Experiential Learning Opportunities

PLATFORM Social Design Lab, part of the MA in Art & Design for Social Impact, provides graduate and undergraduate students in the areas of graphic design and emerging practices with real-world learning opportunities in civic engagement.

Coalesce: Center for Biological Arts is a hybrid studio-laboratory facility dedicated to enabling hands-on creative engagement with the tools and technologies of the life sciences.

Students interested in study abroad have the opportunity to participate in numerous art-oriented programs around the globe. The Art History Program encourages majors to consider a junior year study abroad program. 

Interested students should make inquiries with:

Study Abroad Advisor  
201 Talbert Hall 
(716) 645-2258.

For further information visit UB Study Abroad.

The Department of Art faculty have created opportunities for UB students to experience international academic exchange and study abroad. One example is the exchange program with the Academy of Arts and Design of Tshinghua University in Beijing, China. 

The exchange between UB’s Department of Art and Tsinghua's Academy of Arts and Design has grown into a full collaborative effort between the two institutions, resulting in the opportunity for Art MFA graduate students to work closely with their Chinese counterparts at Tsinghua. UB MFA students have the opportunity to travel to Beijing for residencies, collaborative work, and exhibitions in both countries.

Semester-long internships are available with prominent design and art studios in New York City and elsewhere; arranged through the Department of Art. Advanced students in all BA or BFA concentrations may also enroll locally in an internship course to gain practical experience. Placement is made in conjunction with faculty and includes design firms; commercial photographers; established art institutions or alternative art spaces. Internships are frequently available to Art History majors and minors at such local museums and galleries as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Anderson Art Gallery, BICA, Burchfield Penney Art Center, the Castellani Art Museum, the Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Art (CEPA), the CFA Art Gallery, and Hallwalls. While internships may not be used to fulfill distribution requirements, they may be taken for credit.

With the approval of a faculty sponsor, students may sign up for a 3-credit independent study to pursue an issue or topic emerging from their coursework in art history. An independent study may not be used as a substitute for required courses.

The Student Visual Art Organization is an organization for undergraduate Art students interested in activities such as: organizing special exhibits and events, open figure drawing sessions, and trips to museums and galleries.