Art history is about discovering the past, the eras, and the different movements and ages. It is also an invitation to develop one’s knowledge of the conditions in which the artist’s creativity was influenced. Finally, it is a detailed study of every brushstroke on a canvas and every stroke on a sculpture in order to unravel the secrets of the artwork. As a result, we are given an excellent comprehension of our artistic surroundings and can immerse ourselves in all their senses. It is no surprise that studies in this field are highly coveted and that a large number of higher education establishments around the world offer the chance to immerse themselves in this environment through a variety of programs. Programs that provide students total immersion in the exploration of past paintings, sculptures, and architects.
The following article aims to highlight universities that offer the best education to be found globally. These institutions are beacons of knowledge, where a passion for art combines with first-rate academic expertise to train the next generation of curators, art historians, and enlightened enthusiasts.
Royal college of art
The MA History of Design at the Royal College of art (RCA) in London offers an exclusive opportunity to work in practice with The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). This collaboration allows fellow students to access extraordinary resources and take advantage of national and international networks. As a result of this collaboration, the program has received, since its foundation in 1983, global renown as a leading MA program in this field.
Their method of teaching gives you the opportunity to dive into topics such as inclusivity, decoloniality, and social and environmental engagement, accompanied by an in-depth study of subjects. Among them are: “fashion and textile history; histories of architecture; digital materialities; material histories of medicine, science, and technology; the material culture of everyday life; histories and practices of making, craft and embodied knowledge; environmental history, ecologies of design and the Anthropocene; history of theater and performance; social and political history in relation to design; decoloniality and social justice through design history practice; and global history through material culture.” As a consequence of this excellence of teaching, you will be given, after this 1-year full-time program or two-year part-time program, opportunities to work successfully in positions across universities, museums, cultural and design firms, as well as media outlets and independent practices.
Columbia University
The Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University in New York offers an independent MA program in the field of history of art that ranges from the Antiquity to the 19th century. Known as one of the leading universities in the world, it opens many doors to the students who take part in this program. Indeed, many fellows have received acceptance to continue with a Ph.D. program at Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Cambridge University, and Oxford University, among others. The structure of the programme is built around two main pillars. The thesis accompanies the general coursework. After a full-time enrolment that lasts two years or a part-time enrolment that is four years, the graduate will be getting work positions such as full-time research, development, curatorial as well and exhibition management positions. As this program is mainly focused from antiquity to the 19th century, Columbia University offers, for students interested in studying modern and contemporary art, an MA in Modern and Contemporary Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies (MODA). Doing so, Columbia University provides a quality education in the arts for anyone seeking to further their knowledge.
The Courtauld Institute of Art
The MA in the History of Art provided at The Courtauld in London offers one of the best artistic educational programs in the studies of the creative field. It is through unique teaching, specializing in communication and analytical skills, that the university educates its students for further research or business positions in the art sector. The university seeks to create, thanks to its programs, a class of fellows who are artistically sensitive to their surroundings and could, therefore, contribute to public life as art historians and museum professionals. The Courtauld university has the particularity to offer classes with “Special Option” thought in small groups of 8 to 10 students. Those classes extend the chances of growing their knowledge by working closely with the research specialism of the lecturers. These “Special Option” courses are divided into over twenty different sections that range from the early Middle Ages to the present and studying areas such as Britain, Europe, and North America to Iran, China, and Latin America. It is after completing the two semesters, during a 9-month full-time period, that the fellow will be graduated.
Tsinghua University
Known as the Harvard of China, the Tsinghua University in Peking offers one of the best programs in art history in the world. The Department of Art History, formerly the Department of Craft Art History, founded in 1983, provides two majors, which are Design art and Art Studies. The art of design was assessed as a critical discipline at the state level in 2001, and it is the first to have master’s and doctoral programs among all Chinese higher education institutions. The Department of Arts Studies established a master’s program in 2000 and a doctoral program in 2003. As a student at Tsinghua University, you will have the extraordinary opportunity to study in an institution full of professors who have contributed significantly to the field of art research.
Furthermore, the department has achieved success in research projects, including studies on the history of Chinese dynastic art and craft, foreign art and craft history, introduction to art and craft, and the theory behind Chinese art and craft. These projects have received prizes at both state and ministry levels. Additionally, the department has made contributions to fields such as Western Art History, Russian Art History, Art Criticism, Art Theory, and Buddhist art History. The student will be offered many different research fields, including Chinese Modern Art Research, Art Criticism, Art Market, Art Planning, Chinese and Foreign Craft Art History, Chinese and Foreign Art History, History of Mural Paintings, Public Art, Theory of Art Design History, Chinese Buddhism Art.
Harvard University
Originally founded on the formalist approach of Paul J. Sach’s Museum Course, Harvard University’s graduate studies in art and architecture have evolved to emphasize innovation in research and teaching. The department values intellectual diversity and has a large faculty that studies monuments and materials from around the world using a variety of methodologies.
Students graduate after several years of study. Doctoral candidates adapt their courses during the first two years, combining specialization with more general training. Third-year students embark on teaching activities and prepare for comprehensive examinations while developing their dissertation work. Generous funding allows travel to conduct research in a variety of contexts. Completion grants facilitate thesis writing in the final years. Mentoring and various support mechanisms, including unique academic resources and opportunities such as internships, enrich the program. The art library, which houses over one million documents, is the central pillar of this intellectual enterprise.
References:
QS International (no date) QS World University Rankings for History of Art 2023. https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2023/art-history.
V&A/RCA History of design (no date). https://www.rca.ac.uk/study/programme-finder/history-of-design-ma/.
MA in Art History | Department of Art History & Archaeology | Columbia University (no date). https://arthistory.columbia.edu/content/ma-art-history.
The Courtauld Institute of Art (2023) MA History of Art – The Courtauld. https://courtauld.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/ma-history-of-art/.
Department of Art History-AADTHU (no date). https://www.enad.tsinghua.edu.cn/info/1018/1203.htm.
Graduate program (no date). https://haa.fas.harvard.edu/graduate-program.
