Program Type: Undergraduate
Minor Requirements:
Department: Art & Design
The Art History discipline offers students the opportunity to examine art and design in context with its historical, cultural and religious roots. The minor is meant to give students an introduction to understanding visual literacy and is very much like detective work; we sift for clues and draw conclusions; learning about artists, artworks and life.
Art does not happen in a vacuum. Art history is no different. Art history should be an interdisciplinary field of study wherein understanding works of art requires more than memorizing images. Literature, philosophy, psychology, anthropology, to name a few, all bear on the study of the arts. Therefore, the history of art is not to be limited to the study of styles and aesthetics. Instead, art history is concerned with the convergence of form and idea within cultural and historic contexts.
Learning to see has relevance for every other field of study and is paramount in the study of art history. For this reason the skills of looking, analyzing and thinking critically are stressed in art history. The art history faculty represents diverse areas of expertise that complement each other, providing students with varied offerings and different, scholarly approaches.
Nearby museums in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, and Louisville offer - both in their permanent collections and through special exhibitions - opportunities to experience firsthand works from the cultures and countries mentioned above.
Brad McCombs
Art & Design Head
mccombsr1@nku.edu
The Art & Design program advances the power of creativity and artistic excellence to contribute to a thriving and equitable society. We exist to promote creative expression, to empower our students to excel in their education and in life, to conduct scholarly research in the arts, and to enrich communities through creative work. Drawn by ambition and promise, students of Art & Design will grow in knowledge, creativity, and strength to make a more vibrant, innovative world.Ìý
Igniting curiosity.Ìý
Creating connections.Ìý
Nurturing creativity. 
Our campus is more than classrooms. It’s a hive of activity and connections that instantly feel familiar. Come walk it, take it in, check it out.
A variety of financial assistance is available, from grants to scholarships, loans to veteran benefits.
