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Art history professor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an art history professor. Art history professors usually study fine arts, liberal arts, or english. 60% of art history professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 119 real art history professor resumes to see exactly what art history professor education sections show.
The most common colleges for art history professors are the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas.
There are also many online art history professor courses to help get the education required to be an art history professor.
What education do you need to become an art history professor?
What degree do you need to be an art history professor?
- Bachelor's, 60%
- Master's, 28%
- Doctorate, 5%
- Associate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become an art history professor?
- Fine Arts, 50%
- Liberal Arts, 9%
- English, 7%
- History, 4%
- Other Majors, 30%
Most common colleges for art history professors
| Art history professor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Kansas | 8.57% |
| University of California - Davis | 8.57% |
| Ohio State University | 8.57% |
| Central State University | 8.57% |
| Georgia State University | 8.57% |
Best majors for art history professors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fine Arts | 50.0% |
| 2 | Liberal Arts | 8.9% |
| 3 | English | 6.7% |
| 4 | History | 4.4% |
| 5 | General Education, Specific Areas | 4.4% |
Best colleges for art history professors
The best colleges for art history professors are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Carnegie Mellon University.
An art history professor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for art history professors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become art history professors.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
20 best online courses for art history professors
Advertising disclosure
1. Ukraine: History, Culture and Identities
Explore the history, culture and society of the people of Ukraine from the Middle Ages to the present in this introductory course developed by the Ukrainian Institute, educational studio EdEra, and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and offered on Coursera in cooperation with the University of Washington. The culture and identities of Ukrainian people have existed in this region for more than a thousand years. Like most Eastern European countries, Ukraine is a rather young country —...
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3. Art History Prehistory to the Renaissance
This is an actual college level course that is taught at several accredited colleges...
4. Art History Renaissance to 20th Century
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5. Modern Art & Ideas
Welcome to Modern Art & Ideas! This course is designed for anyone interested in learning more about modern and contemporary art. Over the next five weeks, you will look at art through a variety of themes: Places & Spaces, Art & Identity, Transforming Everyday Objects, and Art & Society. Each week kicks off with a video that connects works of art from The Museum of Modern Art’s collection to the theme. You will hear audio interviews with artists, designers, and curators and learn more about...
6. History of Mental Illness
Our lexicon of mental illness is immense: There currently are hundreds of classified disorders and an extensive assortment of medications and therapies. This course explores the history of this productive science -- its discoveries, classifications, and treatments of psychiatric distress. The excursion begins with a general introduction and proceeds to explore 4 kinds of mental illness: neurasthenia, depression, attention deficits (ADD/ADHD), and narcissism. Each kind is examined in terms of...
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9. A Brief History of Human Spaceflight
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10. ART of the MOOC: Activism and Social Movements
This course is for activists, artists, and thinkers who wish to better understand and participate in social change. We will focus on the prolific and exciting overlap between socially engaged art and cultural practices generated by recent social movements around the world. Rather than assess the political efficacy of activities like mourning, listening, organizing, dancing, or partying, the lectures examine such cultural activities next to, and within, contemporary art practice. Included in the...
11. Photoshop and Photography Digital Art Compositing Course
Learn Adobe Photoshop CC and photography by designing levitation digital art composites from four photoshoots...
12. US / United States History - Prehistory to Reconstruction
Uncover the political and social roots of the U.S. with this comprehensive guide to Early American History...
13. American Education Reform: History, Policy, Practice
Discover what shapes how we talk about schools today by exploring the history of U.S. education reform. Engage with the main actors, key decisions, and major turning points in this history. See how social forces drive reform. Learn about how the critical tensions embedded in U.S. education policy and practice apply to schools nationally, globally— and where you live...
14. Agent-based Generative Art | NetLogo
"Generative art refers to any art practice where the artist creates a process, such as a computer program, which is then set into motion with some degree of autonomy contributing to or resulting in a completed work of art." - Wikipedia In this guided project you will develop an agent-based computer program capable of generating visual art pieces. By doing so you will be introduced to the basics of ABM and NetLogo. Furthermore, at the end of this journey you will be able to share such pieces...
15. Learn Professional Pixel Art & Animation for Games
Become an exquisite pixel artist and animator...
16. Art Therapy: Personal Development and Self Healing with Art
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17. Pixel Art for Video Games
This course is aimed to give you the tools and knowledge you need to start creating simple art for video games made in the Unity game engine. Through the aesthetic of pixel art we will explore artistic principals like shape language, color theory, and composition as well as show you a step by step workflow for creating assets that you can use to make your own games. The course is broken into 4 main modules, props, environments, characters, and animation. Each of these courses will have a series...
18. Big History - From the Big Bang until Today
Welcome to this Big History course! In this course, renowned scientists and scholars from the University of Amsterdam and beyond will take you on a journey from the Big Bang until today while addressing key questions in their fields. After completing this journey you will have developed a better understanding of how you and everything around you became the way they are today. You will also have gained an understanding of the underlying mechanisms that have helped shape the history of everything...
19. Low Poly Art For Video Games
This course is aimed to give you the tools and knowledge you need to start creating simple 3D art for video games made in the Unity game engine. Through the aesthetic of pixel art we will explore artistic principals like shape language, color theory, and composition as well as show you a step by step workflow for creating assets that you can use to make your own games. The course is broken into 4 main modules, props, environments, characters, and animation. Each of these courses will have a...
20. History of Rock, Part One
This course, part 1 of a 2-course sequence, examines the history of rock, primarily as it unfolded in the United States, from the days before rock (pre-1955) to the end of the 1960s. This course covers the music of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and many more artists, with an emphasis both on cultural context and on the music itself. We will also explore how developments in the music business and in technology helped...
Top 10 most affordable universities for art history professors
The most affordable schools for art history professors are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for art history professors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for art history professors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
10. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for art history professors
The hardest universities for art history professors to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for art history professors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for art history professors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
6. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for art history professors
The easiest schools for art history professors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, wayland baptist university, and notre dame college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an art history professor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for art history professors.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
6. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
9. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average art history professor salary by education level
| Art history professor education level | Art history professor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $63,671 |
| Doctorate Degree | $80,953 |
Art history professor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025