¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ

Skip to Main Content

Your Career in Art and Architecture History

Many students pursue art history with a goal of teaching or working in a museum, gallery, auction house, or other institution in which a knowledge of the history of art across cultures and civilizations is required. By that token the Art and Architecture History program is designed to prepare students for these types of careers.

But other students study art history without having these arts- and culture-based goals in mind. This is because the skills acquired through the study of art history prepare students to enter any professional field that requires a workforce that can work independently and in groups; take on projects that require inquisitiveness and intellectual versatility; distill information effectively, persuasively, and efficiently through written and spoken communication; and learn about and acquire broad expertise in order to expand knowledge and forge new pathways for innovative solutions to complex problems. In other words, students of art history, as all fields in the humanities, acquire skills that are suitable for a far wider range of professional tasks than just those that require knowledge of the content of art history.

¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ Art History Alumni Careers Panel

Possible fields that do involve arts and culture, and thus utilize both the content and skills acquired through art history, include:

 

Museums and Galleries

Administration
Curatorial
Conservation
Restoration
Registrar
Collections Management
Exhibition Design/Preparation
Archive Management
Education
Tours
Sales
Publications
Development
Public Relation

Education

Museum Educator
University Professor and Scholar

Administrative

Art Advisor-Private Collection Consulting
Digital Image Specialist
Library and Information Science
Publishing-Editing

Graduate Programs

Recent graduates of the program in Art and Architecture History at ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ have enrolled in graduate programs in art history and related fields at such institutions as:

Art Institute of Chicago
Case Western Reserve University
Harvard University
Indiana University
New York University
University of Delaware
University of Oregon
University of Pittsburgh
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Many others have gone on to law school, medical school, and other professional programs.

Employment

Recent art history alumni have found employment at:

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Columbus, OH
The Frick, Pittsburgh, PA
Gagosian Gallery, New York
Google, Ann Arbor, MI
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
PS1, New York
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, OH

Many others have gone on to positions in a wide array of industries outside of the arts.

    Studying art history at ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ helped me gain practical experience that I use every day as I forge a path in the museum world. Working with professors who are passionate about their areas of expertise and learning with hands-on instruction inspired me to think about how art impacts our lives beyond the context of the gallery. I’m so grateful for the research skills I gained at ¾Ã¾ÃË®ÃÛÌÒ because they helped me land the position where I am today.

    Lydia Jasper, Class of 2020

    Curatorial Assistant at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Mississippi

Contact Us

Department of Art
124 Art Building
Oxford, OH 45056
513-529-2900