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Channel Your Creative Voice into a Successful Future

The art degree program at Elmira College is all about helping you find and nurture your distinct creative voice. We offer four new program concentrations to specialize your artistic pursuits. You'll be guided by professors who are accomplished professional artists and who also serve as thoughtful mentors. Plus, you will have full access to well-equipped, spacious studios during your studies and enjou many opportunities to exhibit your artwork throughout the academic year. 

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The Elmira Way

How will a bachelor's of art degree from Elmira College lead to a creative career? The art program at Elmira is designed to instill students with vital skills - including critical reasoning, problem-solving, and communication - that will help in any profesison. Graduates of our art program have gone on to become teachers, professional artists, illustrators, designers, art handlers, gallery managers, and curators. And many students at Elmira choose to double major in art/business, art/psychology, art/anthropology, art/English, or art/history. 

Explore the Art Degree Program at Elmira

Coursework

Art Major

The art major is a flexible program with four concentration options. Studio courses will expose you to a wide variety of media, materials, and techniques, while art history courses provide an understanding of the historical significance of the visual arts in our lives today.

Explore Art Major Curriculum

 

Art Minor

An art minor is a great complement to many majors. Studying art helps build critical-thinking and communication skills, as well as develop new and creative ways to express yourself. 

Preview Art Minor Coursework

Students have an opportunity to explore a wide variety of ecosystems.

 

Concentrations

Take your studies a step further with one of our four art concentrations: Art Therapy; Digital Art and Graphic Design (Also a Minor); Digital Art and Product Design; or Studio Art. 

Students who have completed the art degree program requirements will be able to:

  • Demonstrate skills in a wide variety of traditional and nontraditional media
  • Exhibit artworks in three student art shows in the George Waters Gallery each academic year
  • Analyze and express art-related concepts both historical and contemporary
  • Identify and discuss the important formal and conceptual aspects of a work of art
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the history of art with art criticism as a basis for their individual artist statement
  • Produce a portfolio of work suitable for seeking professional opportunities

Note: Learning goals are subject to regular review and revision.

 

 

Eric Kuntz '07

Elmira College provided me with the liberal arts education that has allowed me to excel in my field. I met my wife when we were both orientation leaders. The friendships I developed in Fassett Commons as a fine arts major with both students and faculty are friendships I hold dear to this day.


Explore Clubs and Organizations

Clubs are a great way to meet students with a shared interest in art and creating. Join a club and start to grow a network of connections that can help you throughout your career. 

Clubs

EC Art Club - This is a club not just for art majors or people with high levels of drawing or painting skills but also for anyone who loves art or wants to expand their knowledge of art. Come hang out with like-minded creative students and have fun making art. 

 


Discover Scholarship Opportunities

Elmira offers a number of valuable scholarships and awards - incoming students are automatically considered for a number of them. Get to know the financial aid options offered for students in artistic studies. 

Scholarships

  • Elizabeth Anne Graham '42 Prize
  • Mary Lou Parrella '65 Prize
  • Helen Hitchcock Bjovand Drawing Prize
  • Annual Art Exhibition Awards

Browse our range of student scholarships

 

Study Abroad

Through Elmira's special six-week third term, called Term III, students are able to enrich their studies with research, internships, and immersive study abroad trips.

Many Term III courses offered have an art and culture component with a focus on art museums, architecture, and public monuments. All students may take Term III trips that include the arts specific to the country they visit. 

For example, in 2019 a group of Elmira students studied abroad in Greece and Rome. Over the four-week trip, students explored various monuments and museums in Rome, Athens, Mycenae, Delphi, Olympia, and the island of Crete. 

 


Meet Our Faculty

Get to know the art program faculty! Our professors are eager to help you excel in your studies and hone your creative expression. Class sizes at Elmira are small, which means that it's easy to receive individual attention from your professors and form close bonds. 

Browse All Program Faculty

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What can I do with a bachelor's degree in art?

From Art Director to Museum Curator, there are countless career paths that will allow you to flex your creative muscles and build a professional career. By studying visual arts, you will develop more than just your own artistic skills - you will also learn critical thinking, communication, analysis, and problem-solving. The art degree program at Elmira also ensures that by graduation, you'll have developed a portfolio of your work to showcase to potential employers. 

What internship opportunities are available to art majors at Elmira?

Art students have a number of internship opportunities at Elmira. Recently, EC students have completed internships whit the Arnot Art Museum in Elmira, Rockwell Museum of Art, National Soaring Museum, Corning Museum of Glass, Herbert F. Johnson Museum, Chemung County Historical Society, Community Arts of Elmira, and the Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes. 

Can I double major with an art degree?

Yes! Many Elmira College students choose to pursue double majors with an art degree. The art program is a flexible program, meaning that it is easy to complement it with a second major. Some degree combinations that students have pursued in the past include double majors in art/business, art/psychology, art/anthropology, art/English, and art/history.