FASTFACTS
- Every year, PC’s art majors visit places like New York City and Washington, D.C. to study contemporary and classic art.
- Now teaching art history at Greenville’s Fine Arts Center, Rebecca Roth ’09 studied art in Florence, Italy, as a PC undergraduate.
- PC’s art degree hones soft skills like creativity, persuasion and collaboration – LinkedIn employers’ top 3 soft skills of 2019.
- Art alumni have gone on to work at the Jewish Museum in New York City and the Boulder Art Museum.
What You’ll Study When You Concentrate in Art History
The art history program enhances the liberal arts curriculum by intersecting art with other disciplines. Your courses connect a variety of subjects – from chemistry and international studies, to business and general humanities. They also satisfy your general education requirements in the fine arts. Meanwhile, you develop skills like analyzing ideas, researching primary and secondary sources, and writing evidence-based papers in your own voice.
PC’s art history coursework totals 42 hours – including your choice of 18 hours of electives. Interdisciplinary electives include Latin American Art, African American Art, and Gender and Art. In your first two years, you’ll take Survey of Western Art, and Studio Foundations courses in 2D and 3D techniques. Your final two years include courses like Aesthetics and an Art History Seminar that culminates in a senior capstone project. If eligible, you may also conduct an honors project, which earns you marks of distinction on your transcript and diploma.
MORE INFORMATION
- CO = Co-requisite
- POI = Permissions of Instructor
- PR = Pre-requisite
- RE = Recommended
- XL = Cross-listed
CAREER OUTCOMES
The BBC recently cited LinkedIn data that “creativity, persuasion and collaboration” were the soft skills employers wanted most in 2019. This finding flies in the face of claims that liberal arts majors have no job market value.
According to PayScale, those with a bachelor’s degree in art history earn a median salary of $59,000, as of January 2020. Many art majors pursue careers as art directors, project managers and marketing directors.
Art majors and minors from PC have attended notable graduate schools like New York University and Savannah College of Art and Design. PC art alumni now work in related fields like graphic design, teaching and art auctioning. Graduates have gone on to work at the Jewish Museum in New York City and the Boulder Art Museum. Other alumni work in other disciplines like historic preservation, medicine and law. No matter your major, PC’s liberal arts education prepares you with problem-solving, critical thinking and other marketable skills.
CAREER PROFESSIONS
- Museum Administration
- Antiquarian Book Dealer
- Art Authentication
- Historian
- Appraisal: Art and Estate
- Reproductions and Retailing
- Curatorial
- Collections Management
- Archive Management
- Preservation and Conservation
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