Get ready for professional work in the studio arts
The Studio Art degree at Houghton College prepares you for professional art production, graduate studies, teaching and more. Areas of study include both 2D and 3D media, including drawing, painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture, furniture design, printmaking, graphic design and mixed media. All faculty members are working artists actively involved in production and exhibition.
Creative Confidence + Faith
As a Studio Arts major, you will gain confidence in your ability to integrate faith, knowledge and creativity through courses that provide a comprehensive experience in a variety of materials and techniques.
Explore the Great Works of Art in Person
Art students at Houghton can take advantage of a robust travel program to view the very best works of art. Travel to the cultural capitals of Europe every other year during Mayterm for your Art History credit or take the annual weekend trip to view a major collection in the northeast or mid-Atlantic area.
BA
124 credits
Program total:
40 credits
Required Courses
84 credits
Elective courses + general education
BS
124 credits
Program total:
46 credits
Required Courses
78 credits
Elective courses + general education
BFA
124 credits
Program total:
62-66 credits
Required Courses
58-62 credits
Elective courses + general education
What will I learn?
Through Houghton’s BA/BS/BFA in Studio Art you will gain exposure to all available art concentrations before deciding on your specific area of study.
Concentrations
Book Arts
Examine the origins and evolution of the printed book while drawing connections to its form and function today. Explore visual narratives from a personal context, using tools that span more than 1,000 years in the evolution of printing technology, as you create your own unique books.
Ceramics
Learn wheel-throwing, hand-building techniques, clay sculpting, slip-casting and mold-making, production techniques, glaze formulation, studio management, and kiln loading and firing.
Drawing
Develop your skills as an artist while learning to see the world in a new way. Courses in design, watercolor, and pastel are available as electives to expand your options for continued development in drawing.
Fiber Studies
Make your own paper and explore what it means to be an artist who cares for God’s creation. Refine your artistic vision while thinking about fiber’s role in the evolution of human civilizations, and the consumption of our world’s finite natural resources.
Graphic Design
Develop your creative problem-solving skills and build the foundation for a lifetime of design awareness as you engage every aspect of the design process. You’ll master the fundamentals of design and take on professional-level creative challenges such as brand identity, package design, and information graphics.
Painting
Painting at Houghton is designed to expose students to a variety of painting media and techniques as well as subject matter from representational, abstract and non-objective content. You will have the opportunity to experience oil painting, watercolor and pastel painting.
Photography
Be prepared to engage an ever-expanding contemporary visual culture by developing your technological, formal and creative skills in photography. The photography concentration allows for diverse creative interests, as students explore fine art, commercial, and documentary genres.
Printmaking
Develop your visual vocabulary through courses in letterpress & typography, etching, screen-printing, and lithography—and create a portfolio of prints that showcase your distinct vision and voice.
Sculpture
Create beautiful works of art in three dimensions. Explore stone carving, light sculpture, installation work, metal work, furniture design, figure sculpting, 3D design and 3D printing.
What Employers Say
State-of-the-art Facilities
Art and design students at Houghton have a light-filled, dedicated space to create in the Stevens Art Studio. The Design Media Studio provides students with a large, clean workspace for multiple design media and photography classes; cutting mats and drafting tools; large-format Epson inkjet printers; and Mac PowerBooks with wireless internet and printing connection.
Senior Capstone Exhibition
Finish your time at Houghton with an opportunity to exhibit your comprehensive and coherent body of work in a special show at the college. You will gain real-world experience in presentation, promotion, logistics and documentation in a show that is open to the public.
Prepare to sell and market your art
Interested in freelancing or owning your own business? Houghton offers an Art Business minor so you can learn the fundamentals of business, marketing and entrepreneurial practices to help launch your career.
Program Outcomes
Students earning a BA/BS/BFA in Studio Art from Houghton College are prepared to enter graduate school for further study, or to work as a/an
- Art gallery director
- Freelance illustrator
- Professional photographer
- Industrial designer
- School art teacher
- Web designer
- Film/TV editor
- Gallery director
- Commercial potter