Graduate study in Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture

Passionate about decorative arts, design history, or material culture? Eager to discover how object-based study can advance your curatorial and scholarly interests?

Attend the virtual open house at Bard Graduate Center to learn about our NYC campus, outstanding faculty, thriving and close-knit community, and institutional relationships with institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, and American Museum of Natural History.

At our Open House, you will meet members of the faculty and hear about their research and teaching. You can also meet current students, learn about the library and our exhibitions, as well as financial aid and housing options. More than 90 percent of our students receive housing assistance and more than 65% live in Bard Hall, our apartment complex for students, faculty, and staff.

At BGC, we study the human past and present through their material expressions, focusing on objects and other material forms—from those valued for their aesthetic elements to the ordinary things used in everyday life. We apply equal intellectual rigor to our acclaimed exhibitions, award-winning catalogues and scholarly publications, and innovative public programs, all of which are vital to our curriculum.

You will find our alumni working in museums, auction houses, and universities around the world, including the Met, Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Arts and Design, New-York Historical Society, the Jewish Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Sotheby’s, Phillips, Gurr Johns, Parsons School of Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, Queens University, and more.

Join us for a virtual open house: December 8 (on Zoom). To reserve your spot and learn more, visit here. Can’t make this date? Email admissions [​at​] bgc.bard.edu to schedule a visit at any time.