At KU, graduate students in art history do more than study art. They work directly with collections, collaborate with local communities, and immerse themselves in cultures from around the world.

 

For graduate students in the humanities, the University of Kansas offers art history master’s programs that extend far beyond the classroom. At KU, students like Eli Troen are doing more than studying culture; they are shaping it. 

With hands-on experience, mentorship from expert faculty, and access to world-class resources, KU graduate students develop skills and connections that prepare them for meaningful careers in museums, academia, and cultural institutions.

"I came to KU because it has one of the best faculties for East Asian art history in the entire United States. It has such focus on an area that is perhaps understudied. I knew that in coming to KU, I would have not only the departmental support, but the faculty support and the student support to focus on what I really want to study."

Why choose KU for your master’s in art history

KU’s art history master’s program combines rigorous scholarship with hands-on experience in a world-class museum setting.

That combination is what drew Eli to Lawrence, even though his path was anything but typical. A performance studies and theater graduate from Harvard, he grew up on the East Coast and, by his own admission, “wasn’t sure [he] could have found KU on a map.”

"Through a series of surprising events, I found myself falling in love with Japanese tea ceremony practice, and that really exists at the intersection between performance and art history," he shared. "I heard about KU’s program and how supportive it is of performance perspectives as well as traditional art historical perspectives. I just knew that there was no better place for me to continue my studies."

With access to the Spencer Museum of Art, Spooner Hall and the Murphy Art & Architecture Library, KU students engage directly with global collections and develop the interdisciplinary skills needed for careers in art and culture.

A day in the life of a KU art history graduate student

Eli serves as the Global Indigenous Art and Lifeways graduate assistant at the Spencer Museum of Art, where he works directly with collections while deepening his research expertise.

He shared that every day looks a little different, which is part of what makes his role so interesting. “Working at the Spencer Museum of Art, I am able to not only do traditional intern work, but to really have hands-on experiences working with art and the works in the collection.” 

On a typical day, Eli might be running between the museum and Spooner Hall — where the Global Indigenous Art collection is stored — then heading to the Art & Architecture Library. “I’m constantly moving between spaces, connecting all these wonderful KU resources to better understand the collection and the works of art,” he said.

Eli’s work spans collections from around the world, giving him a broad, global perspective.

"I'm really challenged in such a positive and exciting way to broaden my knowledge each and every day, working with objects from South America, from Oceania, from Africa, from the indigenous North American cultures. It's exciting, and I'm really privileged that it's something that feels substantive. It is truly work that is expanding upon my studies with the art history department."

Graduate studies with mentorship and community

KU art history graduate students benefit from close mentorship and a supportive community. Faculty and peers collaborate inside and outside the classroom, fostering a learning environment that blends professional development with personal growth.

"There are many people that have had a strong and lasting impact on me, even in the one year that I've been here at KU,” said Eli. “I think that because there's such a strong relationship between students and faculty, everyone in the art history department knows each other. We come together inside and outside of the classroom for anything from academics to extracurricular lectures to events here at the Spencer Museum of Art."

Eli also highlights his work with Ryan Clasby, curator for global Indigenous art and lifeways:

"I'm very privileged working with Ryan Clasby. He's really been a phenomenal mentor, answering any of the questions that I have asked him. Because my area of focus is not in global indigenous arts, every day I am opened up to new cultures and new parts of the world — new ways of looking at art and culture that I had never been exposed to before."

What can you do with a master’s in art history?

A master’s in art history from KU equips graduates for a variety of career paths. Students leave prepared for work in:

• Museum curation and administration
• Academic research and teaching
• Archival and library work
• Arts education and community engagement
• Art conservation, exhibition planning and cultural heritage management

Eli’s hands-on experience as a graduate assistant positions him for a career in museum curation and demonstrates the practical impact of KU’s programs.

"My work here at the Spencer Museum of Art really sets me up beautifully for a future in curation, because the work that I'm doing is just that. I am researching works in the collection. I'm engaging with source communities. I am thinking about exhibition planning and fundraising and art collecting. Each one of those things is a necessity for anybody who wants to pursue work in a museum and specifically curation. It's a long path ahead of me. I am in the second year of my MA program, and I have about five more years to the end of the PhD. But I know that it's going to be a very exciting ride because I have the Spencer Museum of Art here." 

Discover KU art history

KU’s art history graduate programs combine comprehensive coursework, hands-on experience, close mentorship and interdisciplinary opportunities. Students gain the resources, community and guidance to turn curiosity and passion into professional success.

Eli sees his work as a powerful link to history, the community and people across cultures.

"Art has this unique power to bring us together to connect us, because it doesn't require words. It's just experience. At the Spencer, we have community programs that bring people from across Lawrence, the Kansas City metro and even beyond to come together around creative expression. There really aren't boundaries to that. I think it's a real gift to see the wonderful shining faces that come into the museum, and to know that the work that we are doing here truly makes a real impact on people's lives."

— Eli Troen

Advice for future humanities graduate students

Eli encourages curiosity and interdisciplinary exploration. His top tip for prospective graduate students? Stay curious. 

“My best piece of advice for somebody who’s interested in pursuing the humanities, particularly at the grad level, is to stay curious,” he said. “It’s all too easy to fall into our own habits, our own interests, our specialization, and be so narrowly focused that we close ourselves off to what else is out there.”

He believes that a broad outlook helps students see their own field in a new light.

“By being curious, by learning about all parts of the world, we can actually come to a better understanding of the thing that we're excited about,” he shared. “In my work in global indigenous arts, I've been engaging with different kinds of ceramics and textiles, all of which are very important in the study of Japanese art as well. But by looking at it from a different perspective, I can see my own area of focus in a new light. So stay curious."