Undergraduate Programs

Students in a Photography Workshop

Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate Admission Requirements

To be admitted into the Department of Art, applicants must present a combined SAT score of 910 and a portfolio containing twelve digital images of original work. (See Portfolio Requirements Below)

*Art History students may submit copies of graded research papers. Portfolios should be addressed to the Chairperson of the Department of Art and must contain sufficient stamps for return postage.

In addition, the following items may be considered in determining eligibility for admission:

- High school grade point average of 2.0 minimum (equivalent to the grade of C)

- Interview and/or completed questionnaire

- A written statement of purpose

-  Letters of recommendation

Students enrolled in the Art History B.A. degree program must meet the standards and requirements set by the college and the university.

To apply to the Howard University Department of Art, start by visiting the Howard University Admission website. After this, you will need to submit a visual arts portfolio.

Special Degree Requirements

Students seeking degrees offered by the Art Department must complete core courses in the Foundation Program upon which concentration courses are built. 

A student must complete 18 to 21 credits in the Department of Art, with the approval of a faculty advisor, in order to obtain a minor. In selecting electives, students may choose within the following guidelines:

  • University electives in humanities – any courses in the humanities area (literature, drama, music, classics, English) for which the student can qualify;
  • Art electives – any courses in the practice or history of art; fashion merchandising or interior design;
  • Studio electives – any courses in the practice of art or design for which the student qualifies. 

Portfolio Requirements

For admission to the B.F.A. degree program, applicants who plan on majoring in Studio Arts must submit a portfolio of artwork to the Department of Art through the department's Slideroom.com portfolio submission portal (http://huart.slideroom.com).

  1. First-Year Art Major | Bachelor of Fine Arts | Portfolio Evaluation: https://huart.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/73763
     
  2. First-Year Art Major | Regular Decision | Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) | Portfolio Evaluation: https://huart.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/73764

A portfolio of 12-15 digital images and videos of original creative works (with no more than 2-3 views of any single work), must be prepared and presented via the Slideroom.com portfolio submission portal (URL’s are also acceptable if the work is presented online in quality form). Each image must be clearly labeled with the title of the work, materials or media of creation, size, and date of creation.

These original creative works must be prepared according to the guidelines:

  1. Static Two-Dimensional imagery: JPEG or PNG Formats are acceptable;
     
  2. Three-Dimension Pieces (i.e. sculpture, ceramics, fashion, 3D modeling): JPEG Format including 2-3 views of the work OR video presentation including revolving views of the work;
     
  3. Motion graphics and video: MP4, Mv4, FLV and AVI Formats, links to YouTube and Vimeo portfolio pages are acceptable for motion graphics and video;
     
  4. Size of digital images: no less than 1200 x 1000 ppi (pixels per inch);
     
  5. Please include with each artwork submission in your presentation:
    • Title of the Work
    • Materials or Media used to create the work
    • Size of the actual piece of work represented by the digital images. Size of work should be relative to the media with which it was created (for traditional media, use inches; for static digital media, use pixel dimensions; and for motion graphics and video use pixel dimensions and time in minutes and seconds)
    • Date of creation
       
  6. Written Statement of Purpose or Artist Statement: A copy must be submitted with the portfolio;
     
  7. Two References: A copy of each reference must be submitted with the portfolio;

Intra-University Transfers

Any currently enrolled undergraduate student who requests a transfer from any other undergraduate school or college within the University to the Department of Art must file an Intra-University Transfer (IUT) application form with the Dean of Fine Arts through the Chair of the Department of Art. The Dean examines all applications transmitted from the Department Chair, determines eligibility for each transfer, and notifies the Office of Enrollment Management/Records regarding all approved applications for transfer.

Along with the IUT application, all transfer requests undergraduate students must submit a portfolio of creative works to the Department of Art for review. Students requesting transfer must also have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or greater to be considered.

  1. (Spring) Art Transfer | Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) | Portfolio Evaluation:  https://huart.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/74587

All approved applications must be received in EM/Records by April 1 for the fall semester, October 1 for the spring semester, and April 15 for the summer session.

Below are the steps for requesting an Intra-University transfer into the Department of Art:

  1. Schedule a meeting with the Program Area Coordinator to discuss your desire to transfer into the program area. It is important that a student who wishes to transfer into the Department of Art gets to know the Program Area Coordinator.
     
  2. Submit an IUT application and portfolio: Upon deciding this program is the right fit for you, you will need to apply to the Art Department by submitting an Intra-University Transfer (IUT) application and a portfolio of your creative work. The IUT application can be picked up from the Art Office and both, the application and your portfolio must be submitted to the Art Office for review. Submission of the IUT application and portfolio do not constitute acceptance into the program. Your portfolio will be reviewed by members of the Art Faculty for admission into the Department and Area of Concentration.
     
  3. The Chair will examine your application and portfolio reviews by the Art Faculty to determine eligibility. If approved at the Department level your request for transfer is forwarded to the Dean and then on to Enrollment Management/Records for the completion of your transfer.
     
  4. Status of your transfer request: You will be notified by email of the status of your admission into the Department and the program area.