Top 6 Online Associate in Art and Art History Degrees
Students in online art history associate degree programs gain unique perspectives on cultural anthropology, world religions, and Western culture while exploring artistic media such as photography and painting. An online art history degree prepares students for a variety of bachelor's and master's programs and for careers as museum and gallery curators, gallery managers, and conservators. As public interest in museums and cultural centers grows, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment for curators, archivists, and other museum workers will increase 7% by 2024.
What Are The Best Online Associate in Art and Art History Programs?
Top 6 Online Associate in Art and Art History Programs
Graduation Rate
62%
Online Enrollment
27%
Retention Rate
68%
Default Rate
16%
Foothill College serves more than 13,000 students from its 122-acre campus in Los Altos Hills, CA, as well as online. The college offers more than 75 associate degrees and professional programs to distance learners, including an online art history associate degree . Art history majors at Foothill College will complete 90 units in a combination of general education, core, support, and elective courses. Coursework is self-paced and is delivered asynchronously through the Canvas platform. The curriculum emphasizes a broad survey of all major periods of art history around the world, beginning with prehistoric art and early Christianity and concluding with modern art and post-impressionism. Additional course topics include cultural anthropology, fundamentals of drawing, and comparative world religions. Applicants must satisfy prerequisites in English and math. Students who plan to advance to a four-year program are strongly encouraged to study one to two years of a foreign language, depending on their specialty.
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How to Choose an Online Associate in Art & Art History Program
Identifying the criteria for your ideal online art history associate degree program will help you narrow your search. First, ensure that each school is accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency. Also consider tuition costs and financial aid options, such as federal aid and field-specific scholarships. The cost of tuition and fees are affected by the length of the program; accelerated programs take less time to complete and tend to cost less. Online associate degrees in art and art history typically have no on-campus requirements. However, in-state programs may offer lower tuition prices and state-funded scholarships.
Educational Paths for Associate in Art & Art History Degrees
Because most art and art history careers require a bachelor's degree, many graduates of online art history associate degree programs transfer into bachelor's programs. An associate degree in art and art history prepares students to pursue bachelor's degrees in art history and related majors, such as museum and curatorial studies and fine art and design. Below are a few bachelor's degrees that graduates of online art history associate degree programs commonly pursue.
Art history: A bachelor's degree in art history expands on introductory concepts covered in associate degree programs. Core coursework covers Renaissance art, contemporary art, and all major periods and movements in between. Some programs require a studio art component.
Museum and curatorial studies: A relatively new and increasingly popular major, museum and curatorial studies prepares students to form collections, arrange objects and develop displays, and impart cultural and artistic messages through exhibitions. As many curator positions require a master's degree, some schools offer dual bachelor's/master's programs.
Art and design: This major is available in BA and BFA degrees; the former includes both visual arts and liberal arts studies, while the latter focuses on studio art. BA programs also develop business and professional skills. BFA degrees encourage portfolio development and may include "benchmark" critiques or reviews.
Career Paths for Art & Art History Graduates
Graduates of online art history degree programs become museum curators, conservators, museum technicians, and gallery curators and managers. Below are common careers for professionals with an online art history associate degree.
Museum curators acquire and oversee the storage and exhibiting of museum collections. They may also develop a museum's research and educational programs. This position typically requires a master's degree.
Median Salary: $49,686
Job Outlook and Salary for Graduates of Art & Art History Associate Programs
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment for archivists, curators, and other museum workers to increase 7% by 2024. As electronic records management becomes standard, archivists with technology experience will secure top jobs in the field. Growing interest in cultural institutions and in the synthesis of art, science, history, and technology will drive the demand for more curators, technicians, and conservators. Art and art history professionals with an advanced degree, specialized training, and work experience will have the best prospects for long-term employment.
Salary Growth by Experience for Graduates of Art & Art History Associate Degree Programs
Professionals with higher levels of education and more experience earn higher salaries. While the positions listed below offer starting salaries that are below the national average for humanities majors , professionals in each occupation earn more than the national average for workers with five to ten years of experience. Professionals trained in art and art history may earn up to three times their starting salary after 20 years in the industry.
To determine the best online associate in art and art history programs, we looked at the most important factors prospective students, mainly common predictors of future success and a school's commitment to online programs. This boils down to admissions rate, student loan default rate, retention rate, graduation rate, and the percent of students enrolled in online classes. All data points are taken from information provided by colleges and universities to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Each factor is weighted evenly in order to give an objective view and determine the 6 best online associate in art and art history degree programs. To calculate our rankings, we looked at a school's ranking when organized by a single factor, and then averaged each category's ranking to find an overall score: Admissions Rate (20%) + Default Rate (20%) + Retention Rate (20%) + Graduation Rate (20%) + Percent of Students Enrolled in Online Classes (20%) = Final score.