FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Does art history have a lot of requirements?
The Art History major requires relatively few credits for graduation (9 credits); the Architectural Studies major requires a few more (12 credits total) but three of those are in a field or fields outside of the Department of Art and Art History. In general, we have structured the curriculum of both programs to allow students a lot of choice in the kinds of classes they take and the subjects of those classes. Students take introductory courses, an honors seminar, and the senior capstone. In between, they take courses largely of their choosing across the Art History Program.
What do art history students do after graduation?
Our students follow many different paths. Some stay close to art history, others use the liberal arts foundation they received in our program to turn toward other fields like medicine, law, and computer science. Our graduates include many of the leading scholars in the fields of art and architectural history, curators and museum directors, architects and planners, community activists and teachers. Because we seek to teach students to look carefully, read perceptively, and write well, a major or minor in our program can be a basis for many careers.
How do art history students prepare for careers in the field?
Frequently, majors and minors in our program seek a summer internship in their field of interest. Most major museums on the East Coast and beyond offer internships and our students are consistently successful in gaining such positions. Recently, other students have found positions at smaller museums, art galleries, architecture firms, and nonprofit organizations. Students interested in design careers often pursue programs like Design Discovery at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, to have a grad-school-like studio experience and see if they would enjoy further study after Swarthmore. And still other students work as research assistants for faculty or pursue their own research, often in preparation for theses or their senior capstone papers. At Swarthmore, many of these pursuits receive funding from the college, through Swarthmore Funded Summer Opportunities, the Lang Center, or other on-campus sources. This financial support allows students to take positions with no or low salaries or pursue tuition-based programs or their own independent work.
Are there opportunities to work on professors’ research projects?
Faculty in the Art History Program have active research profiles; at any given moment, professors are working on books, articles, talks, conference papers, and more. All of the faculty have worked with student research assistants and benefited from their involvement. Availability depends on a given professor’s needs, but we encourage students to build relationships with their professors and let them know of your interests so that they can keep you in mind as opportunities arise.
Can I study abroad if I major in art history or architectural studies?
Yes! Many of our students study abroad, and most study abroad programs include courses in art and architectural history as options. We encourage our students to gain the unique experience and perspective that comes with studying our subject beyond Swarthmore’s campus. Up to two study abroad courses can count toward the major. Recent students have studied in Rome, Cape Town, and Copenhagen, among other places. Swarthmore also has partnerships with some domestic study programs, including Pomona College and others, which offer off-campus study without traveling abroad.
Can I take courses at other area colleges?
The Tri-College Consortium makes cross-registration easy at Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College, and Swarthmore students may also take one course per semester at the University of Pennsylvania through the Quaker Consortium. More information on those options is available here. In particular, our students have often taken courses in History of Art and Growth and Structure of Cities at Bryn Mawr, though numerous undergraduate courses at these institutions complement our curriculum at Swarthmore.
Am I allowed to double major in art history or architectural studies and another field?
Absolutely! Many of our students double major, and they do so in fields across the college, with computer science, sociology and anthropology, and biology just some recent examples. In general, relatively low credit requirements for most majors make double majoring (or majoring and minoring) very doable, and you may also double count up to two credits for both the art history or architectural studies major and your second major.
What kinds of on-campus events involve art and architecture?
The Art History Program hosts annual lectures featuring art and architectural historians, artists, and designers; lunches focused on careers in the arts; and a variety of other events that bring figures in art and architecture to campus. The Art Program, also in the Department of Art and Art History, holds frequent events open to all students. And there are several places on campus that feature changing exhibitions and relevant events: the List Gallery, which stages exhibitions from contemporary artists and the Swarthmore College Art Collection, the student-run Kitao Art Gallery, and Swarthmore College Libraries, which have a variety of exhibition spaces and relevant collections, including the Book Arts & Private Press Collection. Beyond those, artists and members of allied fields visit frequently through the college’s Cooper Series, the Lang Center, and other departments’ programming. Even on our small campus, there are exciting events, concerts, and programs every day.