Art History

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Local:$ 70.1 k / Year(s) Foreign:$ 70.1 k / Year(s) Deadline: Nov 1, 2025
20 place StudyQA ranking:3278 Duration:

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Art history is the study of works of art in the context of the broader social, political, and intellectual cultures of which they are a part. Studying art history develops your ability to evaluate and organize information, visual as well as verbal; it also enhances your creative imagination, precise observation, clear expression, and critical judgment. As a student of art history, you will acquire a sophisticated understanding of the theory and practice of artistic production and reception.

A major or second major in art history provides you with the training for teaching, museum and gallery work, art publishing and advertising; the major also provides an appropriate background for graduate training in architecture. An art historian's emphasis is on careful observation, the ordering of diverse sorts of information, expository writing, and scholarly research makes it a good general preparation for any profession.

  • 11 courses
  • Areas of study include ancient, medieval, Renaissance/Baroque, modern and non-western art history
  • Foreign language study is recommended

ARTHIST89S

First-Year Seminar

ARTHIST 104.01

Exploring Art and Architecture

ARTHIST101D

Introduction to the History of Art

ARTHIST102D

Introduction to the History of Art

ARTHIST121

Medieval Cultures

ARTHIST152

Renaissance Cultures

ARTHIST185FS

The Languages of Art

ARTHIST190A

Duke-Administered Study Abroad: Special Topics in Art History

ARTHIST190FS

Topics in Art History

ARTHIST190S

Special Topics in Art History

ARTHIST197A

Visual Culture Outside the United States, I

ARTHIST198A

Visual Culture Outside the United States, II

ARTHIST 220

Museum Theory and Practice

ARTHIST 256

Italian Baroque Art

ARTHIST203

Visualizing Cultural Dissent in Modernism, 1880-1945

ARTHIST205

The Aegean Bronze Age

ARTHIST206

Early Greek Archaeology: From the Fall of Mycenae to the Persian Wars

ARTHIST207

Classical Greek Archaeology, Archaic to Classical

ARTHIST208

Art and Archaeology of Ancient Athens

ARTHIST209A

Rome: History of the City

ARTHIST210

The Art of Greece and Rome

ARTHIST225

Gothic Cathedrals

ARTHIST226

Medieval Architecture

ARTHIST227

Eighteenth-Century Art and Architecture

ARTHIST229

Contemporary Performance

ARTHIST232

Japanese Art, 1600 to the Present

ARTHIST233

Japanese Print Culture

ARTHIST238

Science Fiction Film

ARTHIST250

Introduction to Modern Latin American Art and Visual Culture

ARTHIST255

Art in Renaissance Italy

ARTHIST255A

Renaissance and Baroque Art History

ARTHIST256

Art in Spain During the Golden Age

ARTHIST258FS

Renaissance Architecture in Italy: Brunelleschi to Michelangelo

ARTHIST259

Michelangelo in Context

ARTHIST260, VMS293

French Art and Visual Culture in the Early Modern Period

ARTHIST261

The Contemporary Art Market

ARTHIST278

European Art 1760-1850

ARTHIST279

European Art 1850-1900

ARTHIST280

European Art 1900-1945

ARTHIST282S

Painting Russia Red: Early Soviet Culture, 1917-1934

ARTHIST283

African American Art

ARTHIST285

Modern Architecture

ARTHIST285D

Modern Architecture

ARTHIST286D

Contemporary Architecture

ARTHIST287

Russian Art and Politics: 1800-Present

ARTHIST287FS

Russian Art and Politics

ARTHIST288

Dada and Surrealism

ARTHIST289S

Soviet Art after Stalin: 1956-1991

ARTHIST290

Special Topics in Art History

ARTHIST290-1

Topics in Medieval Art and Architecture

ARTHIST290A-1

Topics in Italian Art and Architecture

ARTHIST291

Independent Study

ARTHIST292

Independent Study

ARTHIST293

Research Independent Study

ARTHIST294

Research Independent Study

ARTHIST295

Chinese Art 1900 to Present

ARTHIST296A

Berlin: Architecture, Art and the City, 1871-Present

ARTHIST297A

Art and Architecture of Berlin, Fifteenth to the Twentieth Century

ARTHIST298

History of Impressionism

ARTHIST260, VMS293

French Art and Visual Culture in the Early Modern Period

ARTHIST301

English Art 1740-1850: Hogarth to the Pre-Raphaelites

ARTHIST302

French Art 1780-1850

ARTHIST304

Cubism and Culture

ARTSVIS305L, ARTHIST305L, VMS332L

Virtual Museums: Theories and Methods of 21st Century Museums

ARTHIST310

Museum Internship

ARTHIST311

Museum Internship, Part 2

ARTHIST337

Netherlandish Art and Visual Culture in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

ARTHIST340S

Classical Sculpture

ARTHIST378

Chinese Buddhist Art

ARTHIST379

Art, Architecture, and Masquerade in Africa

ARTHIST381D

Global Art Since 1945

ARTHIST383

The Black Atlantic

ARTHIST384

Art of the United States

ARTHIST390

Special Topics in Art History

ARTHIST390-1

Topics in Renaissance Art

ARTHIST390A

Duke-Administered Study Abroad: Advanced Special Topics in Art History

ARTHIST390S

Special Topics in Art History

ARTHIST390SL

Special Topics in Art History and Digital Visualization

ARTSVIS305L, ARTHIST305L, VMS332L

Virtual Museums: Theories and Methods of 21st Century Museums

ARTSVIS305L, ARTHIST305L, VMS332L

Virtual Museums: Theories and Methods of 21st Century Museums

ARTHIST490-1

Topics in Nineteenth Century European Art

ARTHIST490-2

Topics in Twentieth Century Art (TOP)

ARTHIST490-3

Topics in Contemporary Art

ARTHIST490-4

Topics in History of Photography

ARTHIST490S

Special Topics

ARTHIST491

Independent Study

ARTHIST492

Independent Study

ARTHIST494

Research Independent Study

  • Common Application or Coalition Application
  • Early Decision Agreement
  • Secondary School Report with Counselor Recommendation
  • High School Transcript
  • Two Teacher Recommendations
  • First Quarter Grades
  • Midyear Grade Report
  • Final Transcript
  • SAT (Two Subject Tests strongly recommended) or ACT with Writing
  • IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Minimum band score expected: 7
  • ​PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English) Minimum score expected: 70
  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Minimum scores expected: 100 on the internet-based TOEFL, 600 on the paper-based TOEFL

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

  • ✔️ Flexible study schedule
  • ✔️ Experienced teachers
  • ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Scholarships

Duke University will meet full demonstrated financial need for a limited number of international students. Each year Duke expects to enroll 20-25 first-year foreign citizens who receive need-based financial aid and/or merit-based scholarships. There is no need-based aid for international transfer applicants.

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