Art History Major: Career Opportunities

Active participation in your own learning is the best indicator of your career commitment. Many of our students have embraced art history in their educational lives by involving themselves in events outside the classroom. For example, we can help you find local internships as well as those nationwide at institutions such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Advanced research can be presented in public forums such as campus colloquia and national conferences. Indeed, specialized, funded research at research institutes here and abroad will bring a rewarding dimension to your degree program. Some activities of this type are, strictly speaking, awards earned through competition. We would be delighted to discuss possible endeavors that stimulate your art history study.

The emphasis on an advanced degree for professorial or curatorial positions has led some of our students with a BA in Art History to pursue graduate study at institutions such as New York University, Northwestern University, University of Texas at Austin, and Cornell University. Some of our MA students have gone on to PhD programs at Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University. Selected students have been accepted overseas at places such as the University of Tübingen, Syracuse University Florence Center, and the Universiteit van Utrecht.

With your degree in Art History, you will be well suited to a career in either the public or private sector. The discipline is valued for its humanistic focus on cultural/historical awareness, critical thought, and communication skills. Your preparation in visual analysis and interpretation will certainly be appealing to museums, art galleries, libraries, historical societies, arts councils, publishers, auction houses, and educational facilities. You can also take your knowledge and skills into a marketplace that seeks expertise in relating ideas and values to visual images. You should be open to the many exciting possibilities in the areas of business, medicine, law, and communications.

Opportunities for job placement may be explored at Career Services (350 SSB; 801-581-6186). See also the stimulating list of career choices for art historians.