be presented within a gallery context.
A Master’s degree is required for professional practice in a medical environment, and students are encouraged to pursue graduate studies. This concentration contains all of the necessary ingredients, including individual mentoring, for students to make significant contributions in the world at large.
For information about the Art Therapy concentration, contact Prof. Margery Amdur.
B.A. Degree Requirements
Core Curriculum (24 credits)
Required for all Art Program concentrations
- 50:080:102 Visual Fundamentals (3)
- 50:080:103 Sculpture Foundations (3)
- 50:080:213 Graphic Design I (3)
- 50:080:221 Drawing I (3)
- 50:080:264 Digital Photography I (3)
- 50:080:279 Computer Animation I (3) or 50:080:280 Classical Animation (3)
- 50:080:351 Painting I (3)
- 50:082:102 Introduction to Art History II (3)
- 50:082:354 Contemporary Art (3) or other upper lever Art History course or 50:082:383 History of Photography (3) (Photo Concentrations)
ART THERAPY Concentration (21 credits)
Required:
- 50:080:211 Ceramics I (3)
- 50:080:222 Drawing II (3)
- 50:080:352 Painting II (3)
- 50:080:479 Special Topics in Art (3) or Advanced Studio Art Course (3) (With permission of advisor)
- 50:080:361 Art Therapy I (3)
- 50:080:421 Art Therapy II (3)
- 50:080:_____ Advanced Studio Art Course (3) (With permission of advisor)
PLUS
Psychology Courses for Art Therapy Concentration (18 credits)
- 50:830:101 Intro to Psychology (3)
- 50:830:340 Abnormal Psychology (3)
Choose FOUR additional courses from the following:
- 50:830:222 Human Development (3)
- 50:830:231 Psychology of Personality (3)
- 50:830:301 Educational Psychology (3)
- 50:830:326 Psychology of Adolescence (3)
- 50:830:345 Intro to Clinical Psychology (3)
- 50:830:440 Developmental Psychopathology (3)
- 50:830:493 Applied Experience (3)
- 50:830:255 Method and Theory (3)
- 50:830:256 Research Methods (3)