Bachelor of Arts in History of Art and Visual Culture

In the History of Art and Visual Culture (HAVC) Department, students study the production, use, form, and reception of visual products and cultural manifestations past and present. Objects of study include paintings, sculptures, and architecture, which are within the traditional purview of art history, as well as art and non-art objects and visual expressions that sit beyond disciplinary boundaries. The HAVC Department offers courses covering a wide variety of material from the cultures of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific Islands, including media as diverse as ritual, performative expression, bodily adornment, landscape, the built environment, installation art, textiles, manuscripts, books, photography, film, video games, apps, websites, and data visualizations.

Learning Experience
HAVC students at UCSC investigate complex questions concerning the social, political, economic, religious, and psychological impact of images from the perspective of their producers, users, and viewers. Visual objects play a central role in the formation of values and beliefs, including the perception of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race, and class. Through attentive historical study and close analysis, students are taught to recognize and assess these systems of value, and are introduced to theoretical and methodological frameworks for future research.

They require all applicants who attend a school in a country where English is not the native language or whose language of instruction in high school secondary school was not English to adequately demonstrate English competency as a part of the application process In most cases if less than three years of your secondary schooling was with English as the language of instruction you must meet UCSCs English proficiency requirement.
Freshmen may demonstrate competency by submitting scores from one of the following tests Please note that TOEFL IELTS or DET exam scores are preferred but the score from ACT English Language Arts or SAT Writing and Language can also be used to demonstrate English language proficiency.
Earn a grade point average GPA of 3.00 or better 3.40 or better for a non-resident of California in these courses with no grade lower than a C.
TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based test iBT or iBT Home Edition Minimum score of 80 or better Paper-delivered test Minimum score of 60 or better.
IELTS International English Language Testing System Overall band score of 6.5 or higher includes IELTS Indicator Exam.
SAT March 2016 or later Writing Language Test 31 or higher.
SAT prior to March 2016 Writing Exam 560 or higher.
ACT combined English Writing or English Language Arts portion 24 or higher.
AP English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition 3 4 or 5.
IB Standard Level examination in English Literature or Language and Literature 6 or 7.
IB Higher Level examination in English Literature or Language and Literature 5 6 or 7.