Undergraduate Programs

Art history is the study of the world’s visual heritage in the context of social, cultural, and intellectual history. The interdisciplinary nature of art history touches on all aspects of human culture, and provides a window into diverse visual phenomena, from prehistoric cave painting to contemporary cyber environments.

The art history major offers diverse educational experiences in the history of art and culture of Western civilizations, as well as those of Asia and the Americas. A program in historic preservation and community planning is available for students interested in architecture and urban design.

The department strongly supports study abroad programs that enable students to experience firsthand the art, architecture, and urban environments they have studied.

Through a sequence of self-selected courses, students learn to do research, work in two studio art areas (such as drawing, photography, etc.), and express their ideas in oral as well as written presentations – all skills required for any future career.

Our graduates have completed advanced degrees in art history and historic preservation, secured positions in major museums and found fulfilling careers in a variety of areas, such as gallery curatorships, teaching, law and architecture, among others.

Major in Art History

Minor Art History

Declaring a Major or Minor
To declare a major or minor login to in My Charleston. Choose the Academic Services Tab. In center column at the top you will see the link for Program of Study Management (POSM) system. Open this link and select declare major or minor, then select the subject to declare.

Historic Preservation and Community Planning

The Historic Preservation and Community Planning program approaches the subjects of historic preservation, architectural and urban design, planning, and architectural and urban history as a group of related disciplines that together address the management of change in the built environment from a design perspective. The program is grounded in the visually oriented environment of the Department of Art and Architectural History and the School of the Arts, yet is still flexible enough to allow students to bring in other courses and experiences through its interdisciplinary curriculum (e.g. archaeology, geology, GIS, history). There are also a number of changing special courses offered by our faculty and drawn from experts in the preservation community in Charleston. Recent offerings include: Autocad and Photoshop for Preservationists, Building Pathology, Historic American Interiors, and Global Issues in Historic Preservation.

The HPCP program offers a Master of Arts in Community Planning, Policy, and Design (CPAD)and a joint MS degree in Historic Preservation with Clemson University.

Major

Minor

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