nyu ma in historical and sustainable architecture
“The best undergraduate department of art history in the country”: This is how
New York Times art critic John Russell once described the Art History program at
NYU. The Department was established to provide a rigorous and wide-ranging
education in the many facets of the history and theory of art, a mission that
its faculty continues to enthusiastically embrace. Students become familiar with
global art from antiquity to the present. The Department offers courses in
Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Modern, Contemporary, East Asian, South
Asian, Islamic, Latin American, African, Oceanic, Pre-Columbian, and Native
American art, treating not only painting, sculpture, architecture, and
photography but also graphic media, manuscript illumination, the decorative
arts, and aspects of urban design. The Department is one of the few
undergraduate programs in the country that also features extensive offerings in
conservation and museology. The myriad museums, galleries, and local
architectural sites make New York City the ideal place in which to study the
visual arts on site, in the flesh. Beyond New York, art history courses are
offered at the university’s various abroad sites, such as Berlin, Buenos Aires,
Florence, London, Madrid, Paris, and Prague. The Department offers two
undergraduate majors and minors, one in Art History and another in Urban Design
and Architecture Studies (URDS). The specific course requirements are outlined
in detail on the Department’s website. Since an education in the history of art
can be enhanced by a firsthand understanding of its making, Art History majors
also are allowed to minor in Studio Art through courses offered in the
Steinhardt School. The Department publishes its own student journal (Ink &
Image) and has an honors program, which culminates in the writing and oral
defense of an honors thesis during the student’s senior year. Art History
graduates have proven exceptionally successful in securing positions in museums,
commercial galleries, auction houses, and nonprofit organizations. Those who go
on to undertake graduate study typically pursue careers as curators,
conservators, and academic art historians at the university and college level.
Students majoring in URDS are well prepared for graduate study in architecture,
urban planning, and historic preservation. For more information, please contact
the Department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies.
