Major Map
Your academic journey is about so much more than just studying a major.
That's why the SAU Career Center prepared Major Maps. They will help you Explore, Prepare, and Take action during your college years so that when you leave St. Ambrose University, you are fully-prepared to confidently take the path toward wherever life leads you.
Additionally, these maps will help start and guide the conversations you'll have with your academic advisor.
If you have any questions, use the contact information on the right.
Major and Minor Choices
The Art History major pairs well with a variety of majors and minors that span different disciplines. Psychology, the art fields (Graphic Design, Book Arts, Painting), Marketing, Theatre, History, and English are popular choices. Museum Studies is a natural choice for a minor, as are Arts Administration and Marketing.
How to Graduate in 4 Years
No matter your major, you can graduate in four years with some planning and a vision to reach that goal.
Each major at St. Ambrose has mapped out a suggested, 4-year Plan to Graduate; you can find it under Degree Requirements.
The Art History program has 100% grad school placement and 97% job placement.
Art History Program What can I do with this major?
What Do Employers Want?
These are the skills and abilities employers said they want their employees to have:
- Critical Thinking/Problem Solving: Ability to obtain, interpret, and use knowledge, facts, and data in this process; demonstrate originality and inventiveness
- Oral/Written Communications: Has public speaking skills; is able to express ideas to others; write/edit memos, letters, and complex technical reports clearly and effectively
- Teamwork/Collaboration: Ability to work within a team structure and negotiate and manage conflict
- Digital Technology: Demonstrates effective adaptability to new and emerging technologies
- Leadership: Assess and manage his/her emotions and those of others; use empathetic skills to guide and motivate; organize, prioritize, and delegate work
- Professionalism/Work Ethic: Demonstrates integrity and ethical behavior; acts responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind; able to learn from his/her mistakes
- Career Management: Navigate and explore job options; understands and can take the steps necessary to pursue opportunities; understands how to self-advocate for opportunities in the workplace
- Global/Intercultural Fluency: Demonstrates openness, inclusiveness, sensitivity, and the ability to interact respectfully with all people and understand individuals' differences
How can I prepare for my future career?
• Check out what you can do with this major
• See where other students in this major have interned and secured employment
• Make sure to review these additional career resources.
• Still unsure if this is the right path? Stop into the Career Center, 2nd floor Rogalski, during walk-in hours
• Use Handshake to ask alumni questions about their field or request job shadowing or observation hours
• Check out these library resources for art history majors
• Develop a resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile your first year at St. Ambrose, update it throughout your college career, attend a workshop, and have your documents reviewed during the Career Center's walk-in hours
• Check out this resume template and sample for your major
• Practice your interview skills virtually using the Big Interview
• Attend Career Fair Prep Week, to practice interviewing and polish your resume and LinkedIn profile as early as possible in you college career
• Attend the networking & etiquette dinner (offered every other year) for dining etiquette and networking tips. Experts agree that 80% of jobs are found through networking
• Attend a salary negotiation workshop before you graduate, so you can better negotiate
• Attend a job/internships search strategy workshop
• Meet early and often with an AH/MUSE advisor to plan a combination of majors/minors and internships to best suit your career goals
• Join us for our AH 450 Careers course, which focuses on professional development and career-related activities related to the interests of students in the Art History & Museum Studies Program. The course features Careers Panel Discussions with professionals in museums, archives, libraries, federal agencies, galleries, etc. These discussions focus on positions in the museum industry, paths for artists and historians beyond teaching, and library science and archival studies. Students in the course also build resumes and LinkedIn profiles, learn how to write cover letters, and develop interviewing skills through mock interviews. Undecided students who are considering this field of study are also welcome to join the course for exploratory purposes. (Contact Terri Switzer (switzerterri@sau.edu) for more information about the course).
• Start seeking internships or full-time employment at least 1 semester prior to when you would like to be employed
• Call (563-333-6339), email (careercenter@sau.edu) or stop by the Career Center in Rogalski Center, 2nd Floor, so we can schedule you an appointment with a Career Advisor who will give you some tips and connect you with an alumnus in your field to coach you through the internship or job search
• Attend our Career Fair to find internships and full-time opportunities
• Take Art History 490, where you will complete an internship in your field of study
• Take EXPL 202, a FREE 1-credit P/F course
How can I get relevant experience on campus?
- Attend Academic Presentations from Art History students that studied abroad
- Take a trip to the Figge Art Museum in downtown Davenport
- Attend Club Fest to find out about all of the great opportunities to join clubs or organizations on campus where you can gain skills that will be applicable to your future career
- Consider an Art History internship
- Consider working on-campus in a work study (if eligible) or temp position. Check the openings on Handshake to see if there are openings in the following positions related to your major:
• Art History
• Archives
• Art Department
- Join the League of Art History Enthusiasts student organization! The club does field trips to Art museums in Chicago and conducts art sales on campus to highlight students' art!
- Consider an Art History internship
- Apply to be a Resident Assistant where you will learn how to plan and execute programming, confront conflict situations, embrace diversity, and foster lifelong relationships
- Apply to be a Peer Assistant to act as a student co-instructor with a full-time faculty or staff member for New Student Seminar where you will further develop your communication skills
- Apply to be a STAR where you will share your university experiences with new students and parents during orientation and hone your problem solving and communication skills
How can I connect with the community?
- Take part in Urban Plunge your first year of college and continue volunteering at the site throughout your college career
- Check out Volunteer Match in Davenport, IA to learn more about opportunities that match what is most important to you
- Consider taking part in a service trip during Spring Break. Previous trips have been to: Appalachia, northern Mississippi, East St. Louis, Cleveland, and Inner-city Chicago
- Participate in BEE the Difference Day in the fall or CommUNITY day in the spring where we help families in area neighborhoods prepare their yards for the seasons
- Consider an internship that allows you to progress towards your degree while also serving the public. AH/MUSE students have held internships at nearly all the area museums and historical societies, as well as non-profits like Project Renewal, an art-therapy veterans group, and the City of Moline Law Department
How can I think globally?
- Explore the Study Abroad Portal to learn about the many different study abroad opportunities offered by the university. Consider studying in Florence, Italy for a semester. The St. Ambrose Rome and Christianity program will enable you to explore the artistic treasures of Italy over winter break.
- Attend the Study Abroad Fair each semester!
- Investigate your eligibility for outside scholarships to help pay for your study abroad. If you are a Pell Grant recipient, for example, you are eligible for the Gilman Scholarship.
- • See whether the Peace Corps Prep program is a good fit for you.
- Discuss with your academic adviser how to fit study abroad into your academic program.
- Meet with the staff of the Center for International Education to prepare for the study abroad application process
- Complete the Education Abroad Budget Planning Worksheet (pdf) and discuss with the Financial Aid Office how to use your financial aid to study abroad.
- Major or minor in a foreign language, International Studies, or International Business in order to broaden your global perspective.
- When will you study abroad? Complete your study abroad application and spend a break or an entire semester abroad doing coursework, an internship, or volunteering.
- Participate in Multicultural Week activities each spring.
- Learn more about St. Ambrose's international students by joining the BeeFriends program or the International Student Organization.
How can I prepare for graduate school?
- Explore different graduate school programs here
- Check out college rankings on U.S. News and World Report
- Make sure the programs you are considering are accredited by checking this database
- Attend the I-74 graduate school fair to ask questions and explore options
- Meet early and often with AH/MUSE advisor to weigh options and determine a graduate program that best suits your interests, academic strengths, and career goals.
In addition to the items listed in the sections above under prepare for your future career, you should:
- Attend a personal statement workshop
- Check out a test preparation book from the SAU library
- Check out Learning Express Library for more test prep strategies and practice tests.
- Consider an Art History internship
- Ask for your letters of recommendation early in the application process
- Pursue an Art History Capstone research project in your junior or senior year
- Practice your interview skills in person by scheduling a mock interview with a career advisor or virtually using the Big Interview
- Graduate school applications for some programs are due as early as December. Make a list of all the schools you would like to apply for and check their application deadlines and requirements your junior year.
- Apply to at least 6 programs (2 you know you will get into, 2 you think you will get into, and 2 of your dream programs - according to Donald Asher, author of Graduate Admissions Essays)
- Major Map - Accounting
- Major Map - Art & Design
- Major Map - Art Education
- Major Map - Bachelor of Education
- Major Map - Behavioral Neuropsychology
- Major Map - Biology
- Major Map - Biomedical Laboratory Science
- Major Map - Book Arts
- Major Map - Business Economics
- Major Map - Chemistry
- Major Map - Computer Information Sciences
- Major Map - Criminal Justice
- Major Map - Data Science and Analytics
- Major Map - Digital Media Production
- Major Map - Education
- Major Map - English
- Major Map - Exercise Science
- Major Map - Finance
- Major Map - Forensic Psychology
- Major Map - Graphic Design
- Major Map - History
- Major Map - Human Performance and Fitness
- Major Map - Human Resource Management
- Major Map - Industrial Engineering
- Major Map - International Business
- Major Map - International Studies
- Major Map - Management
- Major Map - Marketing
- Major Map - Mathematics and Statistics
- Major Map - Mechanical Engineering
- Major Map - Multimedia Journalism
- Major Map - Music
- Major Map - Music Education
- Major Map - Nursing
- Major Map - Painting
- Major Map - Philosophy
- Major Map - Political Science
- Major Map - Psychology
- Major Map - Public Relations and Strategic Communication
- Major Map - Business Sales
- Major Map - Social Work
- Major Map - Sociology
- Major Map - Spanish
- Major Map - Sport Management
- Major Map - Theology
- Major Map - Justice, Diversity, and Gender Studies
Contact
Academic and Career Planning Office
Rogalski Center, 2nd floor
518 W. Locust St.
Davenport, IA 52803
563-333-6339
CareerCenter@sau.edu