Program Overviews
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with a major in Studio Art: This degree allows the student to major in studio art within the context of a liberal arts curriculum. It also allows the student considerable flexibility in developing a course of study. Individualized academic goals can be achieved while students earn their emphasis in drawing, painting, printmaking or sculpture. The B.A. Capstone is a public thesis exhibition and involves writing an artist's statement that explicates each student's development between studio art and their studies in the liberal arts.
B.A. Degree Requirements
In addition to requirements for all undergraduate degrees, which can be found in the “Graduation Requirements” area of the catalog, Art and Design students must meet the following requirements:
A student is placed on probation if either the cumulative grade-point average or the average in Department of Art and Design courses falls below 2.00 (a "C" average) during any semester in which a student has earned less than 30 total credit hours. A student may be placed on probation for failing to meet the University’s standards for satisfactory progress toward completion of degree requirements.
To continue progress toward a Department of Art and Design degree, a student must have at least a 2.5 cumulative grade-point average and a 2.5 GPA in the Department of Art and Design courses at the end of the academic term in which the student completes the 30th credit hour. For transfer students, the 30th-hour GPA must be based upon at least 15 credit hours earned at Drake. Students who achieve the 2.5 GPA at the 30th-hour level are placed on probation if their GPAs fall below 2.5 in a subsequent semester. If the GPA is not raised to 2.5 or better after the probationary semester, the student may not continue in the Department of Art and Design or re-enroll later.
Area of Emphasis: Painting (B.A.)
The B.A. in Painting allows students to double major and so to synthesize their studies in studio art with studies in other areas of the liberal arts. Students are mentored in the development of a set of interdisciplinary critical thinking skills necessary to the growth of a highly individualized aesthetic as it reflects other educational experiences. Technical skills are honed in a process-based environment designed to facilitate a diversity of investigative methods. At advanced stages students are encouraged to both embrace and test the traditions of painting through the deliberate synthesis of materials, methods and ideas as these processes merge with other selected areas of study.
The B.A. Studio Art Capstone in Painting culminates with a senior thesis exhibition where each student is expected to present a body of artwork that reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the educational experience. This exhibition may occur in the Weeks or Anderson galleries or an exhibition space in Des Moines may be procured. Additionally, the successful BA will produce an artist’s statement that reflects the interdisciplinary nature of their studies.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| ART 013 | 2-D DESIGN | 3 |
| ART 014 | CONSTRUCTING SPACE | 3 |
| ART 015 | OBSERVATIONAL DRAWING | 3 |
| ART 016 | CONCEPTS IN DRAWING | 3 |
| ART 021 | DIGITAL MEDIA | 3 |
| 3 |
| INTRODUCTION TO PRINTMAKING | |
| INTRODUCTION TO RELIEF PRINTMAKING | |
| INTRODUCTION TO INTAGLIO PRINTMAKING | |
| INTRODUCTION TO LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTMAKING | |
| ART 063 | PAINTING I | 3 |
| ART 064 | PAINTING II | 3 |
| ART 075 | THEMES IN ART HISTORY | 4 |
| ART 079 | BUILDING IDEAS | 3 |
| ART 125 | PAINTING AFTER OBSERVATION | 3 |
| ART 126 | PAINTING AND CRITICALITY | 3 |
| ART 163 | PAINTING THESIS I | 3 |
| ART 164 | PAINTING THESIS II | 3 |
| 6 |
| ART OF INDIA, CHINA, AND JAPAN | |
| FREEDOM, SLAVERY, AND EMANCIPATION | |
| AMERICAN ART HISTORY | |
| MODERN ART HISTORY | |
| ART SINCE 1945 | |
| CULTURAL INTERSECTIONS C. 1900 | |
| SELECTED TOPICS IN ART HISTORY | |
| CURRENT CHINESE ART & ISSUES | |
| ART 192 | BA SENIOR CAPSTONE | 1 |
| Total Hours | 50 |
In addition to programmatic requirements, students are responsible for satisfying all requirements of the Drake Curriculum, including Areas of Inquiry (AOI)
Student must also satisfy university graduation requirements for all undergraduate students..