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College of Creative Arts: School of Art and Design

Art History, BA

Art history is an interdisciplinary field, drawing upon philosophy, history, literature, religion and more to examine works of art and their contexts.

The BA in Art History provides a foundation in the history of art and architecture in its cultural and theoretical context and with our Technical Art History courses, a depth of knowledge of the science behind the art that is unrivaled.

Your Degree Plan The WVU Difference Learn by Doing Careers and Outcomes Places and Spaces Admission Requirements Tuition and Aid Take the Next Steps

Your Degree Plan

Intro

Student examine and photograph an image at Musee d'Orsay.

Our program combines the benefits of a small, close-knit program with the facilities and resources of a major research university.

WVU has a supportive art history community with a student-run art history club and research opportunities available with your art history professors, with all of the advantages of being part of a large R1 institution.

Each semester, art history classes travel to conduct research and examine art in person at regional museums and archives. Majors experience immersive education abroad and field study opportunities through our Global Positioning Studies initiative. Art History students meet with visiting art historians, museum personnel and art conservation practitioners to gain professional experience and also participate in internships with regional museums and galleries.

The Art Museum of WVU, the Mesaros Galleries in the Creative Arts Center and the School of Art and Design’s Visiting Artist Lecture Series offer unique opportunities in your course of study and allow for curatorial exploration.

Take advantage of special options related to this major:

  • 3+3 Program

    This major is eligible for the 3+3 Law Degree Program that allows qualified students to earn a bachelor’s degree and law degree in six years instead of seven years.

  • Honors

    Expand your curiosity — and enhance your curriculum — through the WVU Honors College. Two programs are offered: Honors Foundations for first- and second-year students and Honors EXCEL for third- and fourth-year students.

    Explore Honors

The WVU Difference

What sets this program apart from its competitors?

  • Access to studio instruction. Many Art History majors minor in an art area.
  • Faculty are dedicated to high-impact mentoring and have won awards for their mentoring and advising.
  • We offer one of the few 3+3 programs in the country that provides a carefully articulated Plan of Study (PDF) for earning both a BA in Art History AND a JD in Law in six years.
  • Art Law and Cultural Property Law classes available at WVU College of Law for those interested in intellectual property rights, global art crime, protection, provenance and repatriation.
  • Technical Art History courses available to learn how scientific technologies, including microscopy, ultraviolet, infrared reflectography, X-ray, SEM and more help to understand objects and inform their best care.
Scholarships

Over 92% of WVU freshmen receive grants or scholarships (2022-2023).

Learn more

Learn by Doing

Learning happens outside the classroom. Get involved.

Global Positioning Studies
Through the School of Art and Design’s Global Positioning Studies initiative, you can choose to earn credits from a number of education abroad and field study courses. Faculty-led courses are offered abroad in the Disegno Italia and San Gemini Preservation Studies programs in Italy and a 19th Century Painting and Photography course in France. Field study courses offer the opportunity to study the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and Andy Warhol.

Research Opportunities
You'll have opportunities to conduct undergraduate research and gain professional experience through the Research Apprentice Program (RAP), Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), the Annual WVU Undergraduate Research Symposium, Undergraduate Research Day at the West Virginia State Capitol, the National Undergraduate Humanities Research Symposium and at SECAC.

Among their many accolades, WVU Art History students have become Gilman Scholars, McNair Scholars, Phi Beta Kappa inductees, WVU Outstanding Seniors, Robert F. Munn Library Scholars and Eberly Scholars.

Extracurricular Opportunities
WVU has an active student-run Art History Club formed to bring together a community open to any student interested in art and its history. They have visited museums together, attended panel discussions and senior capstone presentations as a group, set up study nights and writing evenings, watched art-themed movies, had art-making workshops, are beginning a mentoring program and are publishing a student-run peer-review research journal. Check out the Art History Club on Instagram.

Connect with other students who share your academic interests as a member of:

View all of the student organizations you can join.

The College of Creative Art's Creative Consultant program matches Art History students with CCA alumni mentors. Students have worked with Jacob Lewis of Pace Prints in New York City and Amy Swan, MA Art History alumna and a professional at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

WVU Art History have held internships at a variety of institutions including the:

  • Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and its Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
  • Basilica Cathedral of Lima Museum of Religious Art in Peru
  • National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Phillips Collection, both in Washington, DC
  • Smithsonian Museums

And many state institutions, such as:

  • Cincinnati Art Museum, OH
  • Jacob Lewis Galleries, NYC
  • Jewish Museum of Maryland
  • Image Permanence Institute, Rochester, NY
  • Museums of Old York, ME
  • Pittsburgh; Art Museum of WVU
  • Pharmacy Museum of WVU
  • The Mattress Factory
  • Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD
  • WV Governor’s Intern

Attending college will prepare you for many things. The Art History major will give you the following skills:

  • Critical thinking
  • Creative problem-solving and decision-making
  • Strong writing and verbal communication proficiencies
  • Adapting content and expressing it clearly for different audiences
  • Analyzing visual media and material objects
  • Listening and reading closely and asking insightful questions
  • Formulating strong evidence-based arguments
  • Applying critical judgment to form well-reasoned interpretations
  • Developing broad cultural, historic and aesthetic knowledge
  • Conducting comparative analyses
  • Analyzing and evaluating information
  • Rigorous research of primary and secondary sources
  • Organization and time management

Live, study and pursue outside-the-classroom learning in a residence hall community that shares your interests:

Outside of the Evansdale Crossing building.

What you learn outside of the classroom is just as important as what you learn during class. We’ll help you follow your curiosity.

Careers and Outcomes

How does this degree prepare students for a career?

Art, Drama and Music Teachers, Postsecondary

Teach courses in drama, music, and the arts including fine and applied art, such as painting and sculpture, or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Has a Bright Outlook , May require a Graduate Degree

Median Salary: $77,280

Possible job titles include: Art Professor, Music Professor, Professor, Theatre Professor.

Explore Career

Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers and Athletes

Represent and promote artists, performers, and athletes in dealings with current or prospective employers. May handle contract negotiation and other business matters for clients.

Has a Bright Outlook

Median Salary: $82,530

Possible job titles include: Agent, Booking Agent, Talent Agent, Theatrical Agent.

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Secondary School Teachers

Teach students in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics or social studies, at the secondary level in public or private schools. May be designated according to subject matter specialty.

Median Salary: $62,360

Possible job titles include: English Teacher, Math Teacher (Mathematics Teacher), Social Studies Teacher, Teacher.

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Archivists

Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.

Has a Bright Outlook , May require a Graduate Degree

Median Salary: $58,640

Possible job titles include: Archives Director, Archivist, Manuscripts Curator, Registrar.

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Curators

Administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic items or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions. May conduct instructional, research or public service activities of institution.

Has a Bright Outlook , May require a Graduate Degree

Median Salary: $60,380

Possible job titles include: Associate Curator, Collections Curator, Curator, Museum Curator.

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Museum Technicians and Conservators

Restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. May work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, or botanicals; or artifacts, textiles, or art. May identify and record objects or install and arrange them in exhibits. Includes book or document conservators.

Has a Bright Outlook

Median Salary: $47,270

Possible job titles include: Conservation Technician, Conservator, Objects Conservator, Paintings Conservator.

Explore Career

Tour Guides and Escorts

Escort individuals or groups on sightseeing tours or through places of interest, such as industrial establishments, public buildings, and art galleries.

Has a Bright Outlook

Median Salary: $34,440

Possible job titles include: Historical Interpreter, Museum Guide, Tour Guide, Docent.

Explore Career

Careers in Cultural Institutions

BA Art History graduates have been hired for careers in cultural institutions such as:

  • Andy Warhol Museum (Art Preparator and Art Currier)
  • Archives of American Art of the Smithsonian Institution (Archivist for Digital Initiatives)
  • Crozier Fine Arts (Inventory Specialist and Art Handler)
  • Dorothy Draper and Co. (Manager, Curator's Office)
  • George Washington's Mount Vernon (History Interpreter)
  • Greenbrier for Carleton Varney
  • Paul Kasmin Gallery (Gallerist)
  • Philadelphia Museum of Art (Project Manager of Exhibitions)
  • Smithsonian Renwick Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery (Sales Lead Manager)
  • Space Telescope Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University (Digital Archivist)
  • Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia (Creative Development Associate)
  • The Phillips Collection (Membership Associate)
  • Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, Canada (Archives Assistant)
  • Wiebold Studio (art conservation)

Other Career Options

BA Art History graduates also use their humanities training to good effect in other endeavors and are gainfully employed in law, higher education, secondary education, special education, development and marketing, and healthcare.

A selection of positions include:

  • AmeriCorps (3 placements: WVU Jackson’s Mill, Clio Foundation, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve)
  • Attorney at Fish and Richardson Attorneys at Law
  • Graduate Advisor at American University
  • IMINT Course Developer International Intelligence Training Center at the United States Air Force
  • Information Technology Specialist at the Dept. of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons - FCI Cumberland
  • Senior Production Artist and Photo Retoucher, Development Coordinator and Grant Writer at Special Love
  • Client Services Representative at ViaGen
  • Regional Building Information Modeling (BIM) Manager at CannonDesign

Art History

Some of our grads have continued their studies at:

  • American Public University
  • American University
  • Boston College
  • Case Western Reserve
  • Central Michigan University
  • Loyola University-Chicago
  • Simmons College
  • Sotheby's
  • Syracuse University
  • University of Cincinnati
  • University of Notre Dame, MD
  • University of South Carolina
  • University of South Florida
  • University of Western Ontario

Places and Spaces

Learn about all of the places and spaces you'll learn in.

Facilities Photo - Art Museum of WVU

Art Museum of WVU

The Art Museum of WVU has paintings, prints, works on paper, sculpture and ceramics with messages for you from across the globe and over the centuries.

Explore the Art Museum of WVU
Program Facility - Creative Arts Center

Canady Creative Arts Center

The Loulie, Valerie and William Canady Creative Arts center boasts 4 exhibition spaces, 5 performance spaces, 33 individual practice rooms and 50 classrooms and studios with plenty of space to create. The loading dock at the rear of the building is a wonderful open-air space with stunning acoustics.

Explore the Canady Creative Arts Center
Facilities Thumbnail - West Virginia and Regional History Center

West Virginia and Regional History Center

The West Virginia and Regional History Collection, located in the downtown library at WVU, offers access to rare books, modern art facilities, cutting-edge science labs used in the Technical Art History courses and an archaeology lab.

Explore the West Virginia and Regional History Center
  • Virtual Tour
    It's the next-best thing to being here – you can virtually tour residence halls and the WVU Morgantown Campus.
  • Student Life
    You will have it all here — epic traditions, quality academics and a supportive community that feels like home.
  • Visit
    Experience WVU in person and start imagining life as a Mountaineer!

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to WVU's Art History major, first-time freshmen must meet WVU's first-time freshman admission requirements for the 2024-25 academic year. Interested in transferring? Review the transfer admission requirements.

Tuition and Aid

How much does Art History at WVU cost? And how can you save?

Tuition and Fees

Estimated rates are available on our tuition website. Anyone who is not a current West Virginia resident, including international students, will be charged non-resident rates.

View Tuition and Fees

Scholarships

Estimate your eligibility for merit scholarships at WVU Morgantown.

Find Scholarships

Net Price Calculator

Estimate your cost of attendance and eligibility for financial aid and scholarships at any WVU System campus.

Visit the Net Price Calculator

Ways to Save

Here are a few ways for you to save on the cost of attending WVU in addition to university scholarships.

Financial Aid

The most important step toward funding your future with financial aid for the Art History major is submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

How to Complete the FAFSA

Ohio Tuition Reciprocity

As the result of a special agreement, students from Ohio who are fully admitted to Art History can enroll at WVU and pay in-state tuition rates. Students must be admitted to both the University and this major.

Learn More

Transfer Articulation Agreements

To simplify the transfer process, we have formal agreements with certain institutions. These agreements outline the courses you should take to prepare for transferring to WVU.

Review the full list of transfer articulation agreements to see if your institution is listed.

Learn How to Transfer Course Credits

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