The School of Art is committed to offering a fine arts curriculum in a liberal arts context with diverse and vital programs for the study of the visual arts in Northern California. Its programs foster development of specialized skills, encourage personal creative direction, and promote understanding of the history and cultural traditions that shape artistic expression. The School of Art faculty are dedicated to bridging the practice, theory and history of art, and to combining traditional and new technologies in a manner that reflects and affects contemporary culture. The Bachelor of Arts in Art program consists of a common core and the choice of a concentration in Art Education, Art History, Studio Art or Art History and Studio Art. The core provides introductory experiences in art history and studio courses that are integral to each concentration. The area of concentration allows for more focused study in one specialty, but with a degree of breadth sufficient for understanding and awareness in other areas. Advanced courses in the concentrations focus on perceptual skills, modes of consciousness, creative expression, and critical thinking. Attention is given to traditions and heritage of the discipline, contemporary issues and forms, imaginative problem solving, and written English proficiency within the discipline. All courses are designed to provide a broad experiential and conceptual orientation to the visual arts and art history. The Master of Arts in Art is the only terminal master’s degree in Art History in the San Francisco Bay Area. Coursework emphasizes methodology, history, research, and writing. Students produce a thesis that allows for focused research on a specific topic under the direction of a thesis advisor. The Master of Fine Arts in Art program emphasizes the development of individual creative direction in the context of contemporary, interdisciplinary art practice. Coursework emphasizes contemporary art, critique, experimentation with forms of expression, and professional presentation of works of art.

Opportunities for the graduate with a bachelor’s degree in art vary depending on the student’s initiative and inclinations. Students dedicated to creative expression in art practice, or scholarly research in the history of art, may elect to pursue graduate education. Others may find opportunities for technical or on-the-job training in the related fields. Courses in exhibition design are offered in the professional environment of the School gallery and provide intense, practical, and theoretical training for gallery and art museum careers. Art and art history students with an interest in working with visual artifacts, and with the diverse professional aspects of presenting art and artists elect courses in this popular area. Graduate degrees open the door to teaching positions at the college-university level. Students who elect to pursue careers outside the arts may find access to more rewarding cultural life experiences through their visual arts education. An art minor is offered for students who wish to pursue a secondary interest in art on a structured basis.