Why Pursue a Graduate Certificate in Art History and Visual Culture
This art history certificate program is designed for individuals passionate about exploring how art shapes and is shaped by society. Whether you’re looking to enhance your credentials for teaching at the college level, develop your expertise for museum work, or enrich a graduate degree in another field, this 18-credit-hour program offers a flexible and engaging path forward. Courses range from ancient to contemporary art and explore themes like activism, identity, and visual storytelling. Students develop valuable skills in critical thinking, research, and visual communication that are highly valued across industries.
Museum Experience and Professional Connections
In this program, you’ll learn from faculty who are active researchers, curators, and museum consultants, gaining hands-on experience through access to local art museums and arts professionals. This combination of mentorship and real-world application equips you with the skills and industry connections that museums and cultural institutions are looking for. For those with an MA or MFA degree, this certificate provides the qualifications needed to teach art history and art appreciation at the college level in Texas.
Earn a Master's Degree
Are you ready to take your career and academic journey to the next level? Combine this program with another eligible certificate to earn a master’s degree in Multidisciplinary Studies! Take advantage of the opportunity to customize your degree to align with your professional and educational goals.
Admission & Application Requirements
Applications are submitted through the UT San Antonio Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UT San Antonio Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UT San Antonio by the appropriate application deadline.
For international students, please note that student visas are not issued at UT San Antonio for non-degree-seeking students, including certificate programs. For more information, visit our international students admission page.
| Art History and Visual Culture (Certificate) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Required Degree | Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution. | |
| Minimum GPA | 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours | |
| Transcripts* | Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English | |
| Credential Evaluation | Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from FCSA or any NACES-approved credential evaluation agency. | |
| English Language Proficiency | 600 TOEFL Paper / 85 TOEFL Internet / 7 IELTS / Duolingo 130 | |
| Purpose Statement | Required | |
| Writing Sample | Required | |
| Letters of Recommendation | 2 academic or professional reference(s) demonstrating your attributes for successful completion of this program (you will request these through the Graduate Admissions Application; let your recommenders know of your deadline to ensure submissions are on time) | |
| *Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University. | ||
Application Deadlines
Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.
| Art History and Visual Culture (Certificate) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Timing on Admission Decision: Completed applications will be reviewed for admission on a rolling basis. Decisions generally will be made and sent to applicants within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the application. | |||
| Application Deadlines for: | Priority | International | Domestic |
| Fall 2026 | May 1 | May 1 | |
| Spring | Not Available | Not Available | |
| Summer | Not Available | Not Available | |
Career Options
UT San Antonio prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below are based on data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.
Students will have the opportunity to explore program electives such as:
- Embodiment & Art
- Art & Love
- Art & Activism
- Radical Women in Contemporary Latin America
- Pirate Maps
- Foundations of Museum Studies
