While the job market for art historians remains tight, University of Michigan graduates have for many years succeeded at rates well above the national average. Primary responsibility for finding a position after graduate school rests with students, helped by their principal advisors, who are well informed about both the job seeker’s own qualities and the job possibilities in the particular field.

Students rarely find jobs unless their dissertation is finished or very close to completion. In cases when a student begins a teaching job with considerable dissertation work ahead, submission of the completed dissertation is often delayed, and it becomes difficult to compile the strong scholarly record needed to obtain tenure. Consequently, students are advised not to seek a position until after they have completed their research and have written a very substantial portion of their dissertation.

In the Fall of the year in which they begin their job search, students are advised to consult CAA Careers (available in the Fine Arts Library) and the Chronicle of Higher Education (their web site is particularly useful), as well as the bulletin board in Tappan 50. The DGS and faculty members will also share any information that they receive about open positions with appropriate graduate students.

It is essential that students stay in close and frequent communication with their advisors throughout the job search. Although the success of any candidate always rests on the individual's qualifications and abilities, not on the personal intervention of an advisor, there are many ways in which faculty members can help. Their experiences and insights constitute the best form of placement aid the Department can offer: take advantage of this resource. In addition, students have found the University Career Planning & Placement Office (http://www.cpp.umich.edu/) to be a helpful resource. The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (http://www.crlt.umich.edu) and Rackham (http://www.rackham.umich.edu/) also have classes and workshops that are useful for career placement activities.