Associate of Applied Arts
Gain experience working in a variety of art media or focus on a single area of interest. Learn art history or principles of effective art education. Students interested in digital and film arts should pursue a degree or certificate in that subject area. Complete this program exclusively on weekdays, or in a combination of day, evening and weekend classes.
Students interested in transferring to a university should complete an Associate of Fine Arts degree.
Program/Major Codes: AAAAPPLDARTS/APT
What can I do with this degree?
Career Options: Work as an artist, artist assistant or entry-level art instructor.
Academic Options: While this program was not designed to transfer to a 4-year university, it may apply toward Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) or other programs. See Pima's Transfer Partnerships page.
Program Requirements
General Education Requirements
This section lists general education requirements that are not fulfilled by core or support courses. *
| Credits | ||
| Communication Requirement | 6 | |
| Analysis and Critical Thinking Requirement | 6 | |
| Computer and Information Literacy Requirement | 1-3 | |
| Subtotal | 13-15 | |
Required Core Courses
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| ART 100 | Basic Design | 3 |
| ART 110 | Drawing I [SUN# ART 1111] | 3 |
| ART 115 | Color and Composition | 3 |
| ART 120 | Sculptural Design | 3 |
| ART 130 | Art and Culture: Prehistoric Through Gothic [SUN# ART 1101] |
3 |
| ART 131 | Art and Culture: Late Gothic Through Modern Periods [SUN# ART 1102] |
3 |
| ART/FDC 288 | Portfolio Preparation | 3 |
| Subtotal | 21 | |
Art History and Education
Art Electives: complete 30 credits from any of the following categories
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| ART 105 | Exploring Art and Visual Culture | 3 |
| ART 133 | Art in America | 3 |
| ART 135 | Pre-Columbian Art | 3 |
| ART 136 | Body and Art | 3 |
| ART 230 | History of Photography | 3 |
| ART 250 | Gallery and Museum Practices | 3 |
| ART 296I1 | Independent Study in ART: Art History | 3 |
| Ceramics | ||
| ART 160 | Ceramics I | 3 |
| ART 260 | Ceramics II | 3 |
| ART 261 | Ceramics III | 3 |
| ART 262 | Ceramics IV | 3 |
| ART 296I2 | Independent Study in ART: Ceramics | 3 |
| Digital Arts | ||
| DAR 103 | Introduction to Digital Arts | 3 |
| DAR 120 | Applied Computer Graphics | 4 |
| DAR 122 | DeskTop Publishing: Adobe Illustrator | 4 |
| DAR 146 | Lighting for Photography I | 4 |
| DAR 173 | History of American Cinema | 3 |
| DAR 220 | DeskTop Publishing for Digital Arts: QuarkXpress | 4 |
| DAR 223 | Digital Drawing and Painting | 4 |
| DAR 226 | DeskTop Publishing for Digital Arts: Adobe InDesign | 4 |
| DAR 246 | Lighting for Photography II | 4 |
| Fashion Design | ||
| FDC 110 | Clothing Construction I | 3 |
| FDC 111 | Clothing Construction II | 3 |
| FDC 112 | Alteration and Pattern Fitting | 3 |
| FDC 121 | Flat Pattern Making |
3 |
| FDC 122 | History of Clothing | 3 |
| FDC 123 | Computer Patternmaking I | 3 |
| FDC 126 | Textiles | 3 |
| FDC 131 | Wardrobe and Styling |
3 |
| FDC 132 | Global Fashion and Culture |
3 |
| FDC 135 | Fashion Show/Event Planning | 3 |
| FDC 141 | Introduction to Fashion Design | 3 |
| FDC 142 | Restyling and Alterations | 3 |
| FDC 144 | Fashion Drawing | 3 |
| FDC 211 | Clothing Construction III | 3 |
| FDC 212 | Tailoring: Jackets |
3 |
| FDC 213 | Tailoring: Pants and Shirts | 3 |
| FDC 214 | Bridal and Formal Wear | 3 |
| FDC 221 | Flat Pattern Making II | 3 |
| FDC 223 | Computer Patternmaking II | 3 |
| FDC 224 | Computer Patternmaking III | 3 |
| FDC 241 | Draping I | 3 |
| FDC 242 | Draping II | 3 |
| FDC 245 | Digital Fashion Design | 3 |
| FDC 289 | Fashion Design and Clothing Capstone | 3 |
| Fiber Art | ||
| ART 180 | Weaving I: Four-Harness Loom | 3 |
| ART 181 | Mixed Media Fibers | 3 |
| ART 280 | Weaving II | 3 |
| ART 296I8 | Independent Study in ART: Fibers | 3 |
| Metalwork | ||
| ART 123 | Lost Wax Sculpture Casting | 3 |
| ART 170 | Metalwork I: Jewelry | 3 |
| ART 175 | Ferrous Metalwork: Blacksmithing, Tool Making/Knife Making |
3 |
| ART 270 | Metalwork II: Jewelry | 3 |
| ART 271 | Metalwork II: Smithing and Casting | 3 |
| ART 296I3 | Independent Study in ART: Metals | 3 |
| Painting and Drawing | ||
| ART 106 | Survey of Painting Materials and Techniques | 3 |
| ART 109 | Watercolor Painting | 3 |
| ART 210 | Drawing II | 3 |
| ART 213 | Life Drawing | 3 |
| ART 215 | Painting I | 3 |
| ART 217 | Painting II | 3 |
| ART 296I4 | Independent Study in ART: Painting, Drawing and Design | 3 |
| Photography | ||
| ART 128 | Digital Photography I | 4 |
| ART 140 | Photography I | 3 |
| ART 141 | Photography II | 3 |
| ART 143 | Commercial Photography | 3 |
| ART 146 | Lighting for Photography I | 4 |
| ART 147 | Alternative Processes in Photography | 3 |
| ART 232 | Digital Photography II | 4 |
| ART 233 | Digital Photography III | 4 |
| ART 246 | Lighting for Photography II | 4 |
| ART 296I5 | Independent Study in ART: Photography | 3 |
| Printmaking | ||
| ART 212 | Printmaking I | 3 |
| ART 214 | Printmaking II | 3 |
| ART 216 | Screenprinting I | 3 |
| ART 218 | Screenprinting II | 3 |
| ART 219 | Printmaking III | 3 |
| ART 296I6 | Independent Study in ART: Printmaking | 3 |
| Sculpture/Glass Art | ||
| ART 121 | Figure Sculpture | 3 |
| ART 220 | Sculpture | 3 |
| ART 265 | Furnace Glassblowing I | 3 |
| ART 266 | Furnace Glassblowing II | 3 |
| ART 296I7 | Independent Study in ART: Sculpture | 3 |
| ART 296I9 | Independent Study in ART: Glass | 3 |
| Other | ||
| MKT 139 | Retailing | 3 |
| or BUS 100 | Introduction to Business | |
| MAC 110 | Manual Machine Shop | 4 |
| WLD 120 | Welding for Metal Sculpture | 4 |
| Subtotal | 30 | |
| Total | 64-66 | |
* Other general education requirements are fulfilled by required core and support courses: Humanities and Social Science Requirement - ART 100 and ART 130; Special Requirement - ART 130