Study art and visual culture from around the world
Art history looks at art in its historical context, taking into account the time, location, cultural ideals, philosophy, aesthetics, and techniques involved in its creation.
Art history is a great field for people who are intellectually curious about the world and want to hone their skills in research and communication. Our undergraduate art history degree has an unusual degree of flexibility allowing you to forge an individual path of study based on your interests and goals. You can even apply appropriate courses from other departments to this degree.
Our program offers a broad spectrum of courses covering art created in the earliest days of human culture to the contemporary art scene. You will delve into courses like Italian Renaissance Art, Chinese Painting, Islamic Art, and Latin American Women Artists, as well as thematic courses like Medieval Monsters and Nature into Art.
Most of our classes are small, ranging from 15-35 students, and offer research opportunities throughout the curriculum. Motivated students have the option of a senior year thesis project. We have a robust range of online courses but also value the first-hand study of art. We even have travel funds that allow several art history classes a year to take free-for-students trips to places like Los Angeles, New York, and Denver. These excursions often involve unique behind the scenes experiences not available to the general public.
We strive to make connections
Every year we host guest lectures by visiting scholars representing a variety of art-historical themes. You will also have the opportunity to create community through participation in our Art History Student Association. Some of our students participate in internships with local arts and non-profit institutions.
Our location in the heart of Downtown Portland places us just steps from museums, hundreds of independent art galleries, and Portland vibrant creative scene. The Portland Art Museum (PAM) is just a short walk down the Park Blocks. Students in our program like to take advantage of PAM's College Creative License which offers college students a year-long museum pass for the price of a single admission.
As an art history major at PSU, you will not only grow academically: you will be challenged to explore.