Art & Design
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Art, Architecture & Design

  • Earn both a bachelor's and master's degree in five years!

    Architecture
  • Develop your skills in an environment of possibilities.

    Art Education
  • Pursue a career in areas such as painting, sculpture, pottery or illustration.

    Fine Art
  • Our studio courses explore identity design, branding, motion design and more.

    Graphic Design
  • Get started on a career path to residential, commercial, specialty design and more.

    Interior Design

We rely on personable and skilled faculty who are dedicated to providing a solid training in art and design with a Christian perspective. Join talented students from all over the world in an environment that thrives on creativity. With the hours our students often spend working together in the studio, they will grow close to their classmates and have the opportunity to form friendships, make memories and build a prestigious portfolio. Our students graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to become successful artists or designers in the profession of their choosing.

We offer a selection of specific majors that focus on painting, three-dimensional work, graphic design, architecture, interior design, and art education. In areas where we do not offer a specific degree, you have the flexibility to build a portfolio that targets many other niches in the art market, such as art therapy, illustration, art history, drawing, printmaking and photography.

Whether students intend to pursue graduate school or begin their career right away, Harding’s Department of Art & Design will prepare them for the next step.

Our Mission

The mission of the Department of Art & Design is to produce graduates who are knowledgeable, creative, thoughtful, and engaged professionals deeply rooted in Christian values. We carry out this mission as a dedicated, student-focused faculty who mentor students with a Christ-centered approach. We foster excellence in creative expression, scholarship, and visual design. We equip students with cultural awareness and empower them to respectfully engage society and serve the needs of their communities.

  • Christ-like: Foster within students a global perspective of art and design excellence defined by compassionate, Christ-like service to others.
  • Knowledgeable: Promote within the academic setting, lifelong intellectual growth through the pursuit of progressive, innovative and sustainable understanding of art, design, technology, information and research.
  • Creative: Inspire and provide a culture of creativity and critically diverse thinking grounded in the framework of fine arts, pure design and applied design principles.
  • Professional: Mentor and infuse Christ-like professional behavior in art and design practices and procedures, ethics and integrity, business relationships and work excellence.
  • Engaged: Stimulate a passion for the visual arts and design professions through active engagement in professional communities and relationships, and exposure to art and design diversity.

Our Story

The department's two degree undergraduate programs, the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), incorporate more than 60 art courses and four majors, as well as teacher licensure. Areas of interest include art education, graphic design, interior design, and the visual arts.

The department has recently added two new degrees, the Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies and a Master's of Architecture. The combination of these degrees creates an accelerated Master's program that can be completed in five years.

The Mildred Taylor Stevens Art Center is centrally located on campus and houses gallery spaces, a computer lab, two graphic design studios, two painting studios, pottery and printmaking studios, drawing and two-dimensional design studios, a woodworking and metal shop, and faculty studios. The Interior Architecture and Design program is located next door on the first and third floors of the Olen Hendrix building. Future space is being planned to accommodate the architecture program.

The galleries serve as the centerpiece of the department. Displaying student and faculty work, touring exhibits and the university's permanent art collection, the format of the galleries is consistent with that in many major metropolitan areas. The center has allowed the art and design department to remain competitive, attracting majors from across the country and around the world.

Scholarships

The Harding University Department of Art & Design has new student scholarships that range from $600-$1,000 per year. Students must meet the criteria listed below to be eligible for one of the scholarships. The scholarship could be awarded up to four semesters if the student continues to meet the GPA requirement. A GPA of 3.0 in Art & Design courses must be maintained to continue the scholarship. All students with the required GPA may then apply for a scholarship Sophomore year that would apply for junior and senior year. All criteria in one PDF file must be received by the art office by the first Friday in April. Email the PDF file to pwhite@harding.edu.

Scholarship Criteria

  1. Declared art & design major at Harding University.
  2. Completed scholarship application.
  3. Copy of high school or college transcript.
  4. Letter of intent. “Why are you applying for this scholarship?”
  5. Contact information for two references (at least one teacher). 
  6. Digital portfolio of work. See tips listed below.

Portfolio Contents

  1. High quality digital images of recent work in one PDF file.
  2. Minimum 10 works / maximum 20 works. Quality over quantity is suggested.
  3. Provide title of the piece, medium, size of the artwork, and the date of completion.
  4. Images should be captured in high resolution with good lighting. Use a photo editing app or software to edit cropping, lighting and alignment.
  5. All work to be considered for the portfolio needs to be presented digitally.

For more information and specific details on fine art, graphic design and interior design portfolio submissions, view the application document. If you send your portfolio by mail, please wrap it securely in a reusable carton. We will either return it to you by mail, or if you desire, we will hold it for you to pick up.

If we can be of any assistance to you, please let us know. Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Contact Us

Art & Design Department is part of the College of Arts & Sciences

501-279-4426

art@harding.edu