Liberal Arts

The Liberal Arts Department offers courses that encourage students to think critically, write effectively, and develop the informed, flexible minds that make art possible. All MassArt students take at least nine courses in this department.

Literature and film criticism teach students to discern complex layers of idea and meaning manifest in verbal or cinematic art.
Writing courses hone skills in verbalizing ideas and creating art with words.
Social sciences and history courses help students develop a historical perspective and deepen their understanding of cultures and societies.
Natural science courses foster an understanding of scientific method and principles.
Mathematics courses teach mathematical logic and the skills necessary for material and structural calculations in design projects.

History of Art

The history of art program teaches students how to investigate works of art from a wide range of periods and regions. A distribution requirement ensures that students have a solid foundation in each of the following four areas:

Ancient and medieval art
Renaissance, Baroque, and eighteenth-century art
Modern and contemporary art
Arts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa

After fulfilling the requirement, students then may choose to focus their studies on a particular area of art history. All history of art students take at least two senior seminars investigating focus topics in the history of art.

MassArt’s visiting artist program and exhibitions of contemporary art encourage students to contemplate the historical and cultural context of work being created in our own time.

History of art majors continue on to graduate programs in art history, visual culture, and museum studies; work in museums, galleries, auction houses, and publishing; and use their knowledge of the history and theory of art to enrich their studio practice.