Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
Nature of the Program
The undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Therapy provides students with foundational skills and preparation for graduate work in the high-demand field of art therapy. Students are reminded that the minimum educational requirement to become a licensed art therapist is a Master’s degree in art therapy. This BA program allows students to explore a variety of psychology, counseling, and therapeutic artmaking coursework necessary for continued education in the field of art therapy. Students are required to complete a minor in Human Services which affords them the opportunity to learn valuable interpersonal skills and engage in community-based art practice. They must also maintain a GPA of 2.75 or higher to continue in the program and pass all required ART, ARHS, COUN, and PSYC courses with a grade of C- or higher.
Admissions for 2027-2028
- Students must meet the requirements for University admission. There are no additional entrance requirements (e.g., portfolio review) for the Bachelor of Arts programs in Art Therapy.
- For further information, please consult the College website or call the College Recruitment Office at (304) 293-4339. Applicants can also visit the School of Art and Design website or call the School office at (304) 293-2552.
- Applicants seeking optional scholarship consideration by the Art Therapy program should submit a portfolio that includes a variety of media and showcases your skills in communicating visual ideas through your artwork.
Major Code: 3702
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75. | ||
| University Requirements | 51 | |
| Art Therapy Program Requirements | 24 | |
| Art Therapy Major Requirements | 45 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 2, 3, 5 | 18 | |
| ART 191 | First-Year Seminar | 2 |
| General Electives | 31 | |
| Total Hours | 51 | |
Art Therapy Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must pass all ART and ARHS classes with a grade of “C-“ or higher. | ||
| ARHS 120 | Survey of Art History 1 (GEF 6) | 3 |
| ARHS 160 | Survey of Art History 2 | 3 |
| Required Art Studio Coursework | ||
| ART 111S | Drawing 1 | 3 |
| ART 121S | Visual Foundations 1 | 3 |
| ART 122S | Visual Foundations 2 | 3 |
| ART 213S | Painting 1 | 3 |
| ART 240S | Ceramics | 3 |
| Additional 200-level Studio Art Course | 3 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
| Drawing 2 | ||
| Figure Drawing | ||
| Visual Foundations 3 | ||
| Introduction to Graphic Design | ||
| Sculpture: Mixed Media | ||
| Intro to Printmaking: Intaglio | ||
| Photography 1 | ||
| Ceramics | ||
| Total Hours | 24 | |
Art Therapy Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must pass all ART and PSYC classes with a grade of “C-“ or higher. | ||
| ART 208S | Introduction to Art Therapy | 3 |
| ART 209 | Art Therapy History and Theory | 3 |
| ART 308 | Disability and the Art Experience | 3 |
| ART 309S | Art Therapy Media and Materials | 3 |
| ART 409 | Advanced Issues in Art Therapy | 3 |
| Required Psychology Coursework | ||
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology (GEF 4) | 3 |
| PSYC 241 | Introduction to Human Development | 3 |
| PSYC 281 | Introduction to Psychological Disorders (GEF 7) | 3 |
| One Additional 200- or 300-level PSYC Course | 3 | |
| Required Minor * | 15 | |
| Capstone Course | ||
| ART 408 | Senior Capstone | 3 |
| Total Hours | 45 | |
- *
Students are also required to complete a minor (fifteen credit hours) for the degree. Please see the following link for a full list of minors. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisors prior to declaring a minor. (Students who complete a second major or dual degree are not required to complete a minor.)
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PSYC 101 (GEF 4) | 3 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | ART 122S | 3 |
| ART 121S | 3 | ARHS 120 (GEF 6) | 3 |
| ART 191 | 2 | PSYC 281 (GEF 7) | 3 |
| General Elective | 4 | GEF 5 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ART 111S | 3 | ARHS 160 | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | PSYC 241 | 3 |
| GEF 3 | 3 | GEF 2 | 3 |
| GEF 2 | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ART 208S | 3 | ART 209 | 3 |
| ART 240S | 3 | PSYC 300+ Elective | 3 |
| ART 213S | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| Additional Studio Art Course | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ART 308 | 3 | ART 309S | 3 |
| ART 408 | 3 | ART 409 | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Art Therapy
At the end of this program, students will be able to:
- Construct a personal art making philosophy that analyzes individual strengths and skills.
- Develop strong communication and interpersonal skills through engagement in studio art, art therapy, psychology, and human service coursework
- Describe and define primary principles of visual art therapy modalities and the roles of visual art therapists in human service professions.
- Demonstrate proficiency in a variety of studio art methods, materials, and practices necessary for careers in art therapy, community arts programs, and human services professions.
- Cultivate social and emotional learning (SEL) instructional methods into artmaking practices in order to address physical, social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs of students, clients, and local communities.
- Complete prerequisite coursework (as defined by the American Art Therapy Association) for admission to graduate school art therapy programs.