Studio Art Major at Houghton University

Partner with our Creator to create professional artwork that reflects His beauty to the world.

The Studio Art major at Houghton University prepares you for professional art production, graduate studies, teaching and more in a Christ-centered environment. Gain confidence in your ability to integrate faith, knowledge and creativity through experiential courses that explore a variety of materials and techniques.

Learn from professors that have a heart for mentoring and are practicing artists.

Degree Snapshot

Undergraduate - Bachelor's

Degree Types: BA, BS, BFA

Concentrations: Ceramics, Drawing, Graphic Design, Painting, Photography, Sculpture

Program Credits: 124

Explore Courses & Degree Requirements Careers Meet the Faculty

What will I learn?

Through Houghton’s Studio Art major you will gain exposure to all available art concentrations before deciding on your specific area of study.

Create beautiful works of art in three dimensions through stone carving, light sculpture, metal work, furniture design, 3D design and 3D printing.
Engage an ever-expanding contemporary visual culture by developing your technological, formal and creative skills in photography.
Master the fundamentals of design and take on professional-level creative challenges such as brand identity, package design, and information graphics.
Try your hand at wheel-throwing, clay sculpting, slip-casting and mold-making, kiln loading and firing, and much more.

Why study Studio Art at Houghton?

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 Digital Printing Lab provides students with a large, clean workspace for multiple design media and photography classes; cutting mats and drafting tools; large-format Epson inkjet printers; while the Forsyth Mac Lab provides access to the latest software for digital design and desktop publishing.

Explore Art Facilities & Equipment

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.

Courses & Degree Requirements

Popular Courses

ART 221 Painting

Explore visual problems of space, form, value, and color with oil paint. Work through pictorial composition and interpretation through representational/abstract approaches to observing life and still life.

ART 271 Ceramics

Study clay as a three-dimensional artistic medium, working with hand-built and wheel-thrown techniques, glazing, decorating, and firing processes. Learn the foundation of the historical development of ideas and techniques and the role of ceramics in contemporary art.

ART 282 Experimental Darkroom Processes

Examine various darkroom image making and printing techniques, including pinhole, cyanotype, projection, and photogram as well as toning and hand-coloring in traditional black-and-white prints.

Degree Options

BA - 124 credits

40 credits
Required Courses

84 credits
Elective courses + general education

Degree Requirements

BS - 124 credits

46 credits
Required Courses

78 credits
Elective courses + general education

Degree Requirements

BFA - 124 credits

62-66 credits
Required Courses

58-62 credits
Elective courses + general education

Degree Requirements

Meet a Faculty Member

As an art student at Houghton, I was impressed with the facilities which provided me with a beautiful workspace and access to tools and materials I did not previously have experience with. Here, instructors teach the skills to work in various mediums and challenged students daily to improve their art and grow a deeper understanding of the past and contemporary artworld. It has been an honor and a blessing to come back to Houghton as a professor and to work to instill the same skill-base and art knowledge in my students that I received from Houghton’s art program. I value the relationships I have been able to cultivate with students and appreciate the small class sizes which provide closer individual instruction. Houghton’s art program feels like a family and is built on the enduring legacy of students and faculty who still maintain a close bond.

Aaron Harrison

Associate Professor of Art

Career Opportunities

Students earning a BA, BS, or BFA degree in Studio Art from Houghton University are prepared for careers as:

Art Gallery Director

Freelance Illustrator

Professional Photographer

Industrial Designer

Web Designer

Film/TV Editor

School Art Teacher

Graduate School

Master's degrees options for Studio Art majors:

Marketing and Advertising
Studio Art
Film Production
Game Design
Business

Career growth for web developers and digital designers.

From 2022 to 2032 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Houghton studio art major alumna Victoria Mullen Bowers holding Northern Lights Candle.

What Employers Say

I don’t run into candidates like Victoria Mullen-Bowers, Art '13, especially right out of college. She is logical but whimsical, which brings focus to project management, humor to teamwork and craft to the aesthetic. As Head of Product Development, she brings to the company a perfect blend of art and business acumen. Her background in graphic design was merely the springboard of her trajectory to running all arts at Northern Lights. Tori is not only a quick learner, but can contribute organizing and building systems across the entire company.

Amy Bennett
COO, Northern Lights Candles, Zippo's family of companies

Learn more about Alumni Success and Outcomes