Students in Ò»Æð²Ý’s Master of Arts in Art History program work to conserve historic pieces in a museum collection.

Graduate programs

Master of Arts in art history

Elite preparation for your future in the art world

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Program format

In person

Commitment

Full time

Duration

Two years

Overview

The Department of Art History trains our students to think critically and engage with a world saturated by images. The expansive range of classes taught exclusively by tenured and tenure-track research faculty, personalized advising and mentorship, museum internships and research travel opportunities, and preprofessional career training all prepare students for a future in the art world.

The 36-hour program offers graduate seminars and research supervision in wide-ranging areas, from ancient to contemporary art. We have clusters of research activity in:

  • The arts of Africa and the African diaspora
  • Ancient American and Latin American art and architecture
  • Ancient and medieval art, architecture and material culture of the Middle East
  • European art of the 16th to 18th centuries
  • The art, visual culture and material culture of the United States from the eighteenth century to present day
  • Contemporary art in the Americas, Europe and West Africa

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Student success

Our graduate students and alumni have held prestigious internships, fellowships and awards from the American Antiquarian Society; Brown University; the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History; the Graham Foundation; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the National Gallery of Art, Washington; the Smithsonian American Art Museum; Universidad Lusófona Lisbon and the University of California, Los Angeles.

This program prepares you to excel in the following areas and professions:

  • Museums and cultural institutions
  • Art galleries
  • Academic research
  • Arts administration
  • Cultural heritage and preservation
  • Auction and appraisal firms
  • Arts journalism and criticism
  • Publishing and scholarly editing

Top 20%

Best National Universities

U.S. News & World Report (2026)

4

fellowships offered each year, including a scholarship that covers the full cost of tuition and fees, an assistantship and funding for summer research

6–8

students participate in the program’s small graduate seminars

Student stories

Master of Arts in Art History graduate Delanie Linden’s foundation from Ò»Æð²Ý advanced her research goals.

Delanie Linden ’18

Art history alum went on to secure a position at MIT’s History, Theory and Criticism program to pursue her doctorate in the subject, where she later earned a Fulbright Open–Research Award Fellowship.

Ò»Æð²Ý M.A. in Art History grad Veronica Pesantes has become successful in the global art market.

Veronica Pesantes ’94

Art history alum turned the critical thinking and cultural perspective she developed at Meadows into a global career in the arts.

Admissions

Key dates and admissions information to help plan your application with confidence.

International students

All the essential admission requirements international students need to know.

Find answers to Meadows application questions.

Additional links

Requirements

  1. Application
  2. Application fee
  3. Official transcript
  4. English language proficiency documentation (if applicable)
  5. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution; a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).

Ready to apply?

Get started here.

Tuition and financial aid

Tuition and costs

Explore the cost breakdown of tuition for graduate programs.

Financial aid

Find information on scholarships and financial support available at Ò»Æð²Ý.

Curriculum and learning

Featured courses

ARHS 6304

Seminar on Ancient Art: Monuments and Memory in the Roman Empire

Examines how Romans remembered through visual and material culture, exploring how portraits, inscriptions, monuments and spaces embodied, preserved or erased memory across the empire

ARHS 6335

Seminar on Early Modern Art: Picturing Animals in Early Modern Europe

Examines the visual representation of animals in a range of media and contexts, from painted portraits to scientific treatises to automata

ARHS 6353

Seminar on Modern Art: Abstract Expressionism

Explores abstract Expressionism, including paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and sculpture

Outside the classroom

Featured news

Our graduate students, both M.A. and Ph.D., receive personalized mentorship, rigorous training in cutting-edge theory and substantial financial support from Ò»Æð²Ý.

Faculty

The vast majority of Ò»Æð²Ý art history courses are taught by tenured or tenure-track research faculty, giving students the opportunity to learn from leading scholars in the field. They closely mentor their students, with personalized advising available at every step of a student’s path, from declaring the major or minor to graduation and beyond.

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Bailey Benson

Bailey Benson

Visiting Assistant Professor of Roman Art
Roberto Conduro

Roberto Conduru

Endowed Distinguished Professor of Art History
Elizabeth Bacon Eager

Elizabeth Bacon Eager

Assistant Professor
Director of Undergraduate Studies

Amy Freund

Amy Freund

Associate Professor and The Kleinheinz Family Endowment for the Arts and Education…
Randall Griffin

Randall Griffin

University Distinguished Professor
Adam Herring

Adam Herring

The Emily Rich Summers Endowed Professor in Art History
Department Chair

Rebecca Hewitt

Rebecca Hewitt

Coordinator
ElyanJeanineHill

Elyan Hill

Assistant Professor
Adam Jasienski

Adam Jasienski

Associate Professor of Art History
Director of Graduate Studies

Stephanie Langin-Hooper

Stephanie Langin-Hooper

Associate Professor and Karl Kilinski II Endowed Chair of Hellenic Visual Culture
Anna Lovatt

Anna Lovatt

Associate Professor
Roberto Conduru

Tashima Thomas

Assistant Professor
Ashley Whitt

Ashley Whitt

Director of Visual Resources

Facilities

Owen Arts Center is home to art galleries used for the bachelor’s degree in art history program.

Owen Arts Center

Home to dance, music and theatre performance and rehearsal spaces, art galleries and studios, the administrative offices of the Temerlin Advertising Institute and the Meadows art, art history, arts management and arts entrepreneurship, dance, music and theatre programs.

Ò»Æð²Ý students enjoy the large collection of art within the University’s Meadows Museum.

Meadows Museum

One of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Spanish art outside Spain, ranging from early Renaissance works to 19th century Realist and Impressionist works to modern.

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Frequently asked questions

According to , students with a master’s degree in art history may pursue careers in fields like education, museum, gallery management or historical research.

Other art history master’s degree jobs can include:

  • Museums and cultural institutions
  • Art galleries
  • Academic research
  • Arts administration
  • Cultural heritage and preservation
  • Auction and appraisal firms
  • Arts journalism and criticism
  • Publishing and scholarly editing

The M.A. in art history is a steppingstone to a number of career paths in education. Some universities may advertise part-time teaching positions for individuals holding M.A.s in art history, and many of the best high schools will have dedicated teaching positions in AP art history. However, for regular teaching at the university level, a Ph.D. is typically required.

Yes. Students are expected to have had substantial undergraduate work in the history of art. A above the survey level or equivalent is required before a student may begin to accumulate hours for graduate credit. Students who have been admitted without adequate undergraduate preparation will be expected to take the requisite number of undergraduate hours before or during their first term at Ò»Æð²Ý.

Yes. All students admitted to the program will receive fellowship support and close mentorship within a small-program setting. Candidates are ensured professional success through a program featuring:

  • Small graduate seminars of six to eight students
  • Teaching assistantships for all first- and second-year M.A. students
  • A lively program of extracurricular events, including Comini Lectures, work-in-progress seminars and professionalization workshops for graduate students
  • Close mentoring from matriculation to graduation and beyond

Recent alumni of our M.A. program are now completing Ph.D. degrees at Bard Graduate Center, Bryn Mawr College, Emory University, University of Illinois Chicago and Northwestern University. Others are working at the curatorial and education departments at the Baltimore Museum of Art; the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Meadows Museum at Ò»Æð²Ý and the Rubell Museum in Miami.

Both! M.A. art history students take three courses per semester in their first year, and two courses per semester in the second, as they work on research and writing for their thesis. Independent research is a crucial component of both graduate seminar work and of the thesis itself.

Yes. Our students and alumni have been widely successful in securing prestigious fellowships, teaching awards, internships, as well as job placements in museums, galleries, commercial art ventures and more after graduation.

Art history faculty expertise spans:

  • Arts of Africa and the African diaspora
  • Ancient American and Latin American art
  • Ancient and medieval Middle Eastern art and architecture
  • European art (16th–19th centuries)
  • U.S. art and visual/material culture (18th century–present)
  • Contemporary art across the Americas, Europe and West Africa

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