<p>Which do you think has the strongest Art History department? I’m especially intereste in BMC because of their consortium, but I’ve heart their ArtHist department isn’t the best.</p>
<p>I’m a current junior majoring in History of Art at Bryn Mawr and I absolutely love the program. We have a Graduate program in History of Art so all of the courses are instructed by graduate-level professors. I love that the curriculum is centered around seminars-- you won’t find a generic 101 lecture here. The program really encourages you to pursue an individualized track while working closely with really excellent professors. Haverford doesn’t have an art history program (they use ours), but Swarthmore and UPenn do. Because of the Graduate program you could even pursue a 4/5 BA/MA program-- meaning you could begin taking graduate courses as an undergrad and accomplish your Master’s Degree with only one additional year of study. I’m currently taking a course at Penn, and while I don’t dislike it, I think my Bryn Mawr courses have been much more in-depth and theoretically challenging. Outside of the classroom Philly has a great art scene, but I also love being able to take quick weekend or day trips to New York or DC to go to museums. It’s about 2 hours to New York and 2.5 to DC. </p>
<p>Here’s more info about the 4/5 programs: [The</a> Combined A.B. / M.A. Program](<a href=“http://www.brynmawr.edu/deans/exp_acad_options/comb_AB_MA_prog.shtml]The”>http://www.brynmawr.edu/deans/exp_acad_options/comb_AB_MA_prog.shtml)</p>
<p>Wow, thank you so much!</p>
<p>Of course! I’d also encourage you to look over the course catalog for the department to get an idea of what might be offered: [Bryn</a> Mawr College: History of Art](<a href=“http://www.brynmawr.edu/hart/courses.html#top]Bryn”>http://www.brynmawr.edu/hart/courses.html#top)</p>
<p>You’ll notice the 100-levels are called “Critical Approaches Seminars”-- basically instead of a generic 101, we offer small classes capped at 20 designed as intro courses into the major. Each seminar has a different theme, typically centered around that professor’s specialty. Through that lens, like Classicism, Feminism, French art, etc, you’ll be introduced to critical theoretical texts that you’ll revisit in advanced classes. You’ll also get a narrative of the history of art through that professor’s specific angle of interest. </p>
<p>200-levels are our “survey” courses, but rarely have more than 50ish students in them. Most of my 200s have been with as few as 3 students but average around 25-30. In comparison, 300-levels are upperclassmen seminars that feature a longer research paper and a lot of independent work.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any other questions! I’d really encourage you to visit the department if you come to campus at all before your decision.</p>