The Art History MA is designed to develop art historical knowledge, with an emphasis on Asia/Pacific; knowledge of art historical theory and critical approaches to the study of Art History and visual culture; and research skills and methodology. We offer specialties in the following areas: (1) China, (2) Japan, (3) Pacific, (4) South/Southeast Asia, and (5) Modern/Contemporary. The MA program is a full-time, 30-credit degree. Time to degree is typically 2 years (4 sequential semesters), but may be extended to 3 years (6 semesters) if the student wishes to pursue in-depth language study as well, or a concurrent certificate program.
The orientation of the MA is towards independent and original research in Art History. Students choose one of two plans of study, each geared to abet different post-degree aspirations.
- Plan A, a thesis plan, requires completion of a formal scholarly thesis paper. It is intended to prepare students for an academic career in the field of Art History and for further formal study in a PhD program. It is most appropriate for students who wish to pursue a career in college/university teaching, museum curatorial work, etc. Students intending to engage in studies leading to the PhD are strongly encouraged to complete course work beyond the minimum MA requirements.
- Plan B, a practicum plan, requires completion of a documented capstone project. Capstone projects may be curatorial or connoisseurial, educational, archival/cataloging, digital humanities, documentary film, oral history, and others. The practicum option is intended for students seeking art historical training and credentials in order to teach at the high school level, or to pursue careers in museum education and outreach, collections management, digital humanities, and other professions that intersect with the visual arts in cultural, educational, or business settings.
REQUIREMENTS
- 30 credits of coursework - at least 18 of these credits must be in courses numbered above 600 and must include the following: ART 670 (Art Historical Methodology; 3 credits); three graduate seminars in Art History (total of 9 credits); and 6 credits of ART 700: Thesis Research (for Plan A),
or 6 credits of ART 701: Plan B Capstone (for Plan B). The remaining 18 credits are electives. - Submission and Defense of a Thesis Proposal [Plan A] or a Capstone Proposal [Plan B] that conveys a student's preliminary knowledge of a given area of focus.
- Submission and Defense of an original and polished Thesis [Plan A] or Capstone project [Plan B].
THE FOLLOWING STIPULATIONS APPLY
- The total number of 699 and 700 credits applied toward degree requirements shall not exceed 12.
- At least 6 elective credits must be earned in courses numbered 600 and above.
- Up to 6 elective credits may be earned in upper-level (300+) art history courses.
- With the Primary Advisor’s approval, up to 9 credits may be earned in upper-level (300+) non-art history courses in such appropriate fields as studio art, exhibition design, gallery management, foreign language, history, and other fields, contingent on the student’s research interests. The combined total of non-Art History courses applied to the MA degree may not exceed 9 credits.
- Students considering pursuing a graduate certificate with the MA degree (e.g., Historic Preservation, Museum Studies, etc.) should consult with the Art History Graduate Director. DAAH has a reciprocal agreement with certain Graduate Certificate programs (Historic Preservation, Museum Studies) that allows certain courses required to complete certificates to count as electives towards the DAAH’s MA degree, while ART 670 counts
as an elective for these Graduate Certificate programs, thus reducing the number of credits required to complete both degree and certificate. For more information on these policies, see the MA Handbook.
RESEARCH LANGUAGE RECOMMENDATIONS
While there is no mandatory research language requirement for the MA in Art History, depending on the intended area of concentration and the student’s research interests and goals, at least two years of study in a relevant language prior to starting the MA program may be a practical requirement for some. To encourage further advanced language mastery, students are permitted to apply credits earned in appropriate language courses taken at the third year (300 level) and above as part of the maximum 9 credits of non-art history courses applicable to the degree.