I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on the Art History department at Williams. How are the professors? Which classes should I take? How easy is it to get internships in the area/during the summer? What are job prospects after graduation? In a similar vein, are my chances at getting into a good PhD program increased by having the Williams degree?
Williams is definitely one of the best places to go if you’re interested in art history. Not only are the job prospects amazing after graduation (so much so that the New York Times coined the term Williams Art Mafia a few years back because so many museums and scholarly programs are run by Williams alumni), but there’s a pretty surprising amount of art in the area, from WCMA to Mass MOCA to the Clark. Working at the museums is also commonly done, and a lot of art history research and papers come out of Williams each year.
Not to mention the [WALLS program](http://wcmawalls.williams.edu/)!
As noted, Williams’ art history program is one of the best (if not the best) undergraduate program in the country. The professors are excellent and, as with all Williams’ professors, their dedicated purpose is to teach undergraduates. Like all Williams professors they know their students personally and are accessible for academic, graduate school and career advice.
You won’t have to declare your major until the second semester of your sophomore year. During your first year, you can start with Art History 101/102 (and 103/104 if you like) which are prerequisites for many of the next level of courses. At the same time you’ll be encouraged to experiment in other disciplines, and to start fulfilling Williams’ distribution requirements.
Every year about 30 courses in the 200 & 300 levels are offered. You shouldn’t have any problem finding two or three that are of interest to you each semester. As a major you are required to take courses across a range of art history and culture. You may also want to take advantage of one of the art history related study abroad programs.
Having access to three world class museums on or near campus is a huge plus in the study of art history. The combination of the art history and art studio department provides depth and immediacy.
Internships during the school year are not common, though the Williams College Museum of Art has a robust program for Williams students who want to get involved. Many art history majors have museum internships during the summer – locally at the WCMA and MassMoCA and in New York, Boston and Washington. Williams doesn’t directly facilitate these internships, but they do post openings and provide counseling and recommendations.
Williams art history majors are well known to art history PhD programs all over the world. Williams grads are well represented in the museum world, both as curators and in leadership positions.