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Art History & Management
What you'll do in college
No paint on your clothes, just a lot of highlighters. You will read dense, theoretical texts about postmodernism, write 30-page theses on the socio-political impact of a single brushstroke, and intern at local galleries (usually for free).
You are the academic backbone of the art world.
What you'll do after college
You are the gatekeepers. Grads become museum curators, gallery directors, auction house appraisers, critics, and arts administrators. It's a prestige-heavy, networking-reliant field.
Many eventually pivot to law school (to become IP/art lawyers) or pursue a Ph.D. to become tenured professors or head curators at major museums.
Famous graduates
- Thelma Golden — Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem; B.A. from Smith College
- Jerry Saltz — Pulitzer-winning art critic; studied at School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
- Peggy Guggenheim — Legendary art collector and bohemian; informally educated/self-taught
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted adjusted 5-year earnings
By SAT median
Median SAT · bar = degree-weighted adjusted 5-year earnings
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | 5yr Earn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art History & Management | 430 | 2,570 | 18% / 82% | 5% | $43,761 |
| Art History | 306 | 1,581 | 15% / 85% | 5% | $42,483 |
| Arts Management | 37 | 245 | 25% / 75% | 2% | $43,392 |
| Art History, Criticism and Conservation | 30 | 185 | 14% / 86% | 3% | $42,816 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | 17 | 132 | 33% / 67% | 2% | $52,796 |
| Fine and Studio Arts Management | 10 | 105 | 25% / 75% | 5% | $44,749 |
| History of Art and Architecture | 3 | 63 | 17% / 83% | 6% | $58,272 |
| History of Art | 7 | 59 | 20% / 80% | 7% | $51,914 |
| History of Art and Visual Culture | 1 | 38 | 37% / 63% | 0% | $31,840 |
| Art History and Archaeology | 2 | 34 | 29% / 71% | 9% | $49,941 |
| Arts Administration | 7 | 30 | 10% / 90% | 7% | $43,612 |
| Arts and Entertainment Management | 2 | 22 | 59% / 41% | 5% | $38,402 |
| Museum Studies | 7 | 16 | 19% / 81% | 0% | |
| Global Arts Studies | 1 | 15 | 33% / 67% | 0% | |
| Art and Archaeology | 1 | 12 | 33% / 67% | 0% | |
| History of Art and Design | 1 | 11 | 18% / 82% | 18% | $40,222 |
| Business of Art and Design | 1 | 9 | 11% / 89% | 11% | |
| Art History, Theory and Criticism | 1 | 6 | 17% / 83% | 33% | $43,374 |
| Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art | 2 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | |
| Critical and Visual Studies | 1 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | |
| Art Theory and Practice | 1 | 1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | |
| Arts Leadership | 1 | 1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $44,275 |
| Arts and Entertainment Industries Management | 1 | 1 | 0% / 100% | 0% |