The University of North Alabama is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

The Department of Visual Arts and Design provides students the opportunity and means to develop a confident, knowledgeable, and proficient grounding in the field of Art and Design; endeavors to instill in each student a refined aesthetic sensibility that ensures artistic imagination, individual expression, and the recognition of quality; and through the imparting of specialized knowledge, facilitates students’ technical skill development in the media of their choice.

The Department of Visual Arts and Design offers major programs leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees; minor programs in apparel design, art, art for interior design, art history, culinary arts management, hospitality and events management, human-computer interaction/user experience – design, and photography; retailing and clothing, space planning and design; certificate programs in art history, culinary arts management, design build technology, fine arts, graphic design, kitchen and bath design, and photography; and coursework applicable to partial satisfaction of general education components in all programs. No minor field is required for the BFA, BA and BS in Art. Subject programs for the preparation of art teachers are offered as a double major in Art and Education.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts program is designed for students with a professional interest in art or interior architecture and design.  The Bachelor of Fine Arts program has five areas of concentration: ceramics, digital media, painting, photography, and sculpture. Candidacy for the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree requires successfully passing a portfolio review following the completion of 45-96 credit hours of university course work.

The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees are designed for students with a personal or academic interest in art, culinary, fashion, or hospitality and event planning. The BS programs are offered in art, culinary arts management, fashion merchandising and design, or hospitality and events management. Students in the BA and BS programs in art may choose to specialize by devoting their general elective hours to coursework in ceramics, digital media, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, or sculpture. All degree candidates are required to participate in a group graduation exhibition and attain a satisfactory faculty review of their work, submit a digital portfolio for the Department of Visual Arts and Design archive, and fulfill the required number of gallery and museum attendances The University Art Gallery offers exhibitions by meritorious state, regional, and national artists in support of the department’s curriculum and community outreach. The exhibitions reflect a broad spectrum of media, techniques, artistic/social content, and represents a major cultural asset to the Shoals. The student gallery provides an alternative space for the display of studio art coursework and serves as exhibition space for extra-curricular projects.

Majors

Certificates 

Minors