College of The Arts

The College of the Arts maintains an exceptional faculty whose accomplishments are recognized locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Students command high professional regard. The disciplines that make up the College of the Arts place the teaching of students as their central mission. The College of the Arts provides a professional environment conducive to artistic growth which prepares students for the aesthetic challenges facing musicians, artists, designers, historians, and teachers in the 21st century. The College recognizes and embraces important influences on the arts which cross national borders.

The College of the Arts provides the region with a stimulating community of students, artists, scholars and teachers who apply aesthetic and intellectual vision to the expression of complex ideas; who value both artistic tradition and experimentation in the search for creative solutions; who connect global perspectives to professional education; who integrate technical skills with theoretical understandings; and who care about the impact of their work on people.

The College of the Arts annually hosts a number of guest artists who provide students with rich professional training experiences. These artists appear as part of the major exhibitions in the Fine Arts Gallery, the Sturgis Library Gallery, and performances in the Premiere Series, the Musical Arts Series, and Theatre and Performance Studies Mainstage and Studio Seasons. The College offers the Starlight Summer Series at the Legacy Gazebo Amphitheatre featuring local and international jazz artists. These unique experiences provide exceptional opportunities for the College’s talented students.

The College of the Arts offers both academic and professional programs of study which prepare students for careers in the visual and performing arts. Undergraduate programs are built upon a strong common liberal arts component. Through its departments, the college offers the Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music, Dance, and Theatre and Performance Studies, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art, the Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education, Performance, and the Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education.

Special units in the College of the Arts include:

The University Box Office - services audience development, ticketing, and event information needs of the university.

The Stillwell Theater - theatrical, musical, and other university events are held in the University’s Stillwell Theatre.

The Music Library - this library serves the curricular needs of students and faculty in the Department of Music. The library houses musical scores, sound recordings, video recordings, reference materials, music/historical collections, and other musicological materials.

The Music and Performing Arts Libraries - the libraries housing the performance materials of the orchestra, wind ensembles, and choirs is housed in the Department of Music. The Music and Performing Arts Library also houses the theatre collection.

Technology Labs - the arts labs provide faculty and staff with state-of-the-art computer labs for artistic creation.

Art Galleries - the Visual Arts Department maintains two visual art galleries. A gallery director oversees the displays and functions of the art galleries.

Accreditations

All degree programs in the College of the Arts are nationally accredited. In addition, the teacher education programs in the arts have state approval for K-12 teacher certification in Georgia.

For full accreditation/approval information see academic department listings below.

Academic Departments

The College of the Arts houses three academic departments:

The Department of Music (B.A., B.M.)
Department of Theatre and Performance Studies (B.A.)
Department of Visual Arts (B.F.A., B.S.)

Minors*

Art History
Dance
Music

* See section on Minors for policy on and additional information regarding minors.

Programs of Study

The College of the Arts offers the following undergraduate degrees:

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art
Bachelor of Science in Art Education
Bachelor of Arts in Dance
Bachelor of Arts in Music
Bachelor of Music in Music Education
Bachelor of Music in Performance
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Performance Studies