Planning Your Major

This page is designed to help you plan your time as a History of Art and Architecture major by bringing together information on:

Academic Requirements
Internships
Language study
Study Abroad
The Senior Thesis
Careers 
Graduate Programs

1. Declaring a Major

Requirements: You can find general information on declaring a major in the Degree Requirements section of the General Catalogue.

For requirements specific to majors and minors in the History of Art and Architecture department. click here

2.  Internships & Volunteer Work

Galleries, museums, auction houses, archives, the federal government, design agencies, publishing houses and other institutions all offer internships that can give you the chance to gain professional skills and connections, and allow you to see what particular jobs are really like. Law and investment firms also often offer internships if you are interested in a field such as Art Law or Art Investment.

Be aware that many internships are not paid, and competition for all internships can be very stiff. A little research about the kind of work offered to interns at different places will ensure that you really have the chance to develop your skills rather than only answering the phone and filing papers.

More information on internships is available at Career Services Office, in person or on the web.

3.Language Courses & Summer Language Schools

If you are taking a language during the regular academic year in one of the foreign language departments to prepare for study abroad, be sure to plan ahead. Courses at the Middlebury Schools Abroad, as well as at many other study abroad programs, are not taught in English. Learning art history and developing your language skills at the same time is challenging, and you will want to arrive in the country you choose as well-prepared as possible.

If you are interested in graduate study in art history, be aware that most programs require you to pass reading exams in two or more languages. Other art-related careers such as those at auction houses, archives, libraries, and museums also often require knowledge of at least one foreign language.

You may want to consider enrolling in the Summer Language Schoolat Middlebury. Though not required for the History of Art and Architecture major, this intensive language school will prepare you to make the most of time studying abroad and can allow you to begin earning credits towards a Middlebury advanced degree.

4.Study Abroad

Many of our students spend part or all of their junior year studying in a foreign country, either at one of the C.V. Starr Middlebury Schools Abroad or at an approved non-Middlebury program. If you choose to study abroad, you will want to discuss with your adviser which program will best suit your area of specialization and professional interests in the history of art and architecture. It is up to the student to tie together the separate elements that go into studying in another country: choosing a program, developing the necessary language skills, and deciding on classes that will address your interests.

Also, you may want to talk to the faculty before you go abroad to find out which courses will be offered the year you return. This way you can make sure that you can meet department requirements with the courses you really need and want to take rather than simply what happens to be available.

5.Senior Thesis

Methods and Theories in the History of Art (HARC 700), required during the Fall semester of your senior year, helps to prepare you for the original research you will do for your senior thesis. This class introduces you to the research methods and theoretical perspectives that will frame your thesis topic and structure your research and writing. In the Winter term that follows, you begin supervised research and writing in HARC 710 (culminating in a trip for senior majors to New York or another center of the art world). While enrolled in HARC 711 during the Spring semester, you independently finish researching and writing your thesis while consulting with your adviser. In the middle of the Spring semester, the department hosts a public symposium at which all students in HARC 711 give presentations on their thesis research.

The Christian A. Johnson prize is awarded each year for outstanding senior work.

6.Careers

It is never too early to begin investigating careers you might want to pursue after graduation. Thinking about your career interests now will help you choose appropriate internships, volunteer work, a thesis topic, and a study abroad program. It will also help you decide if you will pursue graduate studies, and if you should apply for graduate study during your senior year or work for awhile first.

Possible careers for History of Art and Architecture majors include: Academician, Appraiser, Archaeologist, Architect, Artists' Representative, Conservator, Consultant, Dealer, Design, Gallery Sales, Librarian/Archivist, Museum or Corporate Curator, Visual Resources Curator, and Writer.

Other areas for History of Art and Architecture Majors to consider are: Art Investment, Art Law, Auction House, Decorative Arts/Material Culture, Museum, New Media, Preservation, and Publishing.

Alumni Symposium on Careers for Majors in the History of Art and Architecture: Held annually in the fall, this symposium offers students the opportunity to meet departmental alumni working in art- and architecture-related fields. Alumni discuss their undergraduate experiences at Middlebury, their present careers, and how their careers have evolved. After these presentations, students can schedule individual consultations with alumni for further information.

Career Services: Middlebury's Career Serviceshas resources that can help you tailor your major and extracurricular work to fit the job or graduate program that interests you. This service is also available to alumni.

Career Services can best help you if you go early in your time at Middlebury rather than, say, the last two weeks before graduation. Also, come prepared with questions to research; otherwise, you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available.

Subscribing toListservs (e-mail networks) of different professional organizations can help you find out about job openings that might not be advertised elsewhere. Even before you begin actively applying for jobs, the sometimes detailed descriptions of available positions can give you a good idea of skills, responsibilities, and salaries for a variety of professions -- some of which you may not have realized existed.

Christian A. Johnson Symposium: Held in the spring, this annual scholarly symposium is devoted to a single topic on which faculty and students present original research and insights. The symposium offers an excellent opportunity for History of Art and Architecture students to experience first hand one of the primary modes of academic communication: the presentation of scholarly papers. Those students who participate also gain valuable experience in public-speaking and applying advanced theoretical perspectives.

Past topics include: "Expressing and Confronting Belief: Art and Religion"; "Artist, Patron, Model, Muse: Women in the History of Art, Art and the City"; "Looking Backward: The Visual Arts during the Twentieth Century"; and "A Celebration in Honor of the 400th Birthday of Gianlorenzo Bernini".

7.Graduate Programs

One can pursue a graduate degree or certificate in all of these fields and professions: Academia, Architecture, Archaeology, Art History, Conservation/Preservation, Decorative Arts/Material Culture, Design/New Media, Library Science, and Publishing. You can find more information on these programs at Career Services and on the web.

Your academic advisor can help you to choose the graduate program that best fits your interests and professional goals. At the graduate level, it is not possible to generalize and say that a certain university is "good for art history". You will want to find the universities that have a particular strength in your chosen area of specialization, such as early East Asian art or contemporary art. Much depends on finding a graduate advisor you can work with who knows your field.

As you research different programs, pay careful attention to departmental policies on graduate funding. Some departments will pay only the cost of tuition, some will cover tuition and provide a stipend, and some restrict eligibility for funding to students who have completed one year of the program. Some funding requires graduate students to teach or work as research assistants for a certain number of hours per week, and a few offer full fellowships. If you are an American considering international programs, be aware that your eligibility for funding may be somewhat limited at foreign universities.

If you are considering a Master's Degree or Ph.D., it is worth discussing with your advisor at Middlebury the differences between the two. Just as a M.A. makes different demands on a student than a B.A., there is a significant difference between the level of commitment demanded by M.A. and Ph.D. programs.

A few final tips

• Do not feel as if you have to plan your major all by yourself. Department faculty can be very helpful, providing information and contacts. Students in the department are usually more than happy to talk about their experiences and share insights.

• Please be aware that Studio Art courses are very popular and gaining a place can be difficult. Enroll early in your career to satisfy any requirements.

• Although it is important to think ahead and plan your major carefully, there is something to be said for flexibility and serendipity. Many students find that some of their best experiences grow out of unplanned choices. Instead of locking yourself into something rigid, leave some room for the unexpected.