BA degree

Bachelors of Art (BA)

Students earning a BA degree are given the choice of studying art history, studio art, graphic design, or illustration. The BA offers ample opportunity for multiple or interdisciplinary studies in various programs across campus including psychology, cognitive science, communications, advertising/marketing, technology education and information science, among others. Many BA students earn a second degree or minor in a complementary area of interest such as psychology, cognitive science, technology education, advertising/marketing, computer science, communications, broadcasting, or information science. BA art students can follow one of three different tracks depending on their chosen concentration:

BA: Track I - Studio Art

BA: Track II - Art History

BA: Track III - Graphic Design

BA: Track IV – Illustration

BA: Track V – Interaction Design

BA Art Majors – Degree Requirements can be found in the undergraduate college catalog.

BA: Track I - Studio Emphasis

Studio offerings include Drawing, Design, Illustration, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Ceramics, Sculpture, and Graphic Design. Students in the BA Studio Art program look for careers in diverse areas. If students combine the BA with a second major or minor they are able to seek opportunities in many fields including Scientific Illustration, Arts Management, and Art Therapy, as well as Psychology, Sociology, or Anthropology. Some BA students continue in graduate studies in Business, Art Therapy, Education, the Cognitive or the Social Sciences.

BA: Track II - Art History Emphasis

Offerings in Art History are particularly extensive for a college the size of Oswego. Students take a two semester Survey of Art and may select upper division courses such as Twentieth-Century, Chinese, Japanese, Islamic, Native American, or Museum Studies. Students in Museum Studies and Art History look for careers in institutions and archives.

BA: Track III - Graphic Design Emphasis

Offerings include Drawing, Design, Graphic Design, Web Design, Multimedia Design, Illustration, Photography, and Printmaking. Students who earn this degree look for careers as in-house Graphic Designers as well as work in design studios and advertising agencies. Students who couple a BA in Graphic Design with a second major can work in any number of Graphic Communication and Telecommunication fields. Some BA students opt for graduate studies in MA and MFA programs in Graphic Design, Broadcasting, Digital Media, Advertising and Marketing. Others continue on the graduate level in such twenty-first century disciplines as Information Architecture or Human Computer Interface Design.

BA: Track IV - Illustration Emphasis

For students interested in illustration, this program offers the opportunity to study traditional, mixed, and digital media forms of illustration. Students develop techniques and approaches through a wide range of illustration projects designed to promote exploration across the field. Students in the BA program typically earn a second degree or minor in related fields.

BA: Track V - Interaction Design Emphasis

Students in the BA Interaction Design program concentrate on the study and practice of contemporary interaction design theory, techniques and application with a focus on motion, interactive, or web design from a user experience perspective. The program includes study of established and emerging media. Modeled as a traditional liberal arts degree, the program allows the opportunity for students to earn a minor or second major in another area of interest, such as information science. The degree also allows students the opportunity to study in an area that compliments interaction design, giving them the ability to create new hybrid forms of the discipline.

After graduation students have found employment in many fields such as motion graphics, UX, web design and all sorts of emerging technology driven communication forms within companies and institutions throughout the country. Many students elect to go on to graduate school for study in human computer interaction or information design.

Options For Second Majors & Minors

Combinations Suggested for BA: Track I – Studio Art

Preparing For Work In A Gallery Or Museum

A minor in Arts Management. May also wish to consider a minor in Business Administration with a Marketing Emphasis, or Business Administration—Leadership Emphasis
A minor in Art History
A second major in Public Relations

Preparing For Work Or Graduate Study In Art Therapy

A minor in Expressive Art Therapy

Combinations Suggested for BA: Track II – Art History

Preparing For Work In A Gallery Or Museum

A minor in Arts Management. May also wish to consider a minor in Business Administration with a Marketing Emphasis, or Business Administration—Leadership Emphasis
A second major in Public Relations

Combinations Suggested for BA: Track III – Graphic Design

Preparing For Work In An Agency Or Large Company

Second major in Public Relations. May also wish to consider a minor in Business Administration with a Marketing Emphasis
Minor in Business Administration—Marketing Emphasis. May also wish to consider a second minor in Business Administration—Leadership Emphasis

Preparing For Work In The Telecommunications Industry

Second major in Broadcasting and Mass Communication

Preparing For Work Or Graduate Studies In Scenic Art Or Environmental Art Design

Second major or minor in Theatre with a focus on Set Design and Stage Craft.

Combinations Suggested for BA: Track IV – Illustration

Preparing For Work In The Field

Second major in Creative Writing.
May also wish to consider a minor or Second major in Journalism

Preparing For Graduate Study — Medical/Scientific Illustration

Second Major in one of the sciences. Biology or Zoology best for medical illustration.

Combinations Suggested for BA: Track V - Interaction Design

Preparing For Work Or Graduate Studies In Web Or Multimedia Design

Second major in Information Science
Minor in Information Science. May also wish to consider a second minor in Computer Science.