Metadata
Title
Art History Major/Minor
Category
undergraduate
UUID
b01df65ab26048c79ef5b5672f767bea
Source URL
https://art.stanford.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/art-history-majorminor
Parent URL
https://art.stanford.edu
Crawl Time
2026-03-23T04:13:45+00:00
Rendered Raw Markdown

Art History Major/Minor

Source: https://art.stanford.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/art-history-majorminor Parent: https://art.stanford.edu

Art History Major

Suggested Preparation

Students considering a major in art history should take ARTHIST 5: Art and Power or any of the survey classes:

Fields of Study and Degree Options

Students who wish to major in Art History must meet with the Student Services Specialist. At that time, the student selects a faculty advisor and declares the major on Axess. Concentrations within the major are approved by the faculty advisor and are not declared on Axess. Students must submit their Concentration Declaration Form to the Student Services Specialist by the end of Winter Quarter of their Junior Year.

Sample concentrations include:

Degree Requirements

Students must complete at least 65 units, 15 courses distributed among geographic areas and time periods. For the most up-to-date information about the Art History major requirements, please visit the Stanford Bulletin.

All majors are required to attend an orientation session presented by the professional staff of the Art and Architecture Library, which introduces the tools of research and reference available on campus and through the internet. Contact Katie Keller (kkeller [at] stanford.edu (kkeller[at]stanford[dot]edu)) to schedule an orientation session.

Core Courses

Students must complete all of the following courses:

ARTHIST 294 serves as the Art History Writing in the Major (WIM) course.

Survey Courses

Students must complete at least three of the following courses:

Area of Concentration

The area of concentration provides students with an in-depth understanding of a coherent topic in Art History and consists of three Art History courses (at least one must be a seminar).

Students must submit an area of concentration form, signed and approved by their faculty advisor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies, by Winter Quarter of their junior year. Both the advisor and Director can help the student identify a concentration. Concentrations are not declared on Axess and do not appear on the transcript or diploma.

Temporal and Geographic Electives

Students must take two courses in each of the six distribution categories. Any individual course satisfies one temporal and one geographic category. A single course may not be used to satisfy multiple temporal or geographic requirements. Survey courses and courses taking in the Area of Concentration may apply towards electives.

Temporal Distribution Categories:

Geographic Distribution Categories:

See the Art History BA Bulletin for a list of approved elective courses.

Honors (optional)

Students interested in honors must submit a thesis proposal and study plan in the Winter Quarter of their junior year.

Application Prerequisites:

Honors Program Requirements:

Visit the Honors in Art History and Film & Media Studies page for more details.

Art History Minor

Minor Requirements

Students must complete at least 25 units, 6 courses in total. For the most up-to-date information about the Art History minor requirements, please visit the Stanford Bulletin.

All minors are required to attend an orientation session presented by the professional staff of the Art and Architecture Library, which introduces the tools of research and reference available on campus and through the internet. Contact Katie Keller (kkeller [at] stanford.edu (kkeller[at]stanford[dot]edu)) to schedule an orientation session.

Gateway Course

Students must complete the following course:

Electives

Students must complete five additional Art History lectures or seminars in any field.

One Film & Media Studies (FILMEDIA) course may count towards the completion of the minor.

Art History Course Offerings

Please visit Navigate Classes for the most up-to-date information on this year's course offerings, which are published each year in mid-to-late August.

2025-2026 Course Across Periods

Ancient - 1350

Professors who teach in the field: Patricia Blessing, Jody Maxmin, Bissera Pentcheva, Richard Vinograd

1350 - 1850

Professors who teach in the field: Patricia Blessing, Jody Maxmin, Bissera Pentcheva, Richard Vinograd

1850 - Present

Professors who teach in the field: Joshua Cohen, Marci Kwon, Richard Meyer, Alexander Nemerov, Rose Salseda, Richard Vinograd