Department of the History of Art and Architecture History

A Living History

Art history has been part of the University of Oregon for more than a century. The first art history courses were listed in the UO catalog in 1912, immediately prior to the establishment of the then School of Architecture & Allied Arts (now the College of Design) in 1914. Art History was one of the six divisions created when the School of Architecture & Allied Arts expanded in 1921–22.

In 1963, the School established discrete academic departments and Marion D. Ross was appointed the Department of Art History’s first head. The department’s master's and doctoral programs were inaugurated soon after, in the mid-1960s. In 2012, the department was renamed the Department of the History of Art and Architecture to better reflect the range of the faculty’s expertise.

The School of Architecture & Allied Arts reorganized into the College of Design in 2017, at which time the Department of the History of Art and Architecture became an independent department alongside the three new schools in the college:

  • School of Architecture & Environment
  • School of Art + Design
  • School of Public Policy, Planning and Management