### SUMMARY

 Choosing to study Art History is a valuable choice and ordinarily a necessary first step for students choosing to pursue a career as a curator, a teacher, or an art publisher. Interestingly, art history is fairly common ranking as the 119th most popular area of study. In the last year, there were 2,784 art history degrees conferred. In-state tuition for art history at private institutions is, on average, 4.6 times more spendy than their public counterparts.

 There are 411 institutions that offer this degree. 411 institutions is on par with other majors offered in the United States. If you are hoping to surround yourself with other art history students, look at universities in New York which have more undergraduates admitted to art history than any other state. More generally, the top region to study art history is in the Mid East region with [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york), [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university), and [University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus](/colleges/university-of-pittsburgh-pittsburgh-campus) best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick of the best conference to major in art history is the Ivy League with [Yale University](/colleges/yale-university), [Barnard College](/colleges/barnard-college), and [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york) representing the conference. From our comprehensive list of the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our choice for the best university for art history is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university).

 The 'best' school does not mean it is the best school for every student. There are tons more perspectives to think about when choosing school. Things such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food might definitely sway your choice of where to go to school. Here at authority.org, we examined the pros and cons for you. If, as an example, you are interested in which art history college is home to the top college campus, the answer is [Harvard University](/colleges/harvard-university). If, for example, you are very interested in which college boasts the finest campus, we have an entire page [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through government databases, professor reviews, student reviews, and more to compare each major in an unbiased and informative way. You can find our well researched list for the schools with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and from that list, our selection of the university with the best student life for art history is [Barnard College](/colleges/barnard-college). Are you curious why? Continue scrolling to learn more about Authority's top recommendations. Many of our decisions will probably shock you.

 If price is a significant deciding factor in your decision on where to go to school, you might be cautious about [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york). [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york)&nbspappears to be the most expensive university for art history, at least for out of state attendance. We have a list of the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspcolleges that might put the expense of [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york)&nbspinto perspective. Additionally, you may be interested to know that art history is the 12th most expensive major in America, with an average bill of $54,300. On a broader scale, the most costly state for art history in the nation is Rhode Island with expenses at the main college, Brown University, of $57,112. Even more broadly, the most costly region for art history is the New England region which is best demonstrated with [Boston College](/colleges/boston-college) with a cost of $56,780, [Tufts University](/colleges/tufts-university) with a cost of $57,324, and [Brown University](/colleges/brown-university) with a cost of $57,112.

 Our cheapest region for art history is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by [University of Colorado Boulder](/colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder) with a cost of $34,930, [Brigham Young University-Provo](/colleges/brigham-young-university-provo) with a cost of $5,790, and [University of Utah](/colleges/university-of-utah) with a cost of $26,017. On the bright side, the most affordable college for art history is [The University of Texas at Austin](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-austin). Authority.org's full list of the most affordable universities can be explored [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state learners can anticipate paying around $11,400 for a degree in art history. That price grows by a lot to an average of $29,700 for the out-of-state public-school undergrad. Our choice for the school constituting the best value for art history: [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). Here you will find our comprehensive list of the universities we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspoverall. With that said, this list is predicated on the assumption that you are an out-of-state student. A discussion of value changes when in-state tuition is considered, as such, we are using out-of-state tuition as the baseline.

 Earnings for art history students vary a lot, but within two-years of leaving college graduates will often earn in the neighborhood of $48,900. While there can be a lot of variation in pay; top positions can make up to $89,700. Even straight out of college, the minimum earning jobs within the art history space earn $27,000, which could be worse. The top earning grads for art history come from [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university)&nbspand if you want to find the universities with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The general diversity of art history ranks subpar, coming within the 48th percentile of majors nationally. The college with the most composite diversity for art history is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university)&nbspand here you can find our comprehensive list for the universities which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The overall financial diversity of the Art History major only ranks in the 35th percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is actually greater, ranking in the 49th percentile. White students make up the largest share at 62% of scholars majoring in art history. Additionally, 82% of undergrads pursuing an art history degree are women.

 The median ranking of art history professors is 4 stars, a ranking which is exactly the average across every major; this is a fine. If you want the most popular art history instructor in the nation, consider looking up Jason Sampson from [J Sargeant Reynolds Community College](/colleges/j-sargeant-reynolds-community-college). This might be shocking, but the highest ranked instructors for art history according to students are found at [Kennesaw State University](/colleges/kennesaw-state-university). As we including data beyond basic rankings we find that the school possessing the best professors for art history is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). You will find more detail on our ever evolving ranking methodology for the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), as well as some of the finest examples of instructors nationwide.

 Finally, the hardest school to get into for art history is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). While we do not necessarily see the value in it, we have an extensive page for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). Although, we do hope you understand that considering college with context primarily built on superlatives might create problems. We encourage you to explore our other pages on individual topics and explore some of our background articles on beneficial details to look for as your college search continues.



 ### POPULARITY

 Art history is the 119th most popular degree in America, with 2,784 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #120 [Pharmaceutical Sciences](/rankings/best-colleges-for-pharmaceutical-sciences), and narrowly lost to #118 [Clinical Nutrition Services](/rankings/best-colleges-for-clinical-nutrition-services).

 The degree is offered at a total of 411 colleges across the nation, and is the 54th most widely offered degree. Given that art history is offered at 74% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.

 It is also worth noting that in the region of 3/7ths of colleges offering art history are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The mid east produces the most art history graduates, largely led by [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york), while it’s the Ivy League that leads conference totals. As far as states, New York ranks highest, with particular help from [Barnard College](/colleges/barnard-college) and [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more art history graduates than [University of Alabama at Birmingham](/colleges/university-of-alabama-at-birmingham), which graduated 67 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study art history). More students studied art history as a percentage of total students at [Kansas City Art Institute](/colleges/kansas-city-art-institute) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Art history is the 12th most expensive major in the United States, with a median cost of $54,340 amongst the top 50 programs (just ahead of #13, [Neuroscience](rankings/best-colleges-for-neuroscience), with a median cost of $54,318).

 New England has the most expensive colleges with top 50 art history programs predominantly led by [Boston College](/colleges/boston-college) with an annual cost of $56,780. Rhode Island is the most expensive state for art history led by [Brown University](/colleges/brown-university).

 Public schools with solid programs typically charge 78.14% less than private schools for in-state students. When looking at out-of-state tuition however, the median top 50 Public school charges 43.25% less than your average private school. So, if you're applying to a state school, make sure you're eligible for in-state tuition sooner rather than later.

 The most expensive top 25 college for art history is [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york), which is the 3rd most expensive college in America. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [College of Charleston](/colleges/college-of-charleston). It costs just $70 per year but is its art history program is ranked #100. If you’re looking for a higher ranked, but still affordable college, [The University of Texas at Austin](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-austin)  could be for you, ranked #16 with an in-state cost of just $10,824. Another more affordable choice would be #25, [Kansas City Art Institute](/colleges/kansas-city-art-institute) in Jackson County, MO with a cost of $38,700 for in-state students and $38,700 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Starting college is a major investment for most undergraduates. It is critical to be confident you get a high return on that investment. Therefore, we hope the following income and career stats help you make an intelligent decision when picking your major.

 The average Art History major makes a starting salary of $25,864 per annum (bottom 7%). Further into their vocations, they predominantly make something between $26,967 and $89,704, but average around $48,855. Just so you know, that's 26% over the American average.

 The most popular job placement for an Art History graduate is Account Executive, which ordinarily make around $36,000; next are Sales Consultant and Consultant, which ordinarily earn around $36,000 and $56,000 respectively.

 The best paid region for Art History graduates is The Rocky Mountains. WY has the most well paid Art History graduates of any state. The most well paid conference for Art History graduates is Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Art History: Median Professor Rating: 4 / 5, which is average.

 Instructors always have a pivotal impact your college experience, no matter what you major in. A good teacher may provide inspiration and even make a difficult subject seem easy. On the other hand, an unpleasant professor can disenchant you from a subject or even worse... fail you!

 Art History professors have a median student rating of 4 / 5, which puts these professors in the upper 46th percentile in the United States grounded in student approval. Suprisingly, this major is exactly the median for professor rating, which, in our opinion, is remarkably average! Art History professors just out-ranked those from ["Psychology"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-psychology), whereas ["Behavioral Sciences"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-behavioral-sciences)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Art History.

 Now for some statistics about Art History professors. Colleges located in distant rural areas tend to have the best Art History professors. The Division II Independents has the highest rated Art History professors. The Southeast region has the highest rated Art History professors. Public institutions tend to have higher rated Art History professors than private institutions. Finally, South Dakota has the highest rated Art History professors in the nation.

 Jason Sampson, professor at [J Sargeant Reynolds Community College](/colleges/j-sargeant-reynolds-community-college)&nbspin Richmond, VA is the most popular Art History professor in the nation. Thomas Cogliano, professor at [Northern Virginia Community College](/colleges/northern-virginia-community-college)&nbspin Annandale, VA is the highest rated Art History professor in America, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Learn which universities have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College can be an exceedingly formative period of one's life; it's an occasion for personal growth and maturation. Undergraduates begin to realize their purpose and forge the must-have skills to be a thriving adult. But growth is deeper than what one learns in a classroom - the interactions which one has with his peers, the nugget of wisdom received from an old instructor, the exposure to a different position. As such, finding a diverse college vastly enhances what you gain from your time spent in college.

 Art History is a slightly more ethnically diverse focus than average\*. 62% of the US' Art History majors are white students, followed by students of other races\*\*(17%), latino students (12%), and asian students (7%). The most racially diverse college\* in the top 100 is [University of California-Los Angeles](/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles) located in Los Angeles, CA.

 Second, Art History very heavily skews female, more so in the neighborhood of 6 in every 7 subjects. A bit south of five out of six students majoring in Art History identify as women. The most gender balanced school in the top 100 is [Skidmore College](/colleges/skidmore-college) in Saratoga Springs, NY.

 Another important type of diversity is income diversity. Unfortunately, Art History is less fiscally diverse than 65% of focuses in America. 31% of its students come from homes with $110,000 plus annual incomes, 16% are from homes that earn between $48,000 and $75,000 a year, and 23% grew up in families with a sub $30,000 annual income. [College of Charleston](/colleges/college-of-charleston) has the most financially diverse student body in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall CA is the most diverse state for Art History. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the Conference USA is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 7%
* Black: 2%
* Latino: 12%
* White: 62%
* Other: 17%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 18%
* Female: 82%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 23%
* 30k - 48k: 15%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 14%
* Over 110k: 31%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 59%
* Out of State: 31%
* International: 10%


2023 Art History Popularity

There are about 8,160 students enrolled in Art History in the USA.

POPULARITY