School of the Arts

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Administration

Joseph H. Hopkins, Dean; Professor, Music
Larry D. Thompson, Associate Dean, Division of Art and Design; Professor, Art

History

Since the earliest years of the University’s history, music and the dramatic arts have been a vital part of campus life. The college Glee Club sang at commencements, and seniors and dramatic arts students performed in campus productions during the school year. The Masquers Club, organized in 1933, invited all students to be a part of their dramatic productions. Within five years, the popularity of The Masquers Club increased to such a degree that their productions were limited to drama students only. Throughout the state, Howard College dramatic productions were well recognized, and that recognition continues to the present.

In 1948, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved the establishment of the Department of Music  to offer the bachelor of music degree. Prior to that time, music was taught on campus by professional musicians from a local music school through a cooperative agreement, but a bachelor’s degree was not offered. By 1952, the music curriculum was so successful that more teaching space was required to accommodate the demand for music courses. In 1970, the department was elevated to School status.

In 2001, dramatic arts, known as the Theatre Department , moved to the School of Music, and the school was renamed the School of Performing Arts with a Division of Music  and a Department of Theatre . A new major, musical theatre, was introduced, in both the music division and the theatre department. In 2008, the Department of Art  formally joined the school, which was renamed the School of the Arts .

In 2009, the theatre department was renamed the Department of Theatre and Dance , to recognize the expanded focus of the department. That same year, a new bachelor of fine arts in musical theatre was introduced.

In 2011, the Department of Interior Design formally joined the school and was renamed the Department of Interior Architecture , offering a bachelor of fine arts in interior design as well as a concentration in pre-architecture. In 2014, the Department of Art  and the Department of Interior Architecture  were joined together as the Division of Visual Arts.

The Center for Worship and the Arts was established in 2013 to equip congregations to engage intergenerational and artistic worship practices that glorify God, honor Christ, and join the transformative work of the spirit in the world.  Housed in the School of the Arts, the Center offers unique on-line resources and on-campus programming for student worship leaders and their mentors. 

In 2014, the University established the Academy of the Arts by joining existing programs in Preparatory Music and Samford After Sundown to offer non-credit classes, studio lessons, and certificates in the arts for all ages throughout the year.

In 2017, the School of the Arts launched the Catalyst Program. This included creating 13-credit hours of new SOA course work designed to propel students into their artistic careers by fostering creative and entrepreneurial thinking, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and a greater understanding of the intersection between the arts and their faith.

Samford introduced an interdisciplinary Christian ministry degree in the fall of 2018 designed to equip committed students from across the Samford campus for the work of ministry and missions through a biblically-grounded, missionally-focused curriculum. The new Department of Christian Ministry also houses the Ministry Training Institute, a non-degree program with a long history at Samford that offers theological training to church communities throughout the Southeast.

Departments and Program Offerings