ARTP-BA - Art Practice (BA)

The department offers courses of study in:

1. Art History

2. Art Practice (studio)

3. Film and Media Studies

4. Film Production

leading to the following degrees: B.A. degree in Art History; B.A. degree in Art Practice; B.A. degree in Film and Media Studies; M.F.A. degree in Art Practice; M.F.A. degree in Documentary Film and Video; Ph.D. degree in Art History.

The undergraduate program is designed to help students think critically about the visual arts and visual culture. Courses focus on the meaning of images and media, and their historical development, roles in society, and relationships to disciplines such as literature, music, and philosophy. Work performed in the classroom, studio, and screening room is designed to develop a student's powers of perception, capacity for visual analysis, and knowledge of technical processes.

How to Declare the Major

To declare the major, students must meet with the Student Services Specialist. During this meeting,  students select a faculty advisor with guidance from the Student Service Specialist. Students then must confirm that the faculty member has agreed to advise them by filing a signed advisor form.

During the first two weeks of each quarter, majors are required to meet with both their faculty advisor and the Student Services Specialist to have coursework approved and make certain they are meeting degree requirements. 

During their junior year, declared art practice majors may apply for the Honors Program in Art Practice; for details, see the Honors section below.

Any student considering an Art Practice major is encouraged to take the following three introductory courses, which also fulfill major requirements,  during their freshman or sophomore years. The core studio series  course ‘Foundations I’ and course ‘Foundations II’ expose students to a broad range of contemporary artists and hands-on art making techniques, familiarize students with the various studio facilities in the Department of Art & Art History, introduce key theoretical concepts in contemporary practice, and provide experience with group critiques and exhibition practices which are key components of the art practice field and major. course ‘Art and Power’ familiarizes students with contemporary thinking regarding the power dynamics in the production and circulation of art, along with its cultural and historical uses and impacts. By taking these three core courses early on, students gain a broad overview of the field and its key components and are better able to situate and contextualize their elective coursework for the major upon declaring.

Advanced Placement Credits

University units earned by placement tests or advanced placement work in secondary school may not be applied toward the minimum 65 total units required for the major.

Transfer Credit Evaluation

Upon declaring an Art Practice major, a student transferring from another school must have their work evaluated by the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) in Art Practice in order for any prior credits to count towards the major. A maximum of 10 transfer units may be applied toward the minimum 65 total units required for the major. A student wishing to have more than 10 units applied toward the major must submit a petition to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Art Practice and then have their work reviewed by a studio committee. In no case can transfer credits count towards upper level required courses for the major (course Major Seminar, or course Major Capstone).

External Credit

Students can take a maximum of two courses (10 units) away from Stanford; this includes transfer courses from other universities and Stanford Overseas Studies. A student must meet with his or her advisor and with the Student Services Specialist before planning an overseas campus program. The advisor will determine which level studio courses any overseas units will count for, based on a review of the syllabi and work from these courses. (Overseas course numbers do not necessarily correspond to 100 and 200 level art practice course numbers at Stanford, so do not assume this). In no case can overseas study or study abroad credits count towards upper level required courses for the major (course Major Seminar, or course Major Capstone).

The department expects undergraduate majors in the program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the department's undergraduate program.

Students in historical studies are expected to demonstrate:

1. knowledge and awareness of art and/or film terminology and concepts;

2. ability to develop effective and nuanced lines of interpretation;

3. improved critical thinking skills using primary and secondary source materials;

4. improvement in analytical writing skills and close reading skills;

5. ability to form and validate their own and others' opinions through knowledge of artistic movements and sociohistorical events.

Students in creative art are expected to demonstrate:

1. enhanced awareness of the role of art in intellectual and cultural life;

2. problem solving skills to organize, analyze and interpret visual information;


3. mastery of techniques and materials of a discipline with awareness of historical and current practices;

4. selection of materials, processes, form, and content to achieve poetic and expressive relationships to artistic media;

5. ability to apply critical analysis to the student’s own work and the work of others;

6. effective techniques for the preparation and presentation of work consistent with professional practices in the field.