Art Specializations

Students who specialize in art education will be prepared to teach art at the elementary and secondary levels. Secondary art education emphasizes discipline-based art education methodologies.

Students studying ceramics at Augustana will graduate with strong technical skills — learning multiple processes of hand building, wheel throwing, mold making and glaze chemistry while studying ceramic history. Courses will explore conceptual development and design processes — creating both utilitarian objects and sculptural works — firing in gas and electric kilns.

Drawing at Augustana is the foundation for all other areas of pursuit in the art major. The specialization foregrounds the interplay of intuition and response as students interact with physical material(s) and the elements and principles of art and design. The drawing program explores traditional and contemporary ideas, approaches and media.

Augustana features two drawing studios with natural lighting. 

Augustana's graphic design specialization offers a diverse curriculum in multimedia and interactive design.

Students work on projects using industry-leading software in state-of-the-art computer labs.

Specializing in painting at Augustana provides a comprehensive survey of relevant ideas, concepts and techniques in painting. By exploring the course of history to contemporary approaches, students will gain a better understanding of how to express their world through paint in a dynamic studio.

The photography specialization at Augustana empowers students to tell compelling visual stories while learning about the ever-expanding field of image making.

With access to professional studios, darkrooms and industry-standard editing tools, students gain hands-on experience in a dynamic creative environment.

The pre-architecture option within the art major provides a strong foundation in visual literacy, design thinking and spatial analysis. Through drawing, model building and digital design, students develop an understanding of how form, light and structure shape the human experience. Guided by faculty and visiting architects, the program combines conceptual exploration and creativity with technical proficiency — preparing graduates for advanced study in professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) programs or related fields, such as landscape architecture, interior architecture, industrial design and urban design. Alumni pursue careers in architectural practice, environmental design, public art and community planning.

Printmaking at Augustana offers students a comprehensive exploration of traditional and contemporary print techniques, including etching, lithography, screen printing, woodcut and more. Emphasizing both technical mastery and creative expression, the program encourages innovation across a broad range of methods and combinations of methods.

Augustana's printmaking studio allows students access — even the university's beginner printmakers — to nearly 50 printmaking stones. The stones, a limited resource, range in size from 10-12 inches to three to four feet.

Students who specialize in sculpture will learn a wide variety of processes, such as modeling clay, mold making, casting, construction/assemblage, woodworking, stained glass and welding. Students are encouraged to be creative with a variety of materials.