Moore College of Art and Design

Spanning centuries and crossing cultures, celebrating artistic traditions and revolutions, art history is a treasure trove for aspiring artists and scholars. Covering a wide array of topics and media, critical approaches and historical periods, the Art History major offers a flexible degree program for students who want to link extensive studies in art history with a significant and intensive studio practice.

Art History students gain proficiency in the studio area of their choice and also experiment in other studio fields. Moore’s Art History program combines critical study and advanced inquiry, balanced with practical knowledge and understanding within a distinctive art college curriculum where the act of creating art remains central.

As students advance through the program, courses allow for more sophisticated investigations into art history—examining the discourses and issues specific to the study of distinct historical periods, diverse cultural groups and disparate modes of contemporary art production. As seniors, students prepare a thesis that will allow them to pursue their own studies in close collaboration with professional scholars.

Electives rotate and vary each semester, keeping current with contemporary trends and the broad professional expertise of the faculty. Elective topics often take advantage of exhibitions and cultural events sponsored by The Galleries at Moore, Philadelphia’s museums and galleries, as well as those in nearby New York and Washington, DC.