Art History | Winthrop University

Art History

Bachelor of Arts

Art is often regarded as concrete evidence of the human desire to communicate. In art history, we investigate this evidence, from building to bowl, cave painting to contemporary performance art, with a concern for form, meaning and cultural context.

Art is all around us—not just in museums or galleries—and through classes in art history, students sharpen their perception of visual images in a world where ideas and information are increasingly communicated through visual media. Winthrop art history majors develop research and professional skills that lead to internships, careers in arts organizations and admission to highly ranked graduate school programs.

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Potential Employers

Some of the graduates of this program have gone on to work for:

  • Allegis Global Solutions
  • Alternative Behavior Strategies Inc.
  • Augusta Health
  • Banfield Pet Hospital
  • BankSouth Mortgage
  • CapTech Ventures, Inc
  • Cherry Creek School District
  • City of Phoenix
  • DCI - District of Columbia International School
  • Horry-Georgetown Technical College
  • National MS Society
  • Riverwalk Academy
  • Roosevelt Vision
  • SEARCH
  • Solvay
  • Sportsman Boats
  • Sunbelt Rentals, Inc.
  • The Boudreaux Group
  • Tyler Technologies
  • WAXN-TV

Career Paths

Graduates of this program have gone on to become:

  • Account Manager
  • Administrative Assistant
  • Applications Systems Analyst, Senior
  • Art Critic
  • Art History Instructor
  • Bishop
  • Business Administrator PLM
  • Client Services Representative
  • Clinic Director
  • Collections Assistant
  • Commercial Account Manager
  • Commercial Loan Administrator
  • Contact Investigator
  • COO and Co-Founder
  • Manager, Art Director
  • Manager, Onboarding
  • Marketing Director
  • Occupational Health Nurse
  • Senior Implementation Consultant
  • Small Business Owner

Top Industries

Many of the graduates of this program find themselves working in:

 

  1. Retail
  2. Computer Software
  3. Education Management
  4. Higher Education
  5. Insurance
  6. Hospital & Health Care
  7. Marketing and Advertising
  8. Medical Practice
  9. Museums and Institutions
  10. Nonprofit Organization Management

Curriculum and Learning Opportunities

Art history students at Winthrop are engaged learners. They might tour a medieval castle using virtual reality (VR) headsets, go on a behind-the-scenes field trip to a nearby museum, curate an in-person or virtual exhibition, create an ofrenda to celebrate the Día de los Muertos or study abroad.

The Winthrop University Art History degree includes courses covering the arts of the world, from Africa to Europe and Asia to the Americas. Create a flexible course of study around art history electives that have no ladder of prerequisites to climb:

  • Arts of Africa
  • Art Crime and Cultural Heritage
  • Women in Art
  • Art and Architecture of the Islamic Worlds
  • Transgender and Non-Binary Art Histories
  • Global Baroque
  • Art in the Age of Revolution
  • Contemporary Art and Criticism
  • Medieval European Art and Architecture

In addition, students will choose a minor that complements their interests, allowing them to gain the interdisciplinary perspective and breadth of experience that a liberal arts education is known for.

Curriculum

Why Winthrop?

Student restoring a painting

Real World Experience

Gain hands-on experience through internships with museums, galleries and arts organizations throughout the region and beyond.

Two students holding a Winthrop Eagles banner with a castle in the background

Study Abroad

Bring art history to life with short-term study abroad trips to France, Ireland, Japan and more, as well as programs with Winthrop’s partner schools in Italy, England, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Australia, among others.

Student wearing a virtual reality headset

Small Classes and Award-Winning Faculty

Winthrop's art history professors are award-winning experts in their fields, whose primary responsibility is teaching. And with class sizes that seldom reach more than 20 students, they'll get to know you, your interests and your career goals.


Hear From Our Students and Faculty


Beyond Graduation

Many of our graduates have found success working as gallery assistants, conservationists, librarians, and educators in art galleries, universities, and museums—including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., and National Archive in London, UK. In the past five years, 100% of art history majors who applied to graduate school have gone on to pursue master's and doctoral degrees in art history, museum studies, education, conservation, and more, at highly selective universities in the United States and beyond.