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

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

San Mateo, California has 5 accredited schools offering art history programs. San Mateo has a population of about 103,555. Median household income is $152,669 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning art history-related role is Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary at a median $127,800 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Art History Schools to San Mateo

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

Stanford University

Stanford, CA 11.6 miles from San Mateo
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
95.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $124,080
Avg net price $13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 100

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 14.7 miles from San Mateo
  • 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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#3

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA 15.6 miles from San Mateo
  • 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

#4

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA 17.0 miles from San Mateo
  • 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

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 17.3 miles from San Mateo
  • 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

#6

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 22.3 miles from San Mateo
  • 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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#7

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, CA 22.8 miles from San Mateo
  • 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

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA 24.9 miles from San Mateo
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $109,183
Avg net price $50,062/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege 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 San Mateo

San Mateo is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). 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 $90,800 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $78,547
Archivists $74,320 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $64,291
Museum Technicians and Conservators $75,020 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $64,896
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators $126,470 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $109,403
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary $127,800 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $110,554
Writers and Authors $86,480 CA statewide $74,810
Graphic Designers $92,050 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $79,628
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $123,250 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $106,618

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 Mateo at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 103,555 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $152,669 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 57.6% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 115.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other San Mateo-Area Cities With Art History Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering art history programs near San Mateo. The closest is Stanford University in Stanford, CA (11.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of San Francisco (17.3 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying art history-related roles near San Mateo are: Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary ($127,800), Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators ($126,470), Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists ($123,250). 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 Foster City instead of San Mateo?

Foster City, CA is 2.5 miles from San Mateo 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 Mateo an affordable place to study art history?

San Mateo’s median household income of $152,669 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Mateo 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 Mateo

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

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)