The Department of Art & Music Histories (formerly the Department of Fine Arts) is one of the oldest in the country dedicated to the study of the arts in an interdisciplinary context. As one of The College’s signature departments, Art & Music Histories fosters a rich cultural and historical understanding of art and music among its students, and prepares them for a range of fields.

Art & Music Histories offers B.A. degrees in art history, music history & cultures, fine arts and history of architecture, as well as special B.A. options in art and in music. The department also offers two M.A. degrees in art history (Main Campus Individualized and Florence Italian Renaissance). The Janklow Arts Leadership Program offers an M.A. degree and a certificate in arts leadership administration. Students on the main campus also have the option of earning a concurrent M.A. degree in Museum Studies.

History: The Department of Art & Music Histories traces its origins to William C. Fleming, a noted concert pianist who came to SU in 1945. Convinced that the existing fine arts program did not sufficiently serve the humanities at SU, he established the Department of Fine Arts in 1947 in what was then the College of Liberal Arts. In 2009, almost 40 years to the month after Fleming’s retirement, the Department of Fine Arts rechristened itself as the Department of Art & Music Histories, a name change that reflected the growing emphasis on interdisciplinarity at SU