University Requirements
General Education
The UMKC General Education Core is the university-wide curriculum that all undergraduate students will complete. The 30-credit hour core curriculum includes three course types designated as Anchor, Discourse and Focus and is detailed in the General Education section of the catalog.
Constitution Course
Every undergraduate student must take a course covering the United States Constitution and the Missouri State Constitution before graduation. Course options are included in the program requirements section below.
RooWriter Assessment
Candidates for all baccalaureate degrees must complete the online UMKC RooWriter Writing Assessment after they have passed Discourse 200 (or its equivalent) but before they have attained 90 credit hours. Incoming transfer students with more than 90 credit hours must complete the RooWriter by the end of their first semester of enrollment or within one semester after passing Discourse 200 (or its equivalent). Students who have not completed the RooWriter Writing Assessment within two semesters after passing Discourse 200 (or its equivalent) will be blocked from enrollment until they successfully complete the RooWriter. Additional information is available in the Undergraduate Academic Regulations and Information section of the catalog.
Exit Examinations
Information on exit examinations and/or major field exams is available in the Undergraduate Academic Regulations and Information section of the catalog.
Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination
In accordance with Missouri Senate Bill 807 (section 170.013.1), 'any student entering a public institution of higher education for the first time after July 2019 who is pursuing an associate's or bachelor's degree from such institution shall successfully pass an examination on the provisions and principles of American civics with a score of seventy percent or greater as a condition of graduation from such institution'. To satisfy this requirement at UMKC, students access the exam through the Canvas site. This requirement will be listed in the degree audit system as, 'Take State Mandated Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination', and listed on the transcript as 'Missouri Civics Examination'.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from this program will:
- Have the basic skills for the practice of art in one or more specialized disciplines.
- Develop creative, conceptual and technical skills in a variety of visual media to produce work that can effectively contribute to the larger creative community.
- Develop professional skills appropriate to the discipline, including awareness of the latest advances in adapting technology for the creation of works of art, including appropriate software and hardware skills.
- Communicate ideas visually, verbally, and through the written word.
- Recognize and understand the relevance of global art history to the current practice of art.
Program Requirements
Students graduating with a B.A. degree in Studio Art will be prepared for entry into a professional school, a graduate program or the job market.
Program Specific Recommendations for UMKC General Education Core Coursework
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Anchor I 1 | 3 | |
| Anchor II 1 | 3 | |
| Anchor III 1 | 3 | |
| DISC 100 | Discourse I: Reasoning and Values (Speech and Writing) | 3 |
| DISC 200 | Discourse II: Culture and Diversity (Writing and Speech) | 3 |
| DISC 300 | Discourse III: Civic and Community Engagement (Speech and Writing) | 3 |
| Focus A (Satisfied in program requirements below) | ||
| Focus B (Satisfied in program requirements below) | ||
| Focus C (May be satisfied by Constitution course requirement below) | ||
| Focus Elective (Satisfied in program requirements below) | ||
| 'Total credits' in this section indicates the number of General Education Core credit hours that are not met by the degree specific requirements outlined below. | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
| 1 | See the UMKC General Education Core section of the catalog for available Anchor and Focus course options. |
Constitution Course Requirement
Section 170.011.1 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, 2015, states that all candidates for a degree issued by a college or university in the state of Missouri must have “satisfactorily passed an examination on the provisions and principles of the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Missouri, and in American history and American institutions.”
Courses at UMKC that satisfy this state requirement are:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| The Supreme Court And The Criminal Process | ||
| U.S. History to 1877 (Focus C) 1 | ||
| U.S. History Since 1877 (Focus C) 1 | ||
| Honors American Government (Focus C) 1 | ||
| American Government (Focus C) 1 | ||
| Total Credits | 3 | |
| 1 | Course may satisfy both the UMKC General Education Core (Focus C) and Constitution requirements. |
There are a few other ways this requirement can be satisfied for students transferring to UMKC:
- Take an equivalent course from the list above at a regionally accredited institution.
- Earn credit for one of the above courses through AP, IB, or CLEP.
- Take a course that directly satisfies the Missouri Constitution Requirement at another Missouri institution.
- Have a previous bachelors degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited institution.
- Have an Associate of Arts degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Complete the 42 Hour Core at a Missouri institution and have it listed on the official transcript.
College of Arts & Sciences Degree Requirements
Students pursuing the bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees must complete a major. Students pursuing the bachelor of liberal arts degree must complete a minor. Additional details are available in the Student Services section of the catalog.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ALEKS Math Placement | ||
| Arts and Humanities Division of CAS or any UMKC Focus A course 1 | 6 | |
| Science and Math Division of CAS or any UMKC Focus B course | 6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Division of CAS or any UMKC Focus C course | 6 | |
| Writing Intensive Course (300-level or above; Satisfied in program requirements below) | ||
| Foreign Language (3rd Semester Level) | 9 | |
| MATH 110 | Precalculus Algebra (or any 200-level or above Math/Stat course) 2 | 3 |
| or MATH 116 | Mathematics For Liberal Arts | |
| or MATH 120 | Precalculus | |
| Laboratory Science Experience | 1 | |
| Total Credits | 31 | |
| 1 | ENGLISH 110, ENGLISH 225, COMM-ST 110, and foreign language courses at 211 or below do not fulfill this requirement. |
| 2 | This requirement may be fulfilled by courses from either the UMKC General Education Core or the College of Arts and Sciences Degree Requirements. |
Major Requirements
Formal study in Studio Art begins with foundation courses: ART 112, ART 114, ART 121, and ART 131. There are no prerequisites for these courses and non-majors and exploratory students are also encouraged to take foundation courses. They cannot be taken for graduate credit.
Intermediate and advanced courses typically require the foundation series and possibly other prerequisites. ART 495: Special Topics may be offered that can count towards the Studio Electives. Recent Special Topics include screenprinting, art book publishing, and advertising campaigns (with Communication Studies).
Another important part of the Studio Art program is the Junior Portfolio Reviews that happen each spring semester. Students gather around 10 of their strongest pieces to present to a group of faculty and guests for a comprehensive critique of their work with suggestions for areas of growth, classes to take before graduating, and more. Many students benefit from this process so much that they do it again as a senior.
Students must successfully complete the major requirements below with at least 12 hours of the noted upper division (300+) course requirements completed at UMKC.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Courses | 12 | |
| Foundation Drawing | ||
| Foundation Digital Design | ||
| Foundation 2D Design | ||
| Foundation 3D Design | ||
| Studio Electives selected from at least 3 different areas: | 9 | |
| DRAWING: | ||
| Intermediate Drawing | ||
| GRAPHIC DESIGN: | ||
| Graphic Design I | ||
| PRINTMAKING: | ||
| Print Media I | ||
| PHOTOGRAPHY: | ||
| Photography I | ||
| MULTIMEDIA: | ||
| Digital Video and Motion Design II | ||
| PAINTING: | ||
| Painting I | ||
| Additional Studio Electives: 1 | 15 | |
Any course not already completed above. | ||
| Figure Drawing I | ||
| Graphic Design II | ||
| Student Design Agency | ||
| Fibers I | ||
| Fibers II | ||
| Art History Requirements | ||
| Select three from 200- and 300-level survey courses: | 9 | |
| From Cave Paintings to Cathedrals | ||
| From Michelangelo to Modernism | ||
| World Currents of Contemporary Art | ||
| Arts Of African and New World Cultures | ||
| Asian Art | ||
| One 400-level Art History course: | 3 | |
| Made in the USA: Latinx Art and Experience | ||
| Art Museums: History and Practice | ||
| Site-Specific Art: Within and Beyond the Museum Walls | ||
| Pompeii and Herculaneum: The Archaeology of the Roman World | ||
| Scope & Methods Of Art History | ||
| Special Topics in Art History | ||
| Capstone: | 3 | |
| Senior Seminar | ||
or ART 488 | Creative Project Development | |
| Total Credits | 51 | |
| 1 | Up to 6 additional credit hours in Art History can be counted toward the 24 Studio Elective credit hours with preapproval from a studio faculty advisor. |
General Electives
Students must take elective credit hours to meet the minimum credit hour requirement for their degree, including at least 36 credit hours of coursework at the 300-level or above. The minimum required by the university is 120 credit hours, of which at least 30 credit hours must be taken at UMKC, but some degree programs require more.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Electives | 23 | |
Minimum GPA: 2.0; 2.5 in all studio coursework
Total Credit Hours: 120
Tools for Planning and Fulfilling Academic Requirements
UMKC's Major Maps are detailed, semester by semester plans that lead a student to complete all degree requirements within four years. Plans include benchmarks and critical courses by term that assist a student’s evaluation of progress and major “fit”. In order to ensure that the appropriate courses are taken, students are encouraged to consult with the undergraduate advisor for this major.
UMKC’s Degree Audit System provides an individual evaluation of all degree requirements (General Education Core, Degree Specific, Major Specific, etc.) for student’s officially recorded (Office of Registration and Records) and “what if” plans of study. This evaluation is used to certify all graduation requirements.
UMKC’s Transfer Guides provide detailed guidance on recommended transfer coursework, plans of study, transfer timelines, and transfer contact information. To ensure a seamless transfer experience, students are encouraged to work with both their community college advisor and a UMKC advisor when planning their coursework.