Students in the Department of Art and Art History enjoy the best of both worlds – the intensive training of an art school combined with the resources and wide array of opportunities offered by a major research university. The resources provided here will help students navigate successfully through the many options and resources available to them.

Pursuing a degree in the Department of Art & Art History requires thoughtful academic planning. Students are assigned a faculty academic advisor to help guide them through their curricular choices and plan the best course of study to meet their goals.

Each undergraduate student within the Art & Art History program must meet with their assigned faculty advisor each semester prior to registering for classes. Students will not be allowed to register for classes for the next semester until they have met with their advisor to discuss course selection and submitted a completed Approval for Registration form.

Preparation for Art Therapy at the University of Connecticut

For undergraduate students interested in future studies and a career in Art Therapy, the University of Connecticut offers relevant preparatory classes in studio art and psychology. This combination will allow students to explore some of the practices and theories in art and psychology that inform art therapy, and help prepare them to apply to graduate programs in the field.

There are two undergraduate art degree options: the BFA-Art (individualized concentration) and the BA-Art.

For the BFA-Art, the student will propose a course of study that includes classes focused on the art mediums often utilized by art therapists such as ceramics, drawing, painting, and printmaking. An additional class in graphic design will help the student learn digital and analog skills, including all kinds of printing, color theory, and collage.

Of the 120 credits needed for the BFA-Art degree, students will take 66 credits in studio art, including the foundational sequence of ART 1010, 1020, 1030, 1040, 2310, 2410, 2510, and 2610. ART 2110 is a recommended graphic design class. Then students will take 24 credits across ceramics, drawing, painting, and printmaking. The specific courses will be determined through consultation with a faculty advisor. Students will propose the plan of study they wish to take under the BFA-Art (individualized concentration option).

For the BA-Art option, since there is no concentration, students will follow the regular degree requirements. It is recommended that the student study the art mediums listed above.

While studying art, the student interested in art therapy can also minor in Psychology.

Recommended classes are as follow:
PSYC 2100 Principles of Research in Psychology
2300 Psychological Disorders (to learn how to work with clinical groups)
2400 Developmental Psychology (to learn how to work with children)
3301 Introduction to Clinical Psychology (to learn how to work with a clinical group)
3501 Sensation and Perception (to learn about the cognitive and neural processes involved in visual perception).

While UConn does not currently offer a graduate degree in art therapy, several universities in the region do. Generally, a master’s degree in art therapy and then passing a state exam are requirements for employment as an art therapist.

The UConn Digital Art Services Lab (DASL) is a photographic output service bureau run by the Department of Art + Art History to support student curricular needs and faculty research. Located in ARTB 103, our primary service is to print photographic digital inkjet prints; however, we also offer services in digital capture and print finishing. We are equipped with state-of-the-art large-format Epson printers using pigment inks and piezography, various scanners and digital capture options for film, cold mounting of prints, and large, galvanized steel walls to use magnets for quick display of photographs for proofing under high CRI lighting. We stock a variety of substrates for student projects or work with custom materials provided by users.

Work is conducted in various ways as a student moves through the program but always under the supervision of lab manager Daniel Buttrey. Our staff and faculty are very knowledgeable and capable of troubleshooting everyone’s needs. Services are available to UConn students, faculty, staff, and alumni in select circumstances, but departmental student work is always our priority. Although we are a fee-based service, our students’ prices are subsidized, affording them significant savings over comparable commercial offerings.

Technology is an essential part of Art & Design education. Mastering digital skills requires a personal digital tool system. The Department of Art & Art History regularly updates its technology requirements for incoming students so each student has the most up-to-date hardware and software to succeed in their creativity. Students in the BA in Art and BFA in Art degree programs are required to own a MacBook laptop, external storage, Adobe software, and an AppleCare protection plan. A PC laptop is not a permitted laptop for coursework in visual art and design and is not supported by our programs.