The Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts at Columbia College Chicago offers an interdisciplinary Arts focused liberal arts education that blends fine and commercial arts with a strong foundation art history, art related business skills, and visual communications. Located in downtown Chicago, this program allows students to unique opportunity to explore diverse practices-such as painting, sculpture, digital media, photography, printmaking, and graphic design-while gaining insight into contemporary visual culture’s historical context. With access to Chicago’s vibrant arts network of museums and galleries, students experience hands-on learning that bridges academic study with real-world professional connections. Graduates are equipped with versatile creative, analytical, and communication skills, preparing them to contribute meaningfully to fields in fine and commercial arts, art history, and beyond.

The BA in Visual Arts at Columbia College Chicago provides a liberal arts degree with a significant emphasis and grounding in the practices, history, and business of the Visual Arts. It is a tightly authored degree which uses the School of Visual Art foundations and shared course work while including courses offered through Business and Communications, and the School of Design to provide a robust but general understanding of the scope and practice within the visual arts and would lead to these students establishing themselves as meaningful parts of museums, galleries, non-profits, arts organizations, agencies, and studios.
 

Program Outcomes:

1. Creative Proficiency: Graduates will demonstrate technical expertise across diverse media, applying creative approaches to enhance their work.
    
2. Critical Thinking & Visual Analysis: Graduates will critically assess visual works using art theory, connecting creative practices to contemporary developments.
    
3. Professional Communication & Collaboration: Graduates will effectively articulate artistic ideas and work collaboratively in both artistic and commercial settings.
    
4. Creative Problem-Solving with Contextual Awareness: Graduates will approach artistic challenges with innovative, context-sensitive solutions that balance aesthetic goals with practical outcomes.
    
5. Career & Industry Preparedness: Graduates will be equipped for roles in creative and commercial arts industries, museums, or artistic community organizations, grounded in contemporary practice and professionalism.
    
6. Social & Cultural Engagement: Graduates will engage with and respond to social and cultural issues through their work, contributing to visual culture with a socially informed perspective.