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Department of Art. — The establishment of separate departments in architecture and art in 1954 signified the extent to which these disciplines developed along individual and increasingly complex lines. The Bachelor of Design degree, established in the mid-30s, signified the combination of traditional "fine arts" education with then relatively new concepts of basic design which were deemed common to all disciplines taught in the College. Still unusual in 1940, similar programs became widespread in major United States art schools after World War II, although rarely in conjunction with the academic resources available at Michigan.
The degree titles underwent change. By 1959 the commonly recognized Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts were adopted. The design degree was phased out by 1973 although the design curriculum remained a vital constituent of the art program.
A departmental organization based on a chairman, with effective standing committees, proved to be sound. In the new School of Art a version of this structure continues to be used. Robert Iglehart was appointed the first chairman of the Department of Art in 1955. He clearly stated that the primary object of the department was to offer professional education in the various art areas — painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, advertising design, industrial design, interior design, and photography.
In the period following World War II a college education was regarded as an essential qualification for usefulness in the design professions and the fine arts in general. Serious attention was given to photography, cinematography, and television as art forms as well as elements of the exploding graphic design industry.
In 1954 the program in art education was established to serve the needs of the elementary certification program of the School of Education and to provide the specialized requirements of secondary school certification in art. By predicating high school certification on completion of the bachelor degree requirements in art, as well as state education obligations, the University produced well-qualified artist-teachers.
Since the middle 1930s, three design disciplines — industrial design, interior design, and advertising design — have been taught at Michigan. The scope of advertising design in recent times has been acknowledged by adoption