Advising Tips
Welcome to the Art History major!
This page includes essential and useful links we hope you'll explore thoroughly. As you do so, keep in mind that the two most important things you can do to ensure that you progress through your degree according to plan are:
1. Meet with your academic advisor every semester.
2. Regularly consult your degree audit in Patriot Web (see How To View Your Degree Audit.
Who is your academic advisor?
Dr. Heidi Gearhart is your art history academic advisor. She can be reached at hgearhar@gmu.edu and information about scheduling an appointment with her can be found on our advising page.
In addition to providing general academic advising, Dr. Gearhart is the Art History undergraduate director. See her for such matters as:
- Major and minor requirements
- Declaration of major or minor in Art History
- Academic Problems (probation, suspension, etc.)
- Study Abroad
- Course substitutions or waivers
- Course Elsewhere requests
- Graduation Approval
A few pointers:
- You need a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 both within your major and overall in order to qualify for graduation.
- ARTH 494: The Museum, your required Apex course (also known as "Synthesis" for some students), is usually offered in the spring term only, not in the fall, so plan accordingly.
- ARTH 494 requires you to have taken two previous 300-level ARTH courses and ENGH 302 (Humanities section).
- ENGH 302–Humanities is also the prerequisite for all ARTH seminars (400-level courses), so take it as soon as you qualify.
- A number of courses meet more than one requirement. For example, certain global art history courses meet the Non-Western and Global Contexts requirements for CHSS and Mason Core.
- HIST 390 is a great alternative to IT 104 for the IT Mason Core requirement.
- To be sure which courses meet a requirement, consult the lists at https://chss.gmu.edu/general-education/all-requirements. Still have questions? Ask your advisor.