Best Art History Schools Near San Jose, CA (2026)

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

San Jose, California has 5 accredited schools offering art history programs, with tuition ranging from $16,005 to $50,205 per year for indexed programs. San Jose has a population of about 990,054. Median household income is $141,565 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 46.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning art history-related role is Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists at a median $141,960 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Art History Schools to San Jose

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer art history programs near San Jose, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from San Jose 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 San Jose. 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

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 3.0 miles from San Jose
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,988
Avg net price $13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Art History Wages Near San Jose

San Jose is part of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area (BLS area code 41940). 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 $71,322
Archivists $97,550 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $88,361
Museum Technicians and Conservators $62,290 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $56,422
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators $58,240 CA statewide $52,754
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary $94,370 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $85,480
Writers and Authors $118,810 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $107,618
Graphic Designers $97,360 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $88,188
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $141,960 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $128,587

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.

San Jose at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 990,054 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $141,565 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 46.5% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 110.4 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other San Jose-Area Cities With Art History Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited art history schools are near San Jose, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering art history programs near San Jose. The closest is San Jose State University in San Jose, CA (3.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Saint Mary’s College of California (39.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying art history roles near San Jose?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying art history-related roles near San Jose are: Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists ($141,960), Writers and Authors ($118,810), Archivists ($97,550). 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 Campbell instead of San Jose?

Campbell, CA is 6.0 miles from San Jose 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 San Jose an affordable place to study art history?

San Jose’s median household income of $141,565 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Jose 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 San Jose

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

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)