female art student

Arts Programs

Find Your Passion & Create What You Love
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FLEXIBLE FORMATS

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AFFORDABLE TUITION

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SMALL CLASSES


The Spring 2024 Semester Starts January 8, 2024

We’re now accepting applications for the Spring 2024 semester!

Want to learn more about Athens State University’s transfer-friendly Arts Programs?
Fill out the form below, and an admissions representative will reach out to you with more information.


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    About Our Arts Program

    An art degree from Athens State University can help turn your creative passion into a rewarding career. With classes offered at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur, Alabama, our supportive faculty are dedicated to providing expert instruction and hands-on training to develop the skills you need to create your career and excel in the arts industry.

    Program Options

    Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)

    The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program provides a studio-based education in visual art and design, with concentrations available in ceramics, graphic design, painting & drawing, and multimedia design. BFA students will complete an extensive practicum during their senior year designed to prepare them for employment, commissions, studio practice, graduate school applications, and other career opportunities.

    Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Minor in Education

    Interested in teaching art? An art degree with a minor in Education will equip you with methods for classroom instruction to help you excel as an art teacher for elementary and secondary school students, while providing the foundation for a career in higher education. Along with introductory courses in teaching and education, students will take courses focused on art education, providing a well-rounded view of art and the instructional methods to meet learning goals.

    Drama & Theatre Arts

    Students seeking a degree in Drama & Theatre Arts will acquire various fundamental performance and production techniques while completing one of three concentrations – musical theatre, theatre design and technology, or theatre general studies. Drama & Theatre Arts majors are also desirable employee candidates in a variety of areas such as acting, directing, writing, producing, managing, designing, set construction, teaching, community activism, and art center management.


    Why Choose Athens State for Your Art Degree?

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    With classes offered at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur, Alabama, our supportive faculty are dedicated to providing expert instruction and hands-on training to develop the skills you need to create your career and excel in the arts industry.

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    Specialized training and experience provided in an art degree program have become an industry standard and a highly sought-after degree.

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    As the university with the lowest cost of attendance of all public, state institutions in Alabama, Athens State provides you the best value for your investment.


    “I’ve always been a creative person, a creative kid. I used to think that I wanted to build jets one day and become an engineer. But after falling in love with playing the guitar and with art, I realized that I didn’t want to do something to cause me to put it down.”

    Chris W.

    Art, ’15


    About Athens State University

    Athens State University, the oldest continuously operating higher-education institution in Alabama, is an upper-division university that meets the needs of students often left underserved in other learning environments. We exclusively serve transfer students – whether they’re returning adult learners or younger undergraduate transfers – and provide them with career-focused education that will prepare them to enter the workforce. Our faculty members are uniquely attentive to the needs of both students and employers, and they develop curricula to serve each group equally. Students graduate from Athens State with the confidence to seize control of their careers and find success in their professional endeavors.