The Art History emphasis within the Art, B.A. at Marshall University offers students a deep and wide-ranging exploration of visual culture across time and place. From ancient Rome and medieval Baghdad to Renaissance Europe and the 20th-century United States, you will develop the critical thinking and research skills needed to analyze art within its historical and cultural contexts.

Housed in Marshall’s Visual Arts Center, a six-story facility dedicated to the arts, the program combines a rigorous core of art history courses with the flexibility to pursue specialized electives that match your interests. Students complete a capstone research project under the mentorship of a faculty advisor, gaining hands-on experience in original scholarly inquiry.

As part of the B.A. curriculum, Art History students are also required to complete a minor outside the School of Art and Design, encouraging intellectual breadth and helping you draw meaningful connections between art history and other fields of study. Whether you are headed toward graduate school, museum work, arts writing, education or another creative field, the Art History emphasis at Marshall gives you the foundation to think critically, write persuasively and engage meaningfully with the visual world.

View Program Overview and Curriculum

Request Info

Find out which of our academic programs is right for you.
Meet some of our current students and hear about their favorite Marshall moments.
Receive invitations to special events for future students.
Get help with the application and enrollment process.

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

Phone Number *

Marshall University Alerts Opt-in to receive key updates on enrollment and vital information for your educational journey. Message frequency varies. Text HELP to 234373 for help; STOP to 234373 to end. Message & Data Rates May Apply. By opting in, I authorize Marshall University to deliver SMS messages using an automatic telephone dialing system and I understand that I am not required to opt in as a condition of purchasing any property, goods, or services. By leaving this box unchecked you will not be opted in for SMS messages at this time. Click to read Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy.

Date of Birth

Program Highlights

Broad Historical Range

The Art History emphasis spans antiquity through the contemporary era, offering courses on ancient Egypt, classical Rome, the Renaissance, the Baroque period, 19th century art, modernism and more. Students build deep expertise across a wide timeline of visual culture.

Visual Arts Center

Art History students study and work in Marshall’s Visual Arts Center, a six-story 66,000-square-foot facility that houses the program alongside studios, a gallery with 150 feet of linear display space and dedicated art history classrooms.

Capstone Research Project

In their final year, students complete an independent study and capstone research project under the mentorship of a faculty advisor, gaining hands-on experience in original art historical scholarship before graduation.

Featured Courses

ART 101 - Visual Culture and Research

Introduction to the functions of art applications of media, elements and principles of design, artists, and aesthetics.

ART 389 - 20th Century Art

A survey of major 20th Century artists works, styles, movements and media in a broad historical context with discussion of research methods and directed research project.

ART 464 - History of Modern Design

History of print and object design from the beginning of the nineteenth through the twentieth century will be studied in terms of art history, technology, politics, economics, and consumer behavior.

View All Courses

Extraordinary Value, Exceptional Returns

The Value of a Marshall Education

At Marshall University, students pay less on average each year than the state average and our graduates earn more, faster.

Average Annual Cost

$7,502

at Marshall University

Marshall

$7,502

Other WV Public

$10,669

Metro Area

$11,921

National Public

$13,381

R2 Institutions

$14,952

Earnings Ratio

1.47

return on your investment

Marshall

1.47

Other WV Public

1.43

Metro Area

1.25

National Public

1.17

R2 Institutions

0.97

What is Earnings Ratio? For every $1 you spend on your Marshall degree, $1.47 comes back to you in future earnings.