Art History Minor
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Program description
Art history is the study of the human-made world, both past and present. Because images, objects, and the built environment can speak more directly about a culture than its written records, art historians have the chance to analyze societies at their deepest level—including our own highly image-saturated society. Through close, careful study of artworks, images, objects, and sites from across different times, places, and cultures, students in art history acquire a unique understanding of the world and their place within it.
Art history's interdisciplinary curriculum covers not only the fine arts, but also visual and material culture more broadly defined: from paintings and sculpture to architecture and urban design; from films and photographs to ceramics and textiles; from scientific illustration and political posters to performance art and street graffiti. By closely engaging these and other forms of visual expression, students develop crucial skills they can apply in successful careers and meaningful adult lives. These skills include visual literacy, observational precision, evidence-based argumentation, creative analysis, original and independent research, image-based thinking and communication, and clear and persuasive writing in a variety of modes.
Art history prepares students for professional tracks in: visual arts (e.g., art criticism, art appraisal and sales, art therapy, fashion, interior design, museums, and conservation); the humanities (e.g., grant writing, historic preservation, and philanthropy); media and marketing (e.g., advertising, film, journalism, radio, and television); K-12 and post-secondary education (e.g., art instruction, classroom teaching, and administration); information science and collections management (e.g., libraries and archives in public, non-profit, and corporate contexts); and medicine and law. Thanks to their powerful skill set, students of art history also go on to enjoy higher job satisfaction and lower unemployment rates over the course of their working lives than peers in vocational tracks. Whether or not they pursue careers directly related to art historical study, our alumni are proud to have acquired a highly skilled and well-informed way to look at and learn about the visual and material world.
Art history's interdisciplinary curriculum covers not only the fine arts, but also visual and material culture more broadly defined: from paintings and sculpture to architecture and urban design; from films and photographs to ceramics and textiles; from scientific illustration and political posters to performance art and street graffiti. By closely engaging these and other forms of visual expression, students develop crucial skills they can apply in successful careers and meaningful adult lives. These skills include visual literacy, observational precision, evidence-based argumentation, creative analysis, original and independent research, image-based thinking and communication, and clear and persuasive writing in a variety of modes.
Art history prepares students for professional tracks in: visual arts (e.g., art criticism, art appraisal and sales, art therapy, fashion, interior design, museums, and conservation); the humanities (e.g., grant writing, historic preservation, and philanthropy); media and marketing (e.g., advertising, film, journalism, radio, and television); K-12 and post-secondary education (e.g., art instruction, classroom teaching, and administration); information science and collections management (e.g., libraries and archives in public, non-profit, and corporate contexts); and medicine and law. Thanks to their powerful skill set, students of art history also go on to enjoy higher job satisfaction and lower unemployment rates over the course of their working lives than peers in vocational tracks. Whether or not they pursue careers directly related to art historical study, our alumni are proud to have acquired a highly skilled and well-informed way to look at and learn about the visual and material world.
Program last updated
Fall 2026