At John Cabot University, Rome isn't just a backdrop - it's part of the experience. For students in our MA in Art History program, the city itself becomes a hands-on classroom, with direct access to world-class museums, ancient ruins, and vibrant cultural institutions just steps away. Graduate students dive deep into their studies while exploring the deep history all around them. We’re excited to share the perspective of Amelia, a graduate student from Tennessee, who chose to pursue her Master’s in Art History in Rome.
My name is Amelia, and I am from Tennessee. I completed my bachelor’s degree in art history at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, where I got my start in art history by taking an elective on Chinese export porcelain. From there, I knew that I wanted to continue my art history studies at the graduate level.
When choosing a graduate program in art history, I was searching for three main characteristics. Having an international experience in which I could become fluent in a second language and immerse myself in another culture was very important to me, and so I specifically searched for a program outside of the U.S. Regarding the program itself, I wanted to find a place where I could challenge myself in a supportive and collegial environment, and where I would have the opportunity to work directly with archives and objects.
John Cabot University’s MA in art history in Rome fulfilled all these requirements, and I knew it was the right place for me after visiting the campus and meeting with some of the faculty. I could tell from those first conversations that the JCU art history professors are not just dedicated to their field, but that they are also incredibly invested in the success and well-being of their students.
One of the most memorable courses I took was a summer course with Professor Koehler called “Waters of Rome.” The intensive four-week course introduced us to the water systems of the Eternal City, from ancient Roman aqueducts to Baroque water features to modern fountains. Like most of my favorite courses during the MA program, this one included lots of site visits to places such as the aqueduct park in the southeast quarter of Rome, the nymphaeum of the Farnese gardens on the Palatine, and the Fountain of the Naiads in Piazza della Republica. We even had the privilege of walking inside the underground remnants of part of the Aqua Traiana at the American Academy on the Janiculum Hill.
Professor Koehler’s classes led me to approach the element of water in ways that I had never considered before, and I left the course with a new appreciation for how water systems and urban planning also configure into what we consider to be art history.
I came to John Cabot’s MA in Art History program with an open mind about what my thesis topic would be. In fact, I did not even choose my topic until the final semester of the Foundation Year, after taking a course on the city of Rome in nineteenth-century guidebooks. Contemplating the art of Rome from the perspective of tourists throughout the nineteenth century presented me with a new methodological approach, but it also allowed me to come back to many of the same big questions that guided my early research as an undergraduate. I have always been fascinated by the ways in which distinct groups appropriate objects and images from other cultures, times, and places, and so I followed that same thread when researching Anglo-American tourist responses to the alleged portrait of Beatrice Cenci in Rome.
I think I can confidently say I found the right research niche for me, because I find myself continually wandering back to the project.
I completed an internship for both the fall and spring semesters of my thesis year, and each gave a look into different areas of the professional art world. Working as a research assistant with one of my professors and the curator of an upcoming exhibition was an amazing opportunity that introduced me to so many different resources and archives that previously I did not even know existed, such as the collection of scenography and costume design in the archive of Rome’s opera house.
For my second internship, I wanted to get some experience with Rome’s art market and gallery scene. With the great support of Career Services, I found the perfect opportunity at Antichità Alberto Di Castro, right in the heart of the city. Both internships gave me invaluable experience working in a professional capacity in Italy, which has allowed me to continue my career here after graduation.
If I could give just one piece of advice to someone considering the MA in art history program at John Cabot, I would say to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible while you are here. Between the art history department’s bulletin board, recommendations from individual professors, and the many cultural institutions and foreign academies, you will have access to a wealth of resources, events, and special opportunities. Three or four semesters seems like a long time, but it will fly by.
Something I really enjoyed about the JCU program is the fact that plugging into the cultural life of Rome by attending academic conferences, museum exhibitions, book presentations, gallery openings and more is built into the structure of your semesters in the form of cultural event reviews. For me, this developed the habit of keeping up with the important events happening in Rome, and it greatly expanded my network of people and institutions.
Ready to take the next step towards a career in Art History in Rome, Italy?
Explore our MA in Art History program by downloading our brochure! Whether you're passionate about museum work, research, or cultural heritage, our program offers the academic rigor, hands-on experience, and international perspective to help you thrive.
To learn more or connect with our admissions team, reach out to us at graduateadmissions@johncabot.edu.