The Associate in Arts in Art is designed to provide students with a comprehensive foundation in drawing, painting, design, digital art, and art history. Students acquire the necessary skills and experience to demonstrate an extensive understanding of materials, technique, philosophy, and aesthetics in the creative process.

The Associate in Arts in Art History for Transfer (AA-T in Art History) provides a clear pathway to a CSU institution for students who plan to transfer and complete a CSU major or baccalaureate degree in Art History. California Community College students who are awarded an Associate in Arts in Art History for Transfer (AA-T in Art History) are guaranteed admission with junior standing somewhere in the CSU system and given priority admission consideration to their local CSU institution or to a program that is deemed similar to their community college major. The Associate in Arts in Art History for Transfer provides students with the basics of art historical analysis, and completion of the program enhances students’ reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.

The Associate in Arts in Art History for Transfer Degree is designed for students planning to transfer into the art history major at CSU. Students who study art history will explore the relationship between art and architecture, artists and aesthetics, and the cultural and social context in which the art was made. The AA-T in Art History provides students with a strong foundation in the terminology and principles of the visual arts, a cross-cultural examination of historical and contemporary art, and an introduction to the techniques and media of drawing. Students who successfully complete the AA-T in Art History earn specific guarantees for transfer to the CSU system: admission to a CSU with junior status and priority admission to a CSU campus and to a program or major in art history or a similar major.

The Associate in Arts in Studio Arts for Transfer (AA-T in Studio Arts) provides a clear pathway to a CSU institution for students who plan to transfer and complete a CSU major or baccalaureate degree in Studio Arts. California Community College students who are awarded an Associate in Arts in Studio Arts for Transfer (AA-T in Studio Arts) are guaranteed admission with junior standing somewhere in the CSU system and given priority admission consideration to their local CSU institution or to a program that is deemed similar to their community college major. This priority does not guarantee admission to specific majors or institutions. The combination of a liberal arts background with studio arts proficiency skills and practical experience will help students investigate and integrate their knowledge and perspectives in a modern, technologically changing world and will give them the background needed for careers in the visual arts, design, and related fields. Students who complete this program successfully will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the formal principles and elements of art making. Students will learn skills through tools, techniques, theoretical and historical aspects of visual art, culture, and critical analysis.

Humanities, Philosophy, and Arts examine human values and experience within a wide range of cultures across the globe and over the course of history. Students will study, interpret, and evaluate classic works in architecture, art, literature, music, philosophy, religion, rhetoric, and the theater, and they will encounter questions to which there are multiple plausible answers. The study of language, philosophy, and rhetoric provides crucial tools for understanding and interpreting human knowledge and experience. Students pursuing the program in the Humanities, Philosophy, and Arts will enhance their skills in critical thinking and both oral and written communication. The Humanities, Philosophy, and Arts program prepares students for further study in the arts, history, humanities, literature, philosophy, communication studies, and/or world languages at a four-year baccalaureate institution and provides an excellent foundation for students interested in administration, communications, law, public service, and teaching.

Students pursuing an Associate of Arts degree or Associate of Science degree with less than 12 completed college-level hours will be required to take and complete EDUC 1300, a first-year general elective course that will contribute to student success by addressing factors that impact learning in college, including research and theory in learning; strategies to monitor, regulate and control cognition, motivation, and behavior; and the ability to think ethically and critically.

The Art program is a skills-based curriculum that satisfies humanities distribution requirements, elective requirements, and foundation work required for most four-year art degrees. In each course, you will learn the principles of art and the historical context of the discipline.

The Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree program is designed for students who have achieved a high school diploma or equivalent and want to advance in their current careers, start new careers, or lay a foundation for their future education. An A.A. degree is one of the most common types of two-year degree programs. It offers a strong foundation of general education courses in subjects like writing, humanities, and social science.

History is the disciplined study of the human past. Santa Barbara City College offers a varied and integrated curriculum in history. The History Department provides the opportunity to pursue creative, critical, and analytical historical thought rigorously. Central to the liberal arts, history supplies a solid foundation for business, legal studies, and education, as well as graduate study.

The major in Art History has been planned to give students an overview of the History of Art. A broad range of courses is offered in both the Art of the Western and Non-Western World. After fulfilling basic core requirements, students may shape their major, through their choice of electives, to specialize in one of these areas, according to their interest. Students are encouraged to take courses in studio art as well as related courses in the History department, to broaden their understanding of the conceptual, historical and technical bases of art history. Upon graduation from Santa Barbara City College with an art history major, students should be prepared to enter the third year of a major in the field at a four year college or university.

The Theatre Arts Department at Santa Barbara City College offers a variety of programs of study and experience suited to the needs of serious theatre students, as well as those students who wish to include theatre arts as part of their liberal arts education. With curricula in Acting/Directing, Design/Lighting, Costuming, and Technical Production, the program provides an intensive two-year course of study that prepares Theatre Arts majors for transfer to a four-year college or university ready to do advanced, upper-division work.

Students interested in art, either as a vocation or as an avocation, have an outstanding opportunity to prepare themselves for this field under the guidance of the Santa Barbara City College art faculty. All instructors are professional artists who exhibit on a national and international basis. The department has planned an art curriculum to prepare students in their primary field of interest, plus a range of disciplines and fundamentals important to artistic development. The department offers courses in drawing, design, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking and art history to give the student maximum background and training either for transfer to another institution or to proceed independently after leaving SBCC.

The field of art history covers a wide range of topics. The major in Art History has been planned to give students an overview of the History of Art. A broad range of courses is offered in both the Art of the Western and Non-Western World. This major is designed to give students exposure to basic information in the discipline and provide the opportunity to focus on the areas that best suit their individual needs. Students should consult with a departmental adviser and/or counselor when choosing both controlled and general electives in order to develop a program of study that is best suited to their specific needs. For example, requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree in Art History vary from one institution to another. It is, therefore, essential to become familiar with the requirements of the institution a student plans to attend.

The field of studio art covers a wide range of topics. The department offers courses in drawing, design, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, and art history. This major is designed to give students exposure to basic information in the discipline and provide the opportunity to focus on the areas that best suit their individual needs. Students should consult with a departmental adviser and/or counselor when choosing both controlled and general electives to develop a program of study that is best suited to their specific needs. For example, requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree in Studio Arts vary from one institution to another. It is, therefore, essential to become familiar with the requirements of the institution a student plans to attend.

The Associate in Arts in Art History for Transfer Degree offers a core foundation for the study of art history across cultures and eras.