Enriching the scholarly environment, our graduate students prepare for advanced study and careers in teaching, and professional positions in museums, auction houses, galleries and elsewhere in the wider world of the fine arts.

The discipline of art history imparts visual and intellectual skills for apprehending and understanding art works past and present. It opens up historical and cultural contexts for critical readings of works of art and architecture. It discloses how objects and spaces were conceived, produced and functioned, as well as how they were discussed and valued over time, and how they themselves became active agents of culture. In reading and thinking critically about art objects, our students learn how to conduct research, analyze visual and written sources, and develop cogent arguments delivered orally and in writing.