Art History (Minor)

Minor: Art History
Program Code: M202

About This Minor. . .

The Art History Minor will acquaint students with a broad range of art from different time periods and geographical locations. The minor allows students who are interested in learning about art the ability to do so without changing their major. A student who completes the minor will be able to talk about art broadly and understand visual culture in a deeper way. The program also fosters critical thinking skills, not only about art, but about world cultures and the ethics of collecting and displaying art. 

Important information about this program:

  • Students will learn about art over a broad range of time and geography
  • Students will be prepared to apply to art history graduate programs after developing a general understanding of art from various times and places, as well as developing their writing and research skills.

An art history minor provides inroads to several opportunities and careers, including: preparing students for graduate school in art history; antiques dealer; architectural conservation; archivist; art advisor; art appraiser; art buyer; art collection manager; art conservator; art consultant; art database manager; art handler; art history fellow; art investment; art investor; art librarian; art marketing; art teacher; art writer; collection management; gallery director; grant writer; heritage officer; journalist; museum curator; picture editor; preservation and conservation; and project coordinator.

Each section below contains details about the requirements for this program. Select a header to expand the information/requirements for that particular section of the program's requirements. 

To print or save an overview of this program's information, including the program description, learning outcomes, requirements, suggested course sequencing (if applicable), and advising and graduation information, scroll to the bottom of the left-hand navigation menu and select "Print Options." This will give you the options to either "Send Page to Printer" or "Download PDF of This Page." The "Download PDF of This Page" option prepares a much more concise presentation of all program information. The PDF is also printable and may be preferable due to its brevity. 

Institutional Minor Requirements

The following institutional requirements apply to all CMU minors. Specific programs may have different requirements that must be met in addition to institutional requirements.

  • A minor consists of 15-24 semester hours. There may be prerequisites required for the minor which will increase the total number of credit hours for a student who has not already taken those prerequisites.
  • Courses taken to satisfy Essential Learning, major requirements, or electives can be counted toward the minor if applicable.
  • At least 33 percent of the credit hours required for the minor must be in courses numbered 300 or above.
  • At least 25 percent of the classes must be taken at CMU.
  • 2.00 cumulative GPA or higher for the courses used for the minor.
  • A minor is not a degree by itself and must be earned at the same time as a baccalaureate degree.
  • A minor must be outside the major field of study.
  • A student may earn up to five minors with any baccalaureate degree at CMU.
  • The Catalog Year determines which program sheet and degree requirements a student must fulfill in order to graduate. Visit with your advisor or academic department to determine which catalog year and program requirements sheet you should follow.
  • See “Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees and Certificates” in the catalog for a complete list of graduation requirements.

Program Specific Minor Requirements

(21 Semester Hours)

ARTE 118History of Art, Prehistory to Renaissance-GTAH13
ARTE 119History of Art, Renaissance to Present-GTAH13
ARTH 220History of Modern Art 13
ARTH 315Nineteenth-Century Art3
or ARTH 316 20th Century Art to 1950
ARTH 318Development of Contemporary Art3
ARTH 400Art Theory3
Choose three hours from any upper-division ARTH courses3
Total Semester Credit Hours21
1

ARTH 220 requires ARTE 101 and ARTE 102 as prerequisites

Advising Process and DegreeWorks

Documentation on the pages related to this program is intended for informational purposes to help determine what courses and associated requirements are needed to earn a minor. Meeting with an academic advisor is essential in planning courses and developing a suggested course sequencing. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to understand and fulfill the requirements for their intended minor.

DegreeWorks is an online degree audit tool available in MAVzone. It is the official record used by the Registrar’s Office to evaluate progress towards a minor. Students are responsible for reviewing their DegreeWorks audit on a regular basis and should discuss questions or concerns with their advisor or academic department head for the minor. Discrepancies in requirements should be reported to the Registrar’s Office.

Graduation Process

A minor cannot be awarded by itself.  It must be combined with a baccalaureate degree outside the major field of study. Students should follow the graduation process outlined for the baccalaureate degree and list their majors and minors on the “Intent to Graduate” form.

If a student’s petition for graduation is denied, it will be their responsibility to consult the Registrar’s Office regarding next steps.