Art History

Following the Spring 2024 term, the art history major is no longer accepting new students. Students interested in this area of study should consider the art history minor. 

Why minor in art history at Coe College?

Coe graduates in art history are visually literate and understand how to navigate the multimedia world of the 21st century. Art history students at Coe College have significant advantages.

• Class sizes are small, allowing for individual attention and learning. Classrooms are highly interactive, promoting opportunities for critical thinking.
• Coe has the #22 Most Accessible Professors in the nation, according to The Princeton Review.
• Incorporates an innovative curriculum that emphasizes visual literacy, awareness and implementation that supports a variety of occupations. 
• Focus on making and meaning, developing an understanding of visual and contextual history and analysis.
• In studying form and content, as well as technical and conceptual aspects of art and art history, students learn to critically evaluate and communicate effectively to broad and diverse audiences. 
• The art history minor pairs well with museum studies and art, as well as other academic disciplines such as education, history, international studies, writing and business administration.

Careers for art history students

A minor in art history prepares you for a wide range of rewarding careers in the arts, business, academia and elsewhere. Nearly 100% of reporting Coe graduates are employed or in grad school within nine months of graduation. Art history can open doors to careers in a variety of fields, including:

• Arts administration
• Museums, which encompasses a variety of occupational options
• Commercial gallery 
• Auction houses and professional appraiser
• Professor/Teacher
• Art consultant
• Architect and architectural historian

Course requirements

Check the Coe catalog to review all of your options. A grade of “C” (2.0) or higher must be earned in all courses counted toward a minor in art history.  An art history minor may also complete an art major, art minor, or museum studies minor, but only two courses may count toward both the major and the minors. 

1. ARH-128 Introduction to Art History 
2. Three additional art history courses, one of which must be ARH-200 or above. Can also include one of the following: 
   1. ANT-125 Art and Archaeology of the Classical World 
   2. COM-357 Sex, Race, and Gender in the Media (WE) 
   3. COM-161 Visual Rhetoric 
   4. HIS-318 Topics in History: DWP (WE) 
   5. MS- 1XX History of Museums 
3. ARH-307 Modern and Contemporary Art (WE) 
4. One 100-or 300-level ART-course