Academic Accelerator - Bachelor of Arts - Art History

Art History is the critical inquiry into how people have reimagined their worlds through art, architecture, photography, film, performance, and design. More than anything else, it is a history of creativity. In an increasingly global, competitive, and image-saturated world, it is vital that students be able to think critically and creatively about how visual forms communicate across cultures. 

The UIC program in Art History introduces students to the work of artists, architects, designers, and thinkers who have changed the course of history. Classes cover all historical periods and most of the world’s cultures. Students are trained in the fundamentals of historical analysis, visual literacy, and theoretical understanding. In addition to going on to successful careers as academics and museum professionals, graduates work in teaching, publishing, arts administration, art conservation, public culture, historic preservation, journalism, advertising, business, law, and medicine.

The department's world-renowned faculty are specialists in:

•    Pre-Columbian and Native American Art

•    The Architecture, Archaeology and Art History of the Medieval Mediterranean

•    South Asian Architecture and Art

•    Renaissance and Baroque Architecture, Architectural Theory, and Military Architecture

•    European Art since 1700

•    Modern and Contemporary Architecture, Design, and Theory

•    Modern Art, the Avant-Garde, and Art since 1945

•    Modern and Contemporary Performance Art

•    Critical Theory, Film Theory, and the History of Photography

•    Museum Studies, Curriculum Theories, and Social Justice Pedagogies