Art & Art History

Bachelor of Arts

A painter meticulously creating a face on canvas

Prepare for an artistic career with Bucknell’s Department of Art & Art History, where faculty will lead you on a creative journey to job readiness in fine arts, academia, arts administration, publishing and more.

As an art & design major, you'll study painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, graphic design, multimedia, and video and performance art — and show your culminating work at the Samek Art Museum.

Art history majors explore art from prehistory to the present through classes and experiences that include trips to museums and galleries around the Northeast and the U.S. Arts Merit Scholarships in both art & design and art history for incoming students, internships and study-abroad opportunities further strengthen the learning experience.

Many Bucknell art & design and art history majors have gone on to pursue careers in fields including museums, galleries, auction houses, advertising, business, education, film and entertainment.

Degree Programs

The Department of Art & Art History offers a bachelor of arts degree as well as minors in both art & design and art history. Majors in each course of study complete a culminating experience. In art & design, seniors create final projects and have opportunities to exhibit their work in on-campus galleries, including the Samek Art Museum's Campus Gallery and the 103 exhibition space in Holmes Hall. Art history majors work directly with objects in university collections and conduct original historical research.

See detailed major & minor requirements

Find your path to art & art history at Bucknell

Students appreciate art in the Samek art museum

World-class Art — Right on Campus

Bucknell’s Samek Art Museum creates meaningful encounters between artists, students, scholars, the public and works of art. Explore pop-up exhibitions and permanent art installations at the Campus Gallery, the Downtown Gallery, the Collection Study Room and locations across campus.

Presenting visual fine art in critical contexts, the museum is an academic art lab where experimental art, innovative curatorial practices and co-curricular programming generate new ways to engage and inspire audiences.

Visit Major Art Centers

Faculty and students take advantage of Bucknell's proximity to major museums and galleries through regularly scheduled trips and individual travel to New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The alumni-supported Rothschild-Johnson trip also introduces students to art galleries and museums in New York City.

Learn From Real Practicing Artists

The Ekard Artist-in-Residence provides students opportunities to engage with and learn from accomplished artists through masterclasses, workshops, demonstrations and/or studio critiques, in conjunction with the Department of Art & Art History.

Meet the current artist-in-residence

Apply for an Arts Merit Scholarship

Bucknell offers merit scholarships to applicants who have extraordinary talent in the arts. Students studying art & art history are eligible for scholarships that range from $2,500 to $20,000 per year.
Learn more about Arts Merit Scholarships

Take a closer look at the arts

Two women pose with an Emmy award.

And the Emmy Goes to ...

Alumni Story

Art History Major Suzanne Méjean Pinney '03 won two 2022 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards. Her love of storytelling through film was born at Bucknell and inspired by art & art history faculty members.

Read her story
View of Holmes Hall atrium

Welcome to Holmes Hall

Opened in 2021, Bucknell's new home for the Department of Art & Art History is filled with spaces to inspire a forward-thinking next generation of artists, designers, entrepreneurs and more.

Explore the building

For the Class of 2026 and Earlier

The Department of Art & Art History's curriculum changed slightly for the 2023-24 academic year. Students who need access to the previous course catalog can access it below.

View catalog

Contact Details

Art & Art History

Location

311 Holmes Hall