Art History

Majors in Art History gain well rounded educational perspectives and skills as well as specialized skills for understanding art in various cultures and time periods. The art historian seeks to interpret and understand works of art of many types, ranging from the monumental to small scale, by learning about artists' lives and their societies.

Career Fields

Arts Management

Art museum director
Gallery manager
Arts organization consultant
Manager of university collections
Administrator of arts foundations

Art acquisitions professional
Antiques dealer
Artist representative
Fundraising and development

Strategies: Consider obtaining a Business Certificate; intern in the management side of arts organizations; volunteer at local art museums or arts organizations; network with Duquesne alumni who work in arts organizations; attend the annual spring Non-profit Job Fair co-sponsored by Duquesne; attend the Creative Careers Seminar held every fall at CMU, co-sponsored by Duquesne, to meet and hear professionals from the arts speak about career paths.

Curatorial/Preservationist Professional

	Art museum curator Visual resource curator Curatorial consultant Preservationist	Art appraiser Art books editor Exhibition planner and organizer
	Corporate departments holding historical visual materials Private and non-profit organization collections

Strategies: Seek internships in art museums, collections and archives; interview and job shadow professionals in fields of interest; consider graduate study such as MFA or programs specializing in curatorial, historic preservation or archiving work; attend the Creative Careers Seminar held every fall at CMU, co-sponsored by Duquesne, to meet and hear professionals from the arts speak about career paths.

Museum Education

Art museum educator
Interpreter/caretaker of specialty museum
Director of education programs for the adult and youth public
Trainer/manager of museum educators and volunteer docent programs
Art librarian
Director of summer art camps for children and teens
Outreach coordinator to schools

Strategies: Seek internships in non-classroom art education settings such as Carnegie Museum of Art, Center for the Arts, etc.; develop excellent written and oral communication skills; practice presentation skills; consider taking Event Planning and Advertising/PR courses; volunteer at local art education programs; gain experience in event and program planning.

Classroom Teaching

Art teacher at elementary, middle or high school levels
College teaching in a university, four-year college or two-year community college

Strategies: Pursue concurrent B.S. in Education or consider post-graduate certification programs such as Master of Secondary Education; research state certification requirements in various states for teaching in public and/or private schools; be prepared to relocate to states (typically southern and mid-Atlantic) and/or locales (e.g., rural and inner cities) where demand for new teachers tends to be high; consider “Teach for America” following graduation; consider graduate training in the arts, such as the Master of Fine Arts.