In “Undergraduate Studies in Art”
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Yale College, the undergraduate division of Yale University, offers a Bachelor of Arts degree program with a major in art. Undergraduate applicants wishing to major in art at Yale must apply to Yale College directly.
Please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, PO Box 208234, 38 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven CT 06520-8234, 203.432.9300 (www.yalecollege.yale.edu).
The program in art offers courses that, through work in a variety of media, provide an experience in the visual arts as part of a liberal education as well as preparation for graduate study and professional work. Courses at the 100 level stress the fundamental aspects of visual formulation and articulation. Courses numbered 200 through 499 offer increasingly intensive study leading to greater specialization in one or more of the visual disciplines such as graphic design, painting/printmaking, photography, and sculpture.
The prerequisites for acceptance into the major are a Sophomore Review, which is an evaluation of work from studio courses taken at Yale School of Art, and five terms of introductory (100-level) courses. Four must be completed at the time of the Sophomore Review. Visual Thinking (Art 111a or b) and Basic Drawing (Art 114a or b) are mandatory.
In exceptional cases, arrangements for a special review during the junior year may be made with the director of undergraduate studies in art.
A student may repeat an art course for credit with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies.
Graduate courses may be elected by advanced undergraduate art majors who have completed all undergraduate courses in a particular area of study and who have permission of the director of undergraduate studies as well as the course instructor. 0, .5 or 1 credit may be awarded by Yale College for grad courses; please see your Residential Dean for petition.
Undergraduates are normally limited to credit for four terms of graduate- or
professional-level courses (courses numbered 500 and above). Please refer to the section on Academic Regulations in Yale College Programs of Study for further pertinent details.
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Alexandria Smith. For all inquiries or to schedule an office hours advising appointment: art.dus [at] yale.edu
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Required courses
For graduation as an art major, a total of fourteen (14) course credits in the major field
is required.
These fourteen course credits must include the following: (1) five prerequisite courses at the 100 level (including Visual Thinking and Basic Drawing); (2) four 200-level
and above courses; (3) the Junior Major Seminar (Art 395a) or Critical Theory in the Studio (Art 201b); (4) the Senior Project (Art 495 and 496); and (5) two courses in the History of Art.
Suggested program guidelines and specific requirements for the various areas of concentration are available from the director of undergraduate studies.
A suggested program guideline is as follows:
• Freshman year — Studio courses, two terms
• Sophomore year — Studio courses, three terms; Art history, one term
• Junior year — Studio courses, three terms including the Junior Major Seminar and/or Critical Theory; Art history, one term
• Senior year — Studio courses, four terms including the Senior Project
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Introductory-level courses offered as a gateway to the Art major
Art 004a, Words and Pictures
Art 006a, Art of Printed Word
Art 007b, Art of the Game
Art 014a, Research in the Making
Art 110a, Sculpture Basics
Art 111a or b, Visual Thinking
Art 114a or b, Basic Drawing
Art 116a, Color
Art 120b, Introduction to Sculpture: Wood
Art 121b, Introduction to Sculpture: Metal
Art 130a or b, Painting Basics
Art 132a or b, Introduction to Graphic Design
Art 136a or b, Capturing Light with Black-and-White Photography
Art 138a or b, Digital Photography
Art 142a, Introductory Documentary Filmmaking
Art 145a or b, Digital Video
Art 184a, 3-D Modeling for Creative Practice
Art 185a, Principles of Animation
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GOALS OF THE MAJOR
Students in this major will:
· Develop an understanding of the visual arts through a studio-based curriculum
· Apply fundamentals of art across a variety of media and disciplines
· Relate the practice of making art to the fields of art history and theory
· Gain a high level of mastery of at least one artistic discipline
COURSES
Undergraduate studio courses are numbered 100 - 499 and can be found at http://art.yale.edu/Courses.
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Applying to Yale College With Supplementary Materials in Art
Yale College, the undergraduate division of Yale University, offers a Bachelor of Arts degree program with a major in art. Undergraduate applicants wishing to major in art at Yale must apply to Yale College directly. Please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, PO Box 208234, 38 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven CT 06520-8234, 203.432.9300 (www.yale.edu). Please direct all inquiries and questions to the Admissions office directly, not to the School of Art.
Whether or not you wish to major in art as an undergraduate, if you are an advanced visual artist you may consider submitting an art portfolio as part of your application to Yale. In deciding whether or not to do this, please bear in mind that it is Yale School of Art faculty members who will review selected portfolios, not admissions officers. You should only consider submitting work if your artwork is a strong and important part of your application and demonstrates a high level of ability for a high school artist. You should limit the work submitted to between 5 and 8 pieces, which should include at least one drawing.
If you wish to submit images of your artwork as a supplement to your application, you must do so online through the Common Application by the appropriate application deadline (November 1 for Single-Choice Early Action candidates; December 31 for Regular Decision candidates; March 1 for transfer candidates). Please do not contact faculty or art department directly to request portfolio reviews. You should submit a supplement through the Common Application SlideRoom program.
How to Submit Supplementary Materials
If you are going to submit supplementary materials, please check the appropriate box on the Yale Supplement to the Common Application, Section VI, titled “Supplementary Materials.”
Supplementary materials other than art or music or film may be attached to the Common Application as Additional Information or mailed to our office, clearly labeled with your full legal name as it appears on your admissions application, your date of birth, the name and state or country of your high school, and the subject of the materials. Please see the sections below for more specific information about submitting art, music, academic work, and web supplements.
While we cannot accept videotapes or DVDs of performances, applicants may include a link to a website or brief YouTube video in the space indicated on the Yale Supplement to the Common Application. In all cases, applicants should review the specific instructions below to ensure that materials submitted are appropriate.
If you wish to submit images of your artwork as a supplement to your application, you must do so online by the appropriate application deadline (November 1 for Single-Choice Early Action candidates; December 31 for Regular Decision candidates; March 1 for transfer candidates).
For complete information, please visit:
http://admissions.yale.edu/supplementary#art
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Prospective Students/Visitors: Student-led Tours
Please contact the Office of Undergraduate Studies in Art at art.dus@yale.edu or (203) 432-2600 to arrange in advance for an informative student-led one-on-one Zoom meeting about the art school at regular business hours during the school year. In-person tours and class visitations are currently suspended due to Covid safety regulations. We will not be able to accommodate every request, but will make every effort to do so with ample notice. We apologize, but faculty will not necessarily be able to meet with prospective students. Catalog available upon request, or downloadable as a PDF above.
More questions? Visit: http://admissions.yale.edu/supplementary#art
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Current Undergraduate studio courses open to students in Yale College
Art 004a, Words and Pictures
Art 006a, Art of Printed Word
Art 007b, Art of the Game
Art 014a, Research in the Making
Art 110a, Sculpture Basics
Art 111a or b, Visual Thinking
Art 114a or b, Basic Drawing
Art 116a, Color
Art 120b, Introduction to Sculpture: Wood
Art 121b, Introduction to Sculpture: Metal
Art 130a or b, Painting Basics
Art 132a or b, Introduction to Graphic Design
Art 136a or b, Capturing Light with Black-and-White Photography
Art 138a or b, Digital Photography
Art 142a, Introductory Documentary Filmmaking
Art 145a or b, Digital Video
Art 184a, 3-D Modeling for Creative Practice
Art 185a, Principles of Animation
Art 223a and 224b, Figure Drawing
Art 225a, Adventures in Self-Publishing
Art 237b, Visual Voice in Analog Photography
Art 241b, Introductory Film Writing and Directing
Art 264a-1, Typography!
Art 264a-2, Typography 1 (Prelims)
Art 265b, Typography: Expression, Structure, and Sequence
Art 266, History of Graphic Design
Art 285b/925b, Digital Animation
Art 294a, Technology and the Promise of Transformation
Art 324b, Painting Materials and Methods
Art 331b, Intermediate Painting
Art 332a, Painting Time
Art 338b, Intermediate Digital Photo
Art 341b, Intermediate Film Writing and Directing
Art 342a, Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking
Art 346a, Dematerial/Material
Art 356a, Printmaking I
Art 368a or b, Graphic Design Methodologies
Art 369b, Interactive Design and the Internet
Art 370a, Communicating with Time, Motion, and Sound
Art 379b, Form for Content with the View Camera
Art 395a, Junior Major Seminar
Art 401a, Advanced Photography Project Seminar
Art 432a, Painting Studio: The Narrative Figure
Art 433b, Painting Studio: Space & Abstraction
Art 442a and 443b, Advanced Film Writing & Directing
Art 446a, Advanced Sculpture
Art 457b, Interdisciplinary Printmaking
Art 468a, Advanced Graphic Design: Series and Systems
Art 469b, Advanced Graphic Design: History, Editing, and Interpretation
Art 495a and 496b, Senior Project Seminar
**Permission of instructor is required in all art courses.*
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APPLYING TO STUDIO ART COURSES
In order to register for studio art courses, all of which are limited enrollment and require the permission of the instructor, students MUST register online in advance, in most cases, to be considered for admission to a given class. Art courses are often over-subscribed with wait lists, especially at the introductory level. Space is limited, and faculty make selections based on individual criteria, giving priority to MFA students, art majors, CPAR majors and intended art and CPAR majors. There may still be room during the drop/add period, but it is unlikely in Introductory classes, so please be sure to apply in advance in the Online Course Search system by clicking to apply for Permission of Instructor.Editor details
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Managing Course Costs, CPA grants and Intro-level Camera Loans
GENERAL
Students on financial aid whose aid is greater than their tuition and fees may have funds available at the beginning of the year with which to purchase materials and supplies. Students should log into YalePay to determine if this is the case. A negative Account Balance and zero balance Due indicates available funds. To access these funds students should follow the instructions at https://student-accounts.yale.edu/refunds. For questions, please contact Undergraduate Financial Aid.
ART COURSE FEES
Effective Fall 2022, courses in the Art major no longer carry fees.
ART COURSE MATERIALS
For some courses, there are materials costs, which the university considers comparable to textbook costs.
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Students who are interested in exhibiting their course work at the end of the semester in a college gallery may apply for Creative and Performing Arts Awards (CPA) to cover materials costs associated with an art course, up to $500. CPA awards are only available to support work to be exhibited.
- Eligibility for CPA grants depends on the student consulting with their Head of College in advance of submitting the request and submitting a clear scope of work statement along with a detailed budget. Applicants should review CPA guidelines here: https://creativeandperformingarts.yale.edu/cpa-guidelines
- CPA grants are awarded at the discretion of the residential colleges and are not awarded to every applicant.
- These are excellent local resources for affordable art supplies:
- https://www.artistcraftsman.com/stores-art-supplies-new-haven-ct
- https://ecoworksct.org/
CAMERAS FOR PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES
Students may consider borrowing a family member’s or friend’s camera for the semester.
Students sometimes have luck finding used cameras to purchase 2nd hand for a fraction of the cost of a new camera.
The Art major maintains digital and analog camera packages to be checked out on semester-long loan for students on financial aid enrolled in photography courses who are not able to secure a camera through other channels. Students should contact their instructor to request a camera loan.
Creative and Performing Arts Awards and Safety Net funds are NOT available to support camera purchases.
DIGITAL FILE STORAGE
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All Yale community members have access to 50GB of cloud storage via Box @ Yale, which can be used in lieu of external hard drives or thumb drives.
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Independent Project Guidelines
The project should be designed by the student in conjunction with the participation of a School of Art faculty member. The student is responsible for approaching faculty with ample notice, writing the proposal, and securing the permission from both the instructor and the DUS. Please note that not all faculty will be able to agree to this extra advising outside of their regular responsibilities, especially in the Spring semester, when many of them are advising seniors on their thesis projects. Art majors are preferred for these types of projects.
A course proposal must be submitted via email for approval by the Director of Undergraduate Studies only after the faculty advisor has already agreed and signed off. Only afterwards, the student should register for the course (471/472) online with his/her/their regular schedule. Expectations of the course include regular meetings, end-of-term critique, and a written evaluation. A reading list and written assignments may be necessary, depending on the nature of the research.
The course counts towards the major, and may be re-taken for credit at the discretion of the DUS. Since the course is P/F, it does not count in the calculation for Distinction in the Major.
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SENIOR ART MAJORS - Class of 2024
- Joji Baratelli
- Lily Campbell
- Serena Cheng*
- Eric Hurley Doddy
- Ellika Edelman*
- Flores Espinosa Fraga*
- Hannah Foley
- Megan Graham*
- Chiara Hardy
- Jake Jorgl
- Seyma Kaya
- Alexander Laurent Rubucalva
- Alice Mao
- Olivia Marwell
- Kaia Mladenova
- Mikiala Ng
- Basak Ozsarac
- Dora Pang*
- Tilman Phleger
- Nathan Puletasi
- Thais Shephard*
- Ethan Shim*
- Stephanie Wang
- Michael Wang (Hanjiang
- Maya Weldon-Lagrimas
- Computing and the Arts Majors
- Jacob Feit Mann*
- Eunice Kiang
- Alana Liu*
- Elizabeth Olshanetsky
- Anthony Skinner
- Talia Tax
- *(graduates December 2023)
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JUNIOR Art Majors - Class of 2025
- Lillian Broeksmit
- Sophie Chmelar
- Lizzie Conklin
- John Donovan
- Lily Eales
- Michelle Foley
- Court Johnson
- Ida kulidzan
- Catherine Kwon
- Kim Lagunas
- Aqua Lake
- Leo Lee
- Austin Lee
- Cynthia Lin
- Edie Lipsey
- Victoria Lu
- Cleo Maloney
- Alice Mao
- Jason Nuttle
- Daheun Oh
- Ciara Ortiz-Diaz
- Natalia Padilla Castellanos
- Karela Palazio
- Cate Roser
- Jasmine Ross
- Uriel Teague
- Whitney Toutenhoofd
- Gabby Uy
- Mazie Grace Wong
- Elyne Wu
- Computing and the Arts
- Emily Cai
- Richard Corrente
- Helen Hall
- Ariel Kim
- Malia Kuo
- Sarah Tang
- Philomena Wu
- Kaci Xie
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