Undergraduate & Graduate Programs

Art & Art History Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
At UNC Charlotte, we believe that Art is vital. Vital to our students, our university, our communities, and our future.
In the Department of Art & Art History, we celebrate the unique role that art and design play in historical and contemporary societies and foster globally informed engagement with visual culture. We are dedicated to effecting change through critical thinking, creative practice, and leadership in art education, art history, design, and studio art. The Department of Art & Art History offers a BFA in Art for in-depth art study with seven concentrations (art education, digital media, illustration, painting, photography, print media, and 3D interdisciplinary studies), a BFA in Graphic Deisgn, a BA in Art and a BA in Art History, a minor in Art History, and a graduate degree in teaching.
major in Art at unc charlotte

Graphic Design
This program provides an in-depth study of the field of graphic design, preparing students to enter a career in design, advertising, marketing, or other fields of visual communication.

Art Education
This program produces successful art educators who are also practicing artists and researchers. You’ll train across a range of studio media and learn to teach others to appreciate and create art.

Digital Media
This program explores the intersection of art, technology, entertainment, and contemporary culture through time-based, interactive, and screen-based practices. It prepares students for careers in digital art, animation, motion graphics, video production, game design, and web design.

Illustration
This program teaches you to create imaginative worlds through environment and character design, preparing you for concept development in the fields of animation, games, and film. You will also explore visual storytelling through editorial illustration for the publishing industry.
This program introduces contemporary and historical approaches to abstract, mixed media, and figurative painting to prepare you for careers as a professional artist, artist studio assistant, public art muralist, stage or scenic designer, curator, gallery director, or art professor.

Photography
This program introduces you to everything from classic film to cutting-edge digital techniques, mastering studio lighting and historical processes along the way and preparing you to exhibit your work in galleries, work in a photography studio, or launch your own creative enterprise.

Print Media
This program prepares students to develop and produce their own limited editions (both photographic and hand drawn) individually and in collaboration, preparing them for jobs in fine art publishing, design, teaching, and historical archiving.

3D Interdisciplinary Studies
This program brings together Ceramics, Digital Fabrication, Fibers, and Sculpture to offer a contemporary approach to making art in three dimensions, creating pottery, sculptural forms, installation environments, wearable pieces, and digitally fabricated structures.

Art History
Art history encourages appreciation of works of art and instills a vivid awareness of the social and historical context in which these works were produced. This program builds sharp analytical skills and broad cultural literacy, preparing students for a wide range of careers.

Art
This program is for those interested in pursuing a career in a discipline other than art. It is not intended for students interested in an in-depth study in a single studio area. Supplement your arts education with an additional program while still exploring your passion to the arts.
Minors

Minor in Art History
This program is designed for students who want to continue their appreciation and commitment to the arts and art history while pursuing a different major.
Graduate Programs

Graduate Certificate in Teaching for Art Education
This program is tailored for individuals who have completed a degree in studio art and is the perfect fit for art professionals seeking to leverage their expertise by educating the next generation of artists.