Below are the requirements for Art History and Museum Studies.

Required for the Major

The major consists of ten courses encompassing multiple geographical regions and cultural traditions:

  • HARC 0100 (An Introduction to Global Visual Culture)
  • Two courses that focus on arts and cultures pre-1750
  • Two courses that focus on arts and cultures post-1750
  • One 300-level CW Seminar in Art History
  • Two additional courses one of which may focus on art production (Studio Art, Architectural Studies, theatre set or lighting design, Film and Media Culture, or Dance)
  • Senior thesis consisting of HARC 0710 and HARC 0711, the research and writing sequence, to be taken in senior fall and winter terms

Required for the Joint Major

The joint major consists of seven courses encompassing multiple geographical regions and cultural traditions:

A proposed program of study, including educational rationale and specific courses to be taken, must be submitted to the History of Art/Museum Studies chair for approval before registering as a joint major.

  • HARC 0100 (An Introduction to Global Visual Culture)
  • Four Additional Courses, which must include:
    • One course on arts and cultures pre-1750
    • One course on arts and cultures post-1750
    • One 300-level CW Seminar in Art History
  • Senior thesis consisting of HARC 0710 and HARC 0711, the research and writing sequence, to be taken in senior fall and winter terms

Required for the Minor

The minor consists of five courses encompassing multiple geographical regions and cultural traditions:

  • HARC 0100 (An Introduction to Global Visual Culture)
  • Four Additional Courses, which must include:
    • One course on arts and cultures pre-1750
    • One course on arts and cultures post-1750
    • One course at the 300-level or above

Advisory

Most graduate programs in art history and classical archaeology require students to pass reading examinations in at least two foreign languages. For this reason, students interested in graduate study should pursue at least one foreign language during their time at Middlebury. 

Students interested in working in the art world (museums, auction houses, galleries, etc.) may acquire practical experience via internships at the Middlebury College Museum of Art and other museums, as well as by participating in the Museum Assistants Program (MAP) and, during the summer, MuseumWorks at the Middlebury College Museum of Art and the Middlebury Museum Studies program in Oxford, UK.

Please note: Courses taken outside of the department may, by prior approval, be used to satisfy major, joint major, and minor requirements.

Honors

The History of Art and Museum Studies GPA is calculated based on those courses that satisfy the requirements for the major and joint major. Only courses taken at the Middlebury College campus and applied towards History of Art/Museum Studies will be used in the calculation of GPA for purposes of determining honors. Honors are awarded to students with a GPA of 3.5 and a thesis grade of B+ or higher; high honors to students with a GPA of 3.7 and a thesis grade of A- or A; and highest honors to students with a GPA of 3.8 and a thesis grade of A.