What Can I do With a Degree in Art History?
- Places of Employment
- Suggested Reading for Art History Majors
- Vocational Biographies
- Professional Associations
- Internet Sites wtih Career-Related Information for Art History Majors
- Internet Sites with Job Search Information for Art History Majors
Places of Employment
Students who major in art history develop skills that are highly valued by employers. These skills include: critical and creative thinking; oral, written, and visual communication skills; the ability to take multiple approaches to solving problems; adaptability; the ability to work effectively individually and collaboratively; the ability to interpret cultures; organization; research and synthesis. Students and alumni may find employment in government, nonprofits, educational institutions, and businesses, depending on their skills and experience. Internships or relevant part-time jobs may be a prerequisite to finding employment.
Jobs Reported by Art History Majors
This is a list of jobs art history majors reported having at graduation. It was generated from survey data published by colleges and universities across the United States. Advising & Career Services provides this list as a tool for generating ideas for exploration.
- Account Support Representative for a company providing educational tours
- Actuarial Associate for a public accounting firm
- Administrative Assistant for an art museum
- Administrator for a museum of contemporary art
- Analyst for a financial services firm
- Analyst for an investment banking firm
- Art Consultant for an art gallery
- Art Teacher for an independent school
- Assistant Account Executive for a public relations firm
- Assistant Department Manager for a department store
- Assistant Director for a company providing tutoring services
- Assistant for an auction house
- Assistant Research Executive for a market research firm
- Assistant to On-Air Promotions for a comedy channel
- Associate Director of Operations for a seaport museum
- Associate Editor for museum
- Associate for a global management and consulting firm
- Associate for an art gallery
- Associate for an international strategy consulting firm
- Business Analyst for a global management consulting company
- Business Development and Marketing Associate for software development company
- Business Valuation Associate for an accounting firm
- Client Executive for a global public relations & communications firm
- Coordinator for Special Projects at a college
- Corporate Librarian for a high-tech company
- Corporate Paralegal for a law firm
- Curator for a historical trust
- Curatorial Intern for an art museum
- Customer Care Representative for a mobile communications company
- Customer Service Representative for a provider of bibliographic information management solutions
- Development Assistant for a public relations firm
- Development Assistant for an art museum
- Development Associate for an arts school
- Division Specialist for an arts-related federal agency
- Education Assistant for a contemporary art museum
- Event Coordinator for a performing arts center
- Executive Assistant for a financial history museum
- Executive Assistant for an auction house
- Executive Trainee for a department store
- Fashion Stylist for a clothing retailer
- Finance Coordinator for a science museum
- First Grade Teacher for a national educational nonprofit
- Gallery Attendant for an art gallery
- Grant Manager for a university
- Historian for a cultural resource management firm
- Historic Interpreter for a state park
- Human Resources Associate for a provider of internet-related products
- Information Specialist for a professional association
- Intern for a fashion/lifestyle magazine
- Intern for a national art museum
- Intern for an American art museum
- Intern for an art museum
- Intern for an arts foundation
- Lead Teacher for a faith-based school
- Legal Analyst for law firm
- Legal Assistant for a hedge fund management firm
- Legal Assistant for an international law firm
- Library Assistant for an institutional asset management firm
- Management Associate for a bank
- Manager for a clothing retailer
- Manager for a gallery
- Marketing Consultant and Creative Design Specialist for an advertising firm
- Office Assistant for a flight museum
- Office Manager for a gallery
- Operations Manager for a symphony orchestra
- Placement Manager for staffing agency
- Product Design Project Manager for a consumer goods company
- Product Specialist for a provider of retirement investment products for employers
- Project Assistant for a commercial real estate market research firm
- Public Relations Specialist for a fashion designer
- Realtor for a builder of sustainable neighborhoods
- Research Assistant for a federal public health agency
- Research Assistant for an art museum
- Residential Counselor for a nonprofit serving people with physical disabilities
- Sales Representative for a seller of natural stone products
- Special Events Associate for a museum
- Specialist for a consumer electronics company
- Teacher for an alternative teacher certification program
- Teacher’s Aide for a nonprofit preschool for children with cancer
- Tutor for an urban charter school
For additional ideas, review this list of employers who posted jobs for students majoring in Arts and Letters:
- Beaverton School District — Web Developer
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington — Development Coordinator
- Buckle, The — Management Development Program
- Cadmus Group, Inc., The — Marketing Coordinator — Entry Level
- Calypte Biomedical Corporation — Business Development Analyst
- Catholic Community Services — Community Support Specialist
- City of Hillsboro — Volunteer Services Coordinator
- Cmedia-Respond2 Communications — Media Account Coordinator
- Consolidated Graphics — Leadership Development Program Associate
- Con-way Enterprise Services — Lead Instructional Designer/Usability Analyst
- Database Marketing Agency, Inc. (DMA) — Data Processing Analyst
- E3: Employers for Education Excellence — Administrative Coordinator
- ECONorthwest — Research Assistant
- First Investors Corporation — Financial Services Representative
- Fisher Investments — Account Executive
- Friends of the Children — Professional Mentors
- Fund for Public Interest Research, The — Canvass Director, Citizen Outreach
- Federal Bureau of Prisons — Correctional Officer
- Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. — Field Manager, Citizen Outreach Directors
- Hands to Hearts International — Research & Outreach Coordinator
- Harland Financial Solutions — Office Services Coordinator
- Hertz Corporation — Manager Trainee
- Human Services Council — Transportation Screener, Interpreter Services Screener
- Human Services Research Institute — Administrative Assistant
- Iberdrola Renewables — Trading Analyst
- InfiniSource, Inc. — High Tech Administrative Assistant
- Interaction Metrics — Research Lead: Research/Scoring and Presentations
- KATU Channel 2 Portland — News Reporter
- Knowledge Learning Corporation — Grants Coordinator
- Kohl's Department Stores — Store Management Trainee
- Korean American League for Civic Action (KALCA) — Executive Director
- Kraft Foods, Inc. — Operations Supervisor
- League of Oregon Cities — Intergovernmental Relations Assistant
- Legal Aid Services of Oregon — Administrator
- Massini Group — Database Marketing Specialist
- McKenzie River Trust — Director of Resources
- MENTOR Oregon — Direct Service Employee
- Miller & Zimmerly Real Estate Investment Group — Executive Assistant/Office Coordinator
- Multnomah County Sheriff's Office — Deputy Sheriff
- Multnomah County Sustainability Program — Waste Reduction & Recycling Plan Coordinator
- Nature Conservancy of Oregon, The — Administrative Assistant
- Newell Rubbermaid — National Account Specialist
- Northwestern Mutual Financial Network — Associate Pension Specialist
- Office of Mayor Sam Adams — Art and Culture Policy Coordinator
- Oregon After-school for Kids — Youth Development Network Coordinator
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) — Land Application and Licensing Manager
- Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) — Program Coordinator, Local Agency Construction Administration Liaison, Construction Contracts Specialist, Research Analyst, Inspector
- Oregon State Police — Oregon State Troopers
- Pacific Interpreters, Inc. — In-house scheduler/ Spanish Quality Assurance Specialist
- Physicians for Social Responsibility — Executive Director
- Pinemeadow Golf, Inc. — Marketing and Sales Representative
- Safeway, Inc. — Assistant Store Manager
- SAIF — Claims Adjuster Trainees, Claims Adjuster, Claims Adjuster Supervisor, Bilingual Claims Adjuster
- Standard, The — Communications Specialist I
- State Farm Insurance — Claim Representative, Underwriter
- State of Oregon — Research Analyst 4, Procurement & Contract Specialist 3
- Teach Abroad — Teacher in China
- TruGreen — LandCare Site Measurer
- Universal Forest Products — Production Manager Trainee, Sales Trainee
- University of Oregon (UO) — Assistant Director for Alumni Relations
- US Border Patrol — Border Patrol Agent
- US Census Bureau — Vietnamese Interpreter
- US Department of Veterans Affairs — Management Analyst
- US Postal Service — Associate Account Manager
- Volunteers of America — Child Care Supervisor, Toddler Interventionist
- Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services — Home Ownership Program Assistant
- Yahoo! — Client Advocate
- Zones, Inc. — Account Executive
Suggested Reading for Art History Majors
- Careers for Color Connoisseurs and Other Visual Types by Jan Goldberg. Includes chapters on art museum professionals, art gallery professionals, and art educators.
- Careers for Culture Lovers and Other Artsy Types by Marjorie Eberts and Margaret Gisler. Provides information about the following careers in museums: director, curator, conservator, exhibits designer, registrar, educator, development officer, and membership officer. Also includes information on artist's representative, art appraiser, art critic, art auctioneer, and art teacher.
- Careers in Art: An Illustrated Guide, second edition by Gerald F. Brommer and Joseph A. Gatto. Describes many art-related careers, including art historian, college art instructor, museum director and curator, conservator and restorer, gallery owner/director, art writer, art/architecture critic.
- Great Jobs for Art Majors, second edition, by Blythe Camenson. See chapter on career paths in art history.
- Top Careers for Art Graduates published by Checkmark Books. Provides information on careers for archivists, college professors, conservators and conservation technicians, exhibit designers, museum directors, and museum curators.
Vocational Biographies describes the career success stories of 1001 real people. Search by career title, keyword, topic, and career cluster. Username: portland su and pass code: 3w9n.
- Archivist
- Art Conservator/Framer
- Art Critic
- Art Handler
- Arts Center Manager
- Arts Funder
- Church Art Restorator
Sites with Career-Related Information for Art History Majors
- A Career Guide for Art History Majors — From Fine Arts Career Services at the University of Texas at Austin.
- Archivists, Curators, and Museum Technicians — From the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
- Career Opportunities for Majors in Art History — From Career Services, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
- Career Alternatives for Art Historians — From Charles M. Rosenberg, professor of art history, at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.
- Career Options in History of Art and Visual Culture/Art History — From the History of Art and Visual Culture Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
- Careers in the Arts — From Career Services at the State University of New York, Oswego.
- The Knox Connection: Careers and Art History — From Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois. Lists job titles and places of employment for Knox College art history alumni.
- What Can I do with a Major in...Art History — From the Career Services Office at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina.
- What Can I do With a Major in...Art History — From the Career Center at the University of Minnesota, Morris, Minnesota. Includes a list of skills acquired by art history majors.
Sites with Job Search Resources for Art History Majors
- Job Openings — From the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) of Portland, Oregon.
- Employment, Internship, and Volunteer Listings — From the Artist Trust, "a not-for-profit organization dedicated exclusively to supporting Washington State artists working in all creative disciplines."
- Museum and Cultural Resource Job Vacancy Index — From the Museum Employment Resource Center (MERC). "The Museum Employment Resource Center lists jobs and other information related to the museum, heritage management, and cultural resource communities."
- American Alliance of Museums (AAM) — "The American Alliance of Museums' mission is to nurture excellence in museums through advocacy and service."
- Association of Art Historians — "The Association of Art Historians (AAH) was formed in 1974 to support and promote the study of art history. We are the national organisation for professional art and design historians, researchers or students who are involved in education, galleries, museums and art-related publishing, or any other activity linked with art and design history."
Arts Organizations
- Artist Trust
- National Endowment for the Arts
- Oregon Arts Commission
Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) - Westside Cultural Alliance — "The Westside Cultural Alliance is a coalition of representatives from arts, cultural, educational, government and business organizations who seek to nurture and promote Arts, Heritage, and Humanities in Washington County, Oregon."
- Oregon Arts Commission — Provides a database of Oregon galleries: Oregon Gallery Guide. Lists regional arts councils in Oregon: Oregon Regional Arts Councils.
Department of Art - Portland State University
