The Ph.D. Program in Art History at The Graduate Center of The City University of New York is dedicated to the development of scholars, teachers, museum personnel, art critics, and other arts professionals. It provides students with a general background in the history of art to prepare them to serve their discipline and their communities in all areas of cultural endeavor.

The program offers concentrations in the history of painting, sculpture, architecture and design, the graphic arts, photography, and cinema. Major fields of study are offered in Medieval Art and Architecture, Early Modern Art, Modern Art, and Pre-Columbian Art. In addition to taking courses offered at the Graduate Center, students may also take courses through master’s programs in Art History at other units of the City University or through consortium universities which include the Bard Graduate Center, Columbia University, Fordham University, the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, New School University, Princeton University, Rutgers University, or SUNY Stony Brook.

New York City, with its museums, galleries, libraries, and art activities, provides unparalleled opportunities for the study of art history through firsthand experience with art objects and monuments. To expand study and research, courses often include field trips, assignments for independent study, work projects, cooperative ventures, and meetings with artists, curators, art administrators, and critics. Every effort is made to introduce students to active participation in the rich art life of this cultural metropolis.