There are many careers available to someone with an art history degree, and some of them may surprise you. You may think that the only way to use an art history degree is to become a museum curator or professor, but in reality there are numerous other options for your art history degree.
The art history degree is a multi-disciplinary field, with interests in archaeology, anthropology, cultural theory and critical theory. With a focus on art and culture over time, an art history degree is good for anyone interested in the creative industries, film, television and even advertising. Here are our top 10 degrees to become an art historian.
As the saying goes, “a knowledge of the past is essential to a life of the future” and nowhere is this sentiment truer than in fields such as art history. No matter your profession, you can probably trace your success back to an early introduction to art history. That’s because art history majors learn more than how to study and appreciate contemporary visual culture; they also discover how art and artifacts from various time periods provide opportunities for creativity and innovation even today.
Careers with art history degree
The art history (also known as visual studies, art and art history, arts studies) degree is a graduate program emphasizing the study of humanities in relation to fine arts or visual design. Ideally, you want to be able to do research in a program for which you can write a thesis project. It is a general rule that master’s degree programs require 40 credit hours and PhD programs require 48. The student will typically take 10 – 15 hours of course work each semester, depending on the program; For masters programs, it is typical for about six courses to be necessary for completion with an A-F grade scale. There are some programs that offer alternative options; the general rule is that these alternative options measure graduation requirements by “units,” rather than semester credit hours.
Bridget Hickey was just another college student looking for that first real job. She had a degree in art history, which she thought would help her achieve her goals of career advancement. However, it appeared to be too broad of a field for some hiring managers to hire Bridget. Few companies were looking for art historians and even fewer had a good understanding of what an art history degree could do for their business. Bridget’s experience was frustrating to her because she thought her four years at college had increased her value as an employee. She now realized that the degree she had worked so hard to acquire didn’t really matter that much after all. But thankfully, Bridget found herself a new job within two weeks.
Have you recently graduated and are looking to move into a career. I have some suggestions on what areas you could start with.
If you’re willing to put in the time and effort to find a good job, your chances of getting a good job are much better than someone who does have an art history degree. As we have discussed in this paper we have seen that getting a job is based upon how well you can show employers how your education and past experience will help them overall. Finding a job that is related to Art History is a difficult task but it depends upon your resourcefulness and dedication. All of the jobs you will find will be freelance arts-related jobs as they are rare. They will pay more than minimum wage which some people do not think about when starting college or university. Most people would take an hourly wage over an annual wage but this is only because they do not know the benefits of an annual salary. The best way to start looking for these positions is to ask friends with similar interests for references on freelancing positions through social media and popular art blogs. Do not be discouraged if you fail to get any jobs because in time companies will grow with freelancers as it is cheaper to hire someone one days at a time rather than full-time employees.
A degree in art history is an incredibly valuable asset to your future career. It allows you to think outside the box with your own original style, unafraid of the judgment of others. This can be an incredible advantage when creating artwork for a client, and allows you to understand what compromises need to be made for a style that fits the needs of the client. If you are truly passionate about art history, consider creating a portfolio along with going to grad school for your art history degree; although it’s often frowned upon to have only a Master’s or Doctorate and not a Bachelors, your passion for the subject and drive for further study will show and will make up for any missing undergraduate courses. In short, if you are an artist or someone who wants to be involved in creating visual pieces, an Art History degree is something worth considering due to its focus on thinking outside of accepted norms and understanding how they influence pieces of art.
Art history is different than art appreciation. With an art history degree, you have the skills to be a curator or even a museum director (as well as teach at a college level).
If you are looking to build on a career in the art industry, a degree in art history will help provide that extra edge. However, if you are looking to work towards a more managerial or leadership role in the art world, an MBA may be the better option for you.
Art history jobs are available in most large corporations and institutions and in museums, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian Institute.
The nice thing about history is that it’s never really been trendy. It has always been a part of the human condition, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon. If nothing else, studying the past should provide valuable lessons that can be used to plan for a more positive future—something that’s sure to be in demand. (And let’s not forget the fact that you’ll never take another test in your life with an essay question like: “Why did Rome fall?”)
