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Minor in Art & Design

Make creative problem solving, hands-on making, and visual communication a part of your education.

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For students interested in design thinking, visual composition, working collaboratively, critical thinking and analysis, and gaining skills with tools and techniques relevant to a wide range of material processes, the Stamps School offers an eighteen-credit minor in studio art and design to students in the following programs:

  • Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA)
  • School of Music, Theatre & Dance
  • School of Information
  • College of Engineering
  • Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
  • Ross School of Business
  • School of Kinesiology
  • School of Public Health

Art & Design Minor Requirements

  • Two 100-level studios (minimum 6 credits; see below for details)

  • Two 200-level studios (minimum 6 credits)

  • One 300-level studio (minimum 3 credits)

  • Minimum three academic credits

  • To become a declared minor, students must have a currently declared major.

See full, step-by-step information by clicking the drop-down menus below.

How to Earn a Minor in Art & Design

  • Step 1: Get Started
    1. Attend an Information Session to meet with a Stamps advisor and learn about the Stamps Minor requirements, policies, and application process.
    2. To effectively plan for your Stamps Minor, follow the steps mentioned below on the webpage. Additionally, please reference the Stamps Course Guide and the Curriculum Designer tool. Please note that the frequency of course offering may vary according to future term circumstances.
    3. Check out the Stamps Minor Backward Planning tool. This tool is aligned with Stamps interdisciplinary curriculum and offers flexibility to map out courses that best fit your academic interests and goals. It is a great way to visualize your path forward. Please keep in mind that this is a planning tool, and that access to courses is subject to course availability each semester, as well as having the prerequisites for the courses. We encourage you to make a copy of the document and work through it at your own pace.
    4. Please view the Override form for instructions on how to register for Stamps (ARTDES) courses.
    5. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
  • Step 2: Make it Official

    In any order, complete two 3-credit courses, one from Group A and one from Group B:

    A. Drawing Studio: Drawing: Observation (ARTDES 100) or Drawing: Visualization (ARTDES 105)

    B. Dimensional Studio: Studio 2D (ARTDES 115), Studio 3D (ARTDES 120), or Studio 4D (ARTDES 125)

    Once you have finished both of these courses, you're ready to apply for your minor by completing the Stamps Minor Application Form. This form indicates that you've completed the first two prerequisite courses. Feel free to use the Stamps Minor Backward Planning tool to help establish a plan of study.

    * Please note that you need to submit an Override form to register for Stamps (ARTDES) courses.

  • Step 3: Choose Courses

    With the help of the Stamps Minor Backward Planning tool and your Stamps Minor Advisor, choose four courses (minimum 12 credits) as follows:

    1. Two 200-level studio courses (minimum 6 credits).

      Options offered at Stamps include ARTDES 200 - 299, a wide variety of introductory courses focused on developing skills in specific studio areas. 200-level classes are often prerequisites for more advanced studios.

      A maximum of one University of Michigan 200 or 300 level studio course offered outside the Stamps School (a non-ARTDES studio) can also count toward this requirement. Choosing a non-ARTDES studio course may result in not having the appropriate prerequisites for higher level courses. 200-level Non-ARTDES minor course options are:
      • ARCH 255, Imaging + ARCH 256, Immersion (4 credits)
      • ARCH 257, Assembly + 258, Translation + 259, Orientation (Choose 2 of the 3 courses = 4 credits)
      • MECHENG 250, Design & Manufacturing I
      • PAT 201, Intro to Computer Music
      • PAT 202, Computer Music
      • PAT 280, Sound Reinforcement
      • RCARTS 260 Photography I
      • RCARTS 270 Sculpture I
      • RCARTS 250 Printmaking I
      • RCARTS 290 Ceramics I
      • FTVM 290, Intro to Media Production
      • THTREMUS 240, Intro to Design
      • THTREMUS 256, Lighting Design I
      • THTREMUS 260, Scene Design I
      • THTREMUS 263, Design Rendering
      • THTREMUS 270, Costume Design I
      • UARTS 250, Creative Process
    2. One 300-level studio course (minimum 3 credits).

      Options offered at Stamps include studios between ARTDES 300-388, a variety of more advanced, project-based courses where you can apply and refine the skills acquired in introductory classes.

      A maximum of one University of Michigan 200 or 300 level studio course offered outside the Stamps School (a non-ARTDES studio) can also count toward this requirement. 300-level Non-ARTDES minor course options are:
      • ARCH 312, Architectural Design
      • PAT 331, Sound Recording I
      • PAT 380, Sound for Theatre
      • RCARTS 369, Photography III
      • RCARTS 399, Ceramics III
      • FTVM 300, Movie/Serial Television Production I
      • FTVM 304, Topics in Med Prod 1
      • FTVM 305, The Experimental Screen
      • FTVM 306, Animation & Digital Media Practices I
      • THTREMUS 356, Lighting Design II
      • THTREMUS 360, Scene Design II
      • THTREMUS 370, Costume Design II
      • Higher-level (400) studio courses can also count toward this requirement, with approval.
    3. In order to complete the minor requirements, students must complete one academic course (minimum 3 credits). Academic course options are:
      • ARTDES 150: Art and Design in Context
      • ARTDES 151: Art and Design History
      • ARTDES 160: Penny W. Stamps Lecture Series (1 credit/semester for 3 semesters)
      • ARTDES 389: Writing Cultural Criticism
      • All 3 or 4 credit courses listed in the LSA Course Guide with the subject HISTART, or any course cross-listed with HISTART will satisfy the Stamps Minor academic requirement.
  • Step 4: Complete

    Complete the Stamps Minor Release Form during your last year at U-M. The purpose of this release form is to inform the student and the student’s home unit which courses for the Stamps Minor in Art & Design have been completed, and which courses are still required to complete this minor successfully. A completed minor consists of 6 courses (minimum 18 credits) as outlined above. You must return this completed form to your home unit to have your Stamps minor listed on your transcript.

Minor Policies

  • The minor is open to all undergraduates who are not Stamps Majors and who have already declared a major.
  • A portfolio is not required.
  • All coursework must be selected from the list of approved courses.
  • Test credits may not be used to meet the requirements of the minor.
  • Students approved to declare the Stamps minor as of August 26, 2024 will only be able to use one non-ARTDES studio course to fulfill minor requirements (either at the 200 or 300 level)
  • Students who are approved to declare the Stamps minor as of October 15, 2023 will only be able to elect to use the studios listed above to satisfy the Stamps minor.
  • Students may not elect the pass/​fail grading option for courses included in the minor.
  • A maximum of one course may be shared between the requirements of a minor and a major.
  • A stu­dent must earn an over­all GPA of at least 2.0 in the minor, includ­ing any pre­req­ui­sites nec­es­sary for com­ple­tion of the minor.
  • Students may not add, complete, or declare a minor after graduation.
  • AP/IB test scores in studio art courses cannot be applied to the minor requirements

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact stamps-​minor-​advising@​umich.​edu.