91̽»¨

Visual Art & Design Specialization

Students in the visual art and design specialization are encouraged to develop their own artistic voice using the skills and techniques from their coursework, while integrating their university education and the vibrant urban community of Seattle.

Students work directly with faculty members that are practicing artists with active exhibition practices. In addition, there are varied co-curricular opportunities for students to find additional mentorship with international artists and curators. Through this holistic approach to education, our major prepares students for a future in the arts.

Our faculty maintains an active research and studio practice that is equally based in classic analog mediums as well as contemporary digital media and socially engaged practices.

Visual Culture Studies Specialization

The visual culture studies specialization (VCS) is where students interested in art history, museum studies, and the humanities will find their passion. Students in VCS learn to think about art, media and culture in a variety of contexts and historical periods—from the museum to the screen; from the street to ritual spaces.

Students learn to analyze, discuss and write about visual culture and the history of art using Seattle’s museums, galleries and urban spaces in order to integrate these encounters into their critical study of scholarship from a variety of perspectives. 

The 70-credit major specialization includes the required 3-course, 2-quarter Foundations sequence in the first year, 9 electives (including 2 visual art and design electives) and a 2-course, 2-quarter capstone sequence in the final year.

Art & Visual Culture Studies, BA requirements

The Art and Visual Culture Studies (AVCS) minor at 91̽»¨ combines the fundamentals of art making with the study of visual art practices, art history, and the impact of visual culture on society. Its curriculum emphasizes innovative teaching, new technologies, and a contemporary approach that centers marginalized perspectives and encourages students to envision social change.

Students develop technical and analytical skills to engage with artistic innovation and critical dialogue in an increasingly visual world. The minor prepares students for careers in the arts, museums, and nonprofit organizations, as well as further study in art history, visual art, the humanities, and other fields that value creativity and critical thinking.

Graduating art and visual culture studies students will be able to:

• Demonstrate proficiency in a variety of materials and techniques.
• Interpret works of art and elements of visual culture, including your own art practice, as complex formal structures in relation to social, historical and cultural contexts.
• Write convincingly about visual culture, your own art practice, and art in exhibition using visual and textual evidence culminating in a research and creative project in the major.
• Produce a unified body of work for appropriate exhibition or a public or scholarly presentation and/or a professional portfolio suitable for a chosen career path.

• See a sample outline of how to finish your degree in four years: Four-Year Visual Art and Culture Studies, BA, Degree Plan
• See a sample outline of how to finish your degree in two years as a junior transfer student: Two-Year (Transfer) Visual Art and Culture Studies, BA, Degree Plan

If you’re planning on attending law school in the future, consider this Bachelor/JD Accelerated 3+3 Pathway. This degree plan allows you to finish both a law degree and a bachelor’s degree in six years. For more information, visit the Bachelor/JD Accelerated 3+3 Program Admission page.