What Jobs Can You Get With an Undergraduate Art History Degree?

Art|Art History

An undergraduate degree in Art History provides a strong foundation for a variety of career paths in the art world. In addition to the traditional roles of museum curator, art dealer, and art critic, there are many other job opportunities available to individuals with an undergraduate degree in Art History.

Museum Jobs: An Art History degree provides excellent preparation for those interested in careers at museums. Museum curators are responsible for researching and acquiring artwork for permanent collections, as well as overseeing temporary exhibitions and educational programs.

They also manage budgets, oversee staff and volunteers, and write grants. Other museum positions include registrars, who manage paperwork related to artwork acquisitions; conservators who specialize in preserving artwork; and educators who create educational materials related to the museum’s collections.

Gallery Jobs: Art galleries hire people with a background in Art History for a variety of positions. Gallery directors oversee all aspects of running an art gallery including curating exhibitions, arranging sales deals with clients, managing budgets, hiring staff members, and marketing the gallery’s collection.

Gallery assistants help gallery directors with administrative tasks such as filing paperwork and handling incoming calls from clients. They may also be asked to research artists or artwork for upcoming exhibitions or sales deals.

Academic Jobs: For those interested in pursuing an academic career path, an undergraduate degree in Art History is an excellent foundation for higher education studies leading to teaching or research positions at universities. In addition to teaching classes on the history of art or specific periods of art history, individuals with a graduate degree may also pursue research projects related to their area of specialty within the field of Art History.

Advertising Jobs: An undergraduate degree in Art History can also open up opportunities outside academia and museums into creative fields such as advertising. Companies often hire art historians to evaluate artwork created by their marketing teams or even suggest ideas that could be used in campaigns. Additionally, some companies may hire individuals with an undergraduate degree in Art History as project managers or creative directors who are tasked with bringing campaigns from concept to completion.

Conclusion:

An undergraduate degree in Art History is valuable not only for those interested in traditional roles such as museum curators or gallery directors but also for individuals looking to pursue careers outside academia such as jobs in advertising or project management. With an understanding of both the history and practice of visual arts, those with an undergraduate degree have access to a wide variety of fulfilling career paths.