Undergraduate Bulletin

Spring 2025

Degree Requirements - Art History and Criticism; Art Studio

Requirements for the Major in Studio Art (ARS)

The major in Studio Art leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. All courses offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Completion of the major requires 57 credits. Studio Art transfer students must take at least 18 upper division ARS credits for the major at Stony Brook.

1. Choose two of the following foundation courses:

  • ARS 154 Foundations of Drawing
  • ARS 205 Foundations: Idea and Form
  • ARS 225 Introductory Electronic Media

2. Area of Concentration (18 credits) including a minimum of four upper-division studio classes in one of the following (may include ARS 420, ARS 487, ARS 491, ARS 492, ARS 495 when appropriate):

3. Electives: Seven additional studio classes

4. Art History and Criticism courses including:

  • ARH 206 Modern Art
  • Three other ARH classes

5. Upper-Division Writing/WRTD Requirement: 

  • Students must demonstrate acceptable writing skills in the discipline before they graduate. This can be achieved by completing a course designated as WRTD, such as  ARH 308, ARS 308, or ARS 459 (in conjunction with any 300- or 400- level ARS course).

Note: Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD) learning objective to graduate.  The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD.

Art Department Residency Requirement

Studio Art transfer students must take at least 18 upper division ARS credits for the major at Stony Brook.

Honors Program in Art

The honors program is open to seniors majoring in Art History and Criticism or Studio Art who have maintained a grade point average of at least 3.00 overall and 3.50 in the major. The student should apply for the honors program before the beginning of the senior year. The student must find a faculty member of the Department to act as sponsor. The student, with the approval of the sponsor, must submit a proposal of a project, in writing, to the Department. Acceptance into the honors program depends on the approval of the proposal by the Department. Selected students for the program must enroll in ARH 495 or ARS 495 for the semester in which they pursue their project.

In the art history/criticism field, the student’s research project is supervised by the honors advisor. In the studio art field, the student is expected to prepare a small one-person show or similar project (i.e., one large, more ambitious work) in lieu of a thesis, under the supervision of the honors advisor. The student’s project is judged by a jury composed of at least two members of the Department of Art. This pertains to students in both the Art History and Criticism and Studio Art majors. If the honors program is completed with distinction, and the student achieves a 3.50 grade point average in all art courses taken in the senior year, honors are conferred.

Requirements for the Minor in Studio Art (ARS)

All courses offered for the minor must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Completion of the minor in Studio Art requires 21 credits.

1. ARS 154 Foundations of Drawing
2. Eighteen additional studio credits, of which at least nine must be upper division