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From the College of Fine and Applied Arts
The University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts has proposed a new Bachelor of Arts degree in Hip Hop Culture and the Arts. The proposal passed a vote by the UI Board of Trustees on January 15, 2026, and will also be reviewed by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. The News Gazette featured an article highlighting the program and some of the program leaders.
Original article by Jana Weirsema with the News Gazette.
Led by Adam Kruse, associate professor of music education and hip-hop culture, the proposed degree recognizes hip-hop as an art form, but also as “a way of knowing and a way of seeing the world and a way of engaging with other people.” Kruse also serves as director of curriculum for the Dr. William Patterson Hip-Hop Innovation Center.
“Hip-hop can engage with any other kind of discipline,” Kruse said, noting its relevance to fields including engineering, architecture, education, business, therapy, and social work.
According to a memo to the board, the program is designed to “centralize hip-hop as a field for academic inquiry, creative practice, personal expression, community-building, and professional opportunities.” Students will study the foundations and evolution of hip-hop culture, create original artistic work, examine ethical issues, develop digital media skills, and build professional networks.
The degree will draw on existing courses such as beatmaking, DJ’ing, hip-hop history, and cultural studies, while also introducing advanced studies and collaborative studio opportunities. A required course, Hip-Hop Ambassadors, will place students in community-based learning environments inspired by the late Professor William Patterson’s work connecting hip-hop, education, and leadership.
“This is the stuff that people are actually doing today in music,” said Jake Pinholster, dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts. “Every person from every culture should be able to see their path forward in higher education.”
If approved, the program will begin accepting transfer students in fall 2026, with plans to recruit a full freshman cohort in fall 2027. The university currently offers a minor in hip-hop culture and the arts, and the new major builds on years of interdisciplinary work already underway across campus.
Read the full article: “‘A way of seeing the world:’ UI College of FAA purposes a new degree in hip-hop culture and the arts“