Art History Degrees
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Salaries For Degrees in Art History
People with a degree in Art History can work in a variety of jobs. It is impossible to say what you personally will do with a degree in Art History, our survey panel picked the following jobs as likely options:
- Curators
- Art directors (Best salary!)
Salaries are highly dependent on how skilled one is at negotiation, experience, your employer, region, and more besides. The estimates we show on these pages are just that: estimates. Your individual experience will likely vary.
Where does this come from?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a unit of the US government, classifies all workers into some 800-odd occupational categories. We paid a team of freelancers to solicit their view on what type of degree a holder of each type of job would likely have majored in. For pairs which had a high degree of consensus, we created a link between the degree and the job.
From this, we calculated the average salary for Art History degrees and converted it into a lifetime value. We then compared it against other degrees at the same level of schooling (such as associate's, bachelor's, or master's), so that you can make informed educational and employment decisions.
What Do Art History Students Learn?
For the budding Art Major, there are many questions to answer with regard to the focus of their degree. Are they planning to showcase their own works of art in galleries and museums some day or will they become a privately commissioned artists, working only for the wealthy and elite? Would a career of cataloging and collecting artwork for museums be more of their tastes? What of teaching the history and techniques of art throughout mankind’s existence? All of these questions and their answers will lead the student to the specific area of art in which they should obtain a degree.
For those who are interested in the history of art and its evolution throughout mankind’s existence, a degree in Art History would greatly aid the student in procuring a job within the art field that relates to their major. A degree in Art History will require several general studies in other fields, such as English, Math, and Science. These classes basically consist of a general knowledge of the use of these subjects. For example, for English, the student will most likely be required to take two semesters of English, commonly known as English 101 and 102. If the student is very confident in their English skills, they can attempt an English Honor’s course, but that will move much faster and require much more attention to detail than the regular English classes. Should the student in question be learning English as they are pursuing their degree, English as a Second Language classes, commonly referred to as English 107 and 108 would be the classes for them. They will be able to receive the basic knowledge of the English language and be able to put those concepts into practice while writing their papers. Other general knowledge classes are mathematical and sciences.
The basics math course is a general overview of what the art student may need in their career. It should cover concepts of decimals, multiplication and division, along with come calculus and trigonometry. It is usually viewed as a review and extension upon a high school higher level math class.
There is also the general knowledge class for science that must be met. These classes consist of a behavioral or social science, like psychology, a quantitative natural science and a general natural science course. This degree may require one, two, or three of these courses, so speaking with an advisor at the university is the best way to fulfill these requirements.
After the general knowledge courses are satisfied, there will be the remaining bulk of the degree to finish. As with all the courses and classes, this may vary from university to university, so inquire about the necessary classes before signing up for them.
The remainder of the courses needed for the degree will be actual art courses and art history courses. The student will be expected to draw, paint, and craft pictures and sculptures from their own imaginations. They will also be required to intelligently discuss the history or art as it relates to mankind’s evolution and refinement of sophistication throughout the centuries. They should be able to identify all eras of art, form the cave drawings of prehistoric to the modern art of today. Being able to identify well known pieces, like Michelangelo’s “David” or the “Mona Lisa” by Da Vinci and discuss them in detail is also something that an art history student should be apt at doing.
Discussing the differences between Western art and Eastern art, specifically Chinese and Japanese arts is also very important, even in modern day art, as the Japanese Anime cartoons have become a pop culture icon. The art history student should expect to have many upper division courses that pertain to the history of ancient civilization art, which may predate the Roman and Greek artists that are typically studied.
Most Bachelor’s degrees will require a minimum of 120 credit hours to fulfill this degree. The upper division hours should at least be 45 hours. For the student who is looking for an economically friendly way to obtain this degree without having to sell off everything they own, taking many lower division courses at a community college, then transferring to the university of their choice is often a wise decision. Many universities will allow community college credits, up to 64, to be transferred for the Bachelor’s degree.
Online Schools Offering Accredited Art History Degree Programs
Because there are many online schools which offer degrees in Art, knowing where to look can often help eliminate the confusion of the difference between an art history degree and an art education degree. Any university which hosts classes online should be able to provide the future art historian with information about their degrees and whether they have exactly what the student is looking for.
A great place to start is the University of Phoenix. They have been an online community for quite some time and offer degrees online without ever having to set foot into a classroom. American Intercontinental University is also another great online university which may offer the degree that an art history student is seeking. Kaplan University is also another online school worth checking out.
The major difference between these universities is the definition of an “Art History” degree, so use caution when choosing a school and choose the one that finds the requirements that the student has.
Campus-based Colleges & Universities Offering Art History Degrees
For the student who is seeking a more traditional means of education, in other words a dorm room and classes on campus, there are 5 highly ranked art universities which an art history major can obtain a great degree from.
The first is Maryland Institute College of Art. This school has campus visits from David Byrne, Ishmael Reed, Odd Nerdrum, Barry Levinson, and Ben Katchor. It holds accreditations from Middle State Associate of College and Schools commission on Higher Education and also from National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
The second school to look in to is Rhode Island School of Design. It has had visits from James Rosenquist, Alexander Isley, and Joyce Scott. It is accredited by many different associations and had the greatest reputation of any other art university.
The third school is the Cleveland Institute of Art. This university has seen many artists including Elizabeth Murray, Joyce Scott, Dale Chihuly, Sam Gilliam, Mark Olishy, and Moe Brooker. It holds 4 distinct accreditations from different association including the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
Kansas City Art Institute is the fourth university to consider. This is the university of Walt Disney and Robert Rauschenberg. It has been visited by Marilyn Stokstad and Chip Kidd. It also holds several accreditations.
Fifth is the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This university boasts many famous artists which include Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O’Keefe, Elizabeth Murray, and Hugh Hefner. It also enjoys visits from Jim Elkins, Enzo Mari, and Vito Acconci. It holds four distinct accreditations, one of which is the Art therapy program that it hosts.
Famous Students of Art History
Some famous people who hold Bachelors in Art History are Ms. Ali MacGraw who is an actress on both the small and large screens, appearing in “Love Story” and “Dynasty”. Ms. Julianna Margulies, of the television show “ER” also holds this degree.
