Best Art History Schools Near Petaluma, CA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Petaluma, California has 5 accredited schools offering art history programs, with tuition ranging from $16,347 to $50,547 per year for indexed programs. Petaluma has a population of about 59,321. Median household income is $109,823 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 42.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro area, the top-earning art history-related role is Writers and Authors at a median $107,700 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Art History Schools to Petaluma

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer art history programs near Petaluma, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Petaluma city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Petaluma. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA 7.3 miles from Petaluma
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
76.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,986
Avg net price $12,885/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 32.4 miles from Petaluma
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
93.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 11%
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,446
Avg net price $13,481/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 127

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 33.6 miles from Petaluma
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,812
Avg net price $41,431/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA 33.7 miles from Petaluma
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
20.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,008
Avg net price $40,613/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA 35.1 miles from Petaluma
  • 4 year
46.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,414
Avg net price $53,909/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 36.9 miles from Petaluma
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,077
Avg net price $12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 102

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, CA 39.5 miles from Petaluma
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,812
Avg net price $30,378/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of California-Davis

Davis, CA 51.8 miles from Petaluma
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
90.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 42%
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $80,838
Avg net price $14,741/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,774
Out‑of‑state$50,974
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 153

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California art history page.

Art History Wages Near Petaluma

Petaluma is part of the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metro area (BLS area code 42220). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Curators $78,740 CA statewide $73,043
Archivists $70,530 CA statewide $65,427
Museum Technicians and Conservators $61,550 CA statewide $57,096
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators $58,240 CA statewide $54,026
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary $99,410 CA statewide $92,217
Writers and Authors $107,700 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $99,907
Graphic Designers $75,750 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $70,269
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $78,810 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $73,108

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Petaluma at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 59,321 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $109,823 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 42.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 107.8 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Petaluma-Area Cities With Art History Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited art history schools are near Petaluma, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering art history programs near Petaluma. The closest is Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, CA (7.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California College of the Arts (35.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying art history roles near Petaluma?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying art history-related roles near Petaluma are: Writers and Authors ($107,700), Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary ($99,410), Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists ($78,810). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Rohnert Park instead of Petaluma?

Rohnert Park, CA is 8.2 miles from Petaluma and has its own set of local art history programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Petaluma an affordable place to study art history?

Petaluma’s median household income of $109,823 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Petaluma while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Art History Programs

Other Programs Available in Petaluma

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Petaluma:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Art History Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)