Art History BA

Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Minimum Required Credits: 120                           
Co-op Option(s): One Co-op, No Co-op                                                       
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 50.0703 
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 25.4011

About the Program

Art History explores how artworks, designed objects, mass communication forms, and built environments shape and are shaped by their political, social, and personal contexts. Students develop skills in visual analysis, argument construction, and effective communication, while also expanding their knowledge of historical and contemporary discourses. Cross-cultural and interdisciplinary, the field of art history illuminates the diverse and global worlds we inhabit as well as the integral relationships between art, design, and lived experience. In our program, we explore these contexts critically and compassionately—and share our research, scholarship, and practice with audiences inside and outside the university.

Our award-winning faculty teach a wide range of courses exploring global dynamics, particularly in the modern and contemporary world. We offer introductory surveys, deep dives into specific regions and styles, as well as conceptually driven classes unpacking pertinent, urgent cultural themes. Housed in Westphal’s dynamic Media Arts & Design College, our students also take courses in histories of fashion, architecture, film, game design, animation, photography, and more.

Through co-ops and coursework, the Art History program fosters a hands-on approach, through which students can enjoy the direct in-person study of objects across Philadelphia’s vibrant art scene. In addition to museum, gallery, and studio visits and work experience, students have curated exhibitions, led gallery tours, contributed to exhibition catalogues, and written wall labels.

The Art History program has a uniquely flexible curricular design that permits students to study Art History as a primary major, second major, or minor. The BA degree is intended for students wishing to pursue Art History as their main field of study and to enter the career paths outlined below. Students may also combine an Art History BA or BS with another major in order to support their particular interdisciplinary interests and career aspirations.

Careers in Art History are not limited to curators and professors. A whole world of career possibilities can be found across arts-related organizations like museums, galleries, auction houses, non-profits, publishers, libraries, and archives. Students who study art history also go on to become lawyers, teachers, doctors, and more, mobilizing skills they acquired in art history (e.g. argument construction, critical reasoning, cultural knowledge, visual analysis, and verbal and written communication).

Additional Information

For more information about this program, please contact the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design.

Admission Requirements

Same as Drexel Admissions-Portfolio Optional.

Degree Requirements

¹

A complete list of eligible Introductory Core Competency courses can be found here.

²

Requirement is two courses (6 credits) in a single foreign language.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Analytical Skills: Upon graduation, students will be able to discern and interpret how visual and material culture shapes and is shaped by political, cultural, and personal contexts 

2. Knowledge of Art and Design: Upon graduation, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of a wide array of visual culture and material culture from across the globe 

3. Communication Skills: Upon graduation, students will be able to clearly and effectively communicate across multiple forms (written, oral, visual) 

4. Argument/Interpretation Construction Skills: Upon graduation, students will be able to produce an original argument—grounded in visual analysis, contextual knowledge attained via dynamic research processes, and intentional methodologies—that reveals how visual culture and material culture produce meanings and effects 

5. Research Skills: Upon graduation, students will be able to research skillfully in libraries, archives, museums, and online, recognizing the difference between primary and secondary sources and utilizing critical reasoning to evaluate the relative contributions or limitations within each source

6. Knowledge of Cultural Institutions: Upon graduation, students will be able to understand how cultural institutions (museums, galleries, studios, etc) operate and bring that knowledge to bear in their engagement with similar institutions 

7. Creative Making and Design Experience: Upon graduation, students will be able to utilize their familiarity with making art and design projects to buttress their understanding of the creative process