Here you can carry out art historical and design research; apply the theories and practice of information science; design and curate digital libraries, archives, and exhibitions; and communicate arts content and design effectively across diverse cultures and societies.
Pratt students at the Morgan Library Reading Room (courtesy Polly Cancro, History of Art and Design / Library and Information Science '18)
History of Art and Design / Library and Information Science at Pratt
The MSLIS/MA History of Art and Design dual-degree program prepares you for careers in art and design, museum, and academic libraries. In this program, you will become an expert on the intersection of art and design and information, going deep into art, design, and historical archives, art and design collections, and more. With fellowship opportunities at NYC’s leading museums, libraries, and archives, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Frick Art Reference Library, and MoMA, the dual-degree program offers unique experiential learning opportunities.
Students in the dual-degree MSLIS/MA History of Art and Design program get to experience all Pratt has to offer by taking half of their program (30 credits) at the School of Information based in Manhattan, and the other half in the Department of History of Art and Design on the Brooklyn campus (30 credits). The first two years students take courses in both departments, with much of the thesis work taking place in the third year. With class sizes of just 8-12, you’ll collaborate closely with your cohort and faculty and be learning at the nexus of NYC arts and culture communities.
Internships
Internships at museums, libraries, nonprofit art organizations, and galleries provide professional opportunities in your area of interest and prepare you for future careers. Recent students have interned at prestigious institutions such as the New York Public Library, Franklin Furnace, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Study Abroad
We are pleased to offer study abroad options for dual-degree students, including a new course offered for the first time during spring break 2024: “Artist Archives: Rome/New York”. We also recently celebrated the 35th anniversary of Pratt in Venice, which is a 6-week program that occurs each June and July. For more information on Study Abroad, see where you can go.
Learning Resources
We develop disciplinary fluency in our program of study and we celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of design critical to address the plurality and complexity of the environments in which we operate. Learning resources.
Our Faculty
Pratt’s distinguished faculty of outstanding creative professionals and scholars share a common desire to develop each student’s potential and creativity to the fullest. Bringing different views, methods, and perspectives, they provide a rigorous educational model in which students make and learn. See all History of Art and Design faculty and administrators and School of Information faculty and administrators.
Our Alumni
Pratt’s distinguished alumni are leading diverse and thriving careers, addressing critical challenges and creating innovative work that reimagines our world.
Where They Work
Librarian, Photographs and Prints Division, New York Public Library
Archivist, Center for Brooklyn History at Brooklyn Public Library
IT Project Manager, J. Paul Getty Trust
Head, Reference & Reader Services, Teachers College, Columbia University
Web Collection Librarian, Columbia University Libraries
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.
You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.
Time melts away in Salvador Dalí’s surreal masterpiece, The Persistence of Memory (1931)
This iconic painting challenges our perception of time, reality, and the subconscious. What do you think the melting clocks symbolize?
#Surrealism #SalvadorDali #ArtAnalysis #IconicArt #ThePersistenceOfMemory #ArtHistory
Did You Know?
The Impressionist Movement was named after a single painting!
In 1874, Claude Monet exhibited a work titled Impression, Sunrise (Impression, Soleil Levant) in Paris. While critics mocked the loose brushwork and "unfinished" look, the term "Impressionism" was coined from this very painting, originally as an insult!
Far from a failure, Impressionism went on to revolutionize the art world with its focus on light, color, and capturing the fleeting beauty of everyday life.
Weekly Art Inspiration: Zhang Daqian's "Panorama of Mount Lu" (1981–83)
Zhang Daqian’s "Panorama of Mount Lu" blends traditional Chinese ink painting with modern techniques. His splashed-ink method and vibrant colors bring the grandeur of Mount Lu to life, showcasing nature's beauty through innovation. Let this masterpiece inspire you to merge tradition with modern creativity! 🌄🎨
#ArtInspiration #ZhangDaqian #ChineseArt #NatureArt #CreativeFusion
You are warmly invited to the HAD Student Symposium, featuring presentations by students from the Senior Seminar and HAD Graduate Thesis programs.
*This event is open for public.
Date: Friday, May 9, 2025
Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Alumni Reading Room
Please RSVP and save the date! The morning session (10:00–11:45am) will showcase research presentations by Senior Seminar students, followed by graduate thesis presentations from 1:00–3:00pm. Lunch will be served during the break. Family and friends are welcome!
We are pleased to invite you to InfoShow25, the annual showcase of School of Information student work, on Friday May 16th at Pratt Manhattan Center (144 W. 14th St.). Click link in bio to RSVP or visit pratt.edu/prattshows.
School of Information students make field trips this spring semester around NYC, including the NY Auto Show, Center for Book Arts, and Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Read all about it in this new Pratt.edu news article; link available in our bio.
Profs. Craig MacDonald and Shruthi Chivukula unwind from their organizing and judging duties at the @amazonmusic Product Design Challenge. Read all about the challenge and the winning projects via the link available in our bio.
In the 100 years since @newyorkermag began publication, four School of Information alums have been featured in the New Yorker. Can you guess who they are? Answer in this Pratt news article; link available in our bio.
It's the School of Information April '25 newsletter with the winners of the annual Amazon Music Product Design Challenge, outcomes of the full-time faculty searches, and much more news; link available in our bio.
The MSLIS/MA History of Art and Design dual-degree program prepares students for careers in art, museum, and academic libraries. With fellowship opportunities taking place at NYC’s leading museums, libraries, and archives, such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the dual-degree program offers unique opportunities for experiential learning.
This program consists of 30 credits at the School of Information and 30 credits at the Department of History of Art and Design for a total of 60 credits, which must be completed with a B average or higher. Students in the dual-degree program generally take one or two classes in each program per semester (3–4 courses, 9–12 credits).
Students in the dual-degree MSLIS/MA History of Art and Design satisfy the learning outcomes of each of the respective degrees.
MS Library and Information Science
Throughout the LIS program, students will create a digital portfolio to highlight the work they have completed and demonstrate they have met the program’s five student learning outcomes:
Foundations of Library and Information studies – Apply core concepts and theories to information collection, organization and access in multiple environments.
User-centered services – Students can meet information needs of diverse user communities across multiple communication formats (e.g. oral, written, visual, interactive).
Technology – Students can select and apply tools and technologies used in the field to improve information functions.
Research – Investigate information environments and users’ needs, behaviors, and experiences through appropriate research methods and analysis.
Ethical/Creative/Critical practice – Apply core ethical principles to professional practice and understand the broad impact of information on society. Students can raise critical questions about information, its production, dissemination, storage and preservation.
MA History of Art and Design
Graduates are able to articulate the mutually constitutive nature of historical changes in social, political and economic conditions in the fields of art, design, and cultural production.
Graduates are able to describe, research and analyze the forms of cultural artifacts and monuments.
Graduates demonstrate a critical engagement with the discipline’s tools and methods.
Graduates have the skills to craft lines of inquiry and perform in-depth research, including the use of relevant languages, that results in original analysis and interpretation.
