B.A. in Art History

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Syracuse University

Program Overview

The B.A. in Art History at Syracuse University develops students’ ability to analyze, research, write and speak about art and visual culture across different historical periods and cultures, with access to the Syracuse University Art Museum, Special Collections Research Center and study-abroad opportunities. It suits students interested in careers across museums, galleries, the art market, education, cultural heritage and cultural management while building a strong foundation in visual analysis, scholarly research and global art history.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students begin with foundational study of art and visual culture through courses such as HOA 105 Art & Ideas I and other introductory HOA coursework, developing the ability to observe, interpret and discuss works of art in historical contexts. The program’s introductory studies establish the analytical and cultural foundation needed for more specialized study later in the degree.

Year 2: Students broaden their understanding across geographical and historical traditions through courses such as HOA 300 Studies in Asian Art and HOA 396 Art & Architecture of India. These courses support the program’s emphasis on studying art across different cultures while strengthening comparative analysis and understanding of the relationship between art, artists and wider cultural developments.

Year 3: Students move into more specialized upper-level subjects, with current offerings including HOA 378 20th-Century American Art, HOA 445 Baroque Art Southern Europe and HOA 454 The Architecture of Revolutions. Through this range of topics, students examine particular periods, movements and cultural contexts while applying scholarly approaches to increasingly focused questions in art history.

Year 4: The final stage emphasizes independent scholarship and synthesis through HOA 490 Independent Study (undergrad) and the required HOA 498 Art History Senior Seminar. The senior-level work enables students to formulate research questions, evaluate scholarly information, develop arguments and communicate their conclusions clearly in writing and presentations.

Focus Areas

Global art history, visual culture, art criticism, cultural and historical analysis, museum and gallery studies, art and architecture, research methodologies, visual interpretation, cultural heritage, art markets, archival research.

Learning Outcomes

Visual analysis, historical interpretation, identification of artworks across eras and cultures, scholarly research, research-question development, synthesis of academic sources, persuasive writing, oral presentation, hands-on work with art objects and archives, understanding of visual language.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

University accreditation: Syracuse University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). The university's official Art History B.A. materials do not state a separate professional or specialized accreditation for the Art History program.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)

University-level outcomes: Syracuse University reports career outcomes for its graduates and highlights employers and internship destinations across industries, but its official sources do not publish a specific employability ranking for the B.A. in Art History. The university identifies itself as an R1 research university and reports a broad range of career and further-study opportunities for graduates.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The B.A. in Art History at Syracuse University emphasizes hands-on learning alongside classroom study, giving students opportunities to work directly with art objects, archival materials, museum collections, and primary sources. Students can build practical experience through curatorial work, internships, research, museum visits, field trips, study abroad, and a senior trip to New York City, with access to the Syracuse University Art Museum and Special Collections Research Center.

Museum & Curatorial Experience: Students can gain direct experience with works of art and archives and participate in curatorial activities connected to the Syracuse University Art Museum, including exhibition-related work and public engagement.

Internships: Art history students are encouraged to undertake internships, with opportunities listed at the Syracuse University Art Museum, Special Collections Research Center, Light Work, Everson Museum of Art, Erie Canal Museum, Onondaga Historical Association, Stickley Museum, and other cultural organizations.

Research Collections: Students work with the Special Collections Research Center in Bird Library, which provides access to rare books, manuscripts, historic photographs, rare artifacts, and other primary-source materials for art-historical research.

Art Museum: The Syracuse University Art Museum functions as a teaching museum and museum-laboratory where students can engage with the university's collections, exhibitions, research, experimentation, and discussion.

Field Trips: Students regularly participate in field trips to art museums, archives, and performing arts organizations, allowing them to study collections and cultural institutions beyond the classroom.

New York City Experience: Senior art history majors travel to New York City to explore professional opportunities and meet curators, auctioneers, art gallerists, museum professionals, and Art & Music Histories alumni.

Study Abroad: Through Syracuse University Abroad, students can study art and visual culture in more than 60 countries through semester, summer, short-term, and year-long programs, with field trips to museums, galleries, and archives.

Faculty Mentoring & Research: Students receive individualized mentoring from internationally recognized scholars and can undertake research supported by a SOURCE grant, working with distinguished faculty on research projects.

Professional Development: The department provides opportunities for alumni networking, departmental colloquia, conferences, symposia, public speaking, and exhibition curation, helping students develop practical communication and professional skills relevant to museums, galleries, archives, and cultural organizations.

Local Cultural Engagement: Students can work with local arts organizations and participate in projects supported by the Engaged Humanities initiative, connecting art-historical study with the cultural community in Syracuse and Central New York.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The B.A. in Art History at Syracuse University develops analytical, research, writing, and visual-interpretation skills that can lead to careers across museums, galleries, the art market, education, cultural heritage, and cultural management. Syracuse specifically highlights alumni working as gallery managers, art gallery directors, museum collections directors, curators, and development/community engagement coordinators, while the program also provides pathways into graduate study.

Typical career roles include Curator, Gallery Manager, Museum Collections Director, Development and Community Engagement Coordinator:

CareerReady support: The College of Arts and Sciences’ CareerReady program helps students build resumes and LinkedIn profiles, connect with alumni, participate in career-immersion trips, obtain internships, complete job-shadowing and informational interviews, and prepare for interviews and career fairs.
Internship opportunities: Art History students are encouraged to pursue internships and volunteer experiences at the Syracuse University Art Museum and Special Collections Research Center. Department-listed opportunities also include the Everson Museum of Art, Light Work, Erie Canal Museum, Onondaga Historical Association, and organizations such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Alumni outcomes: Syracuse highlights an Art History B.A. alum, Claire Zehnith ’22, who secured an internship in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s Marketing department, demonstrating a pathway from the degree into a major cultural institution.
Professional networking: The department provides alumni networking events, faculty mentoring, departmental colloquia, conferences and symposia, giving students opportunities to develop professional relationships and practice public communication.
Employment and salary figures: Syracuse’s official career-services page publishes university-wide career-outcome and salary information, but the available official source does not provide a program-specific employment rate or salary figure for the B.A. in Art History.
University–industry/cultural partnerships: The program connects students with professional cultural organizations through internships, museum experiences and its senior New York City trip, where students meet curators, auctioneers, art gallerists, museum professionals and Art & Music Histories alumni.
Long-term academic/professional value: The degree develops research, scholarly analysis, writing, speaking and visual-cultural interpretation skills that Syracuse identifies as applicable across museums, galleries, education, cultural heritage and cultural management.
Graduation outcomes: Syracuse reports that Art History graduates have progressed into roles including UX Designer, Gallery Manager, Art Gallery Director, Museum Collections Director and Curator, while others pursue graduate education for university or K–12 teaching and advanced museum/curatorial careers.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the B.A., students can continue into Syracuse University’s M.A. in Art History, including the main-campus program or the M.A. in Italian Renaissance Art through the Florence Program. The university also identifies Museum Studies and Library and Information Science master's programs as options for students seeking advanced careers in museums, libraries and archives; students interested in academia can progress from graduate study toward doctoral programs.