The Master of Arts in Art History: Thesis Track prepares students for professional careers in the arts or to continue their scholarly pursuits in an Art History PhD program. The program emphasizes research, writing, and breadth of knowledge in the discipline of Art History and culminates in a thesis. Our internationally recognized faculty is committed to supporting and mentoring MA students in a wide range of areas, including Arts of Asia, Arts of the Americas, Medieval and Early Modern Art in Europe and the Mediterranean, and Modern and Contemporary Art in a Global Context. .

Degree Structure

The MA: Thesis Track program is designed to equip students with the intellectual tools and broad subject area knowledge necessary to conduct original scholarly research in Art History. MA: Thesis Track students must complete coursework, demonstrate an intermediate level of proficiency in one language related to the student’s field of study, and pursue extended individual research and writing under close faculty supervision. The program culminates in a thesis, defended in an oral examination before a committee, which demonstrates candidates’ abilities in original research, critical evaluation, and scholarly synthesis. Students have opportunities to gain valuable pedagogical experience through Teaching Assistantships. The time to degree completion is typically two years.

Degree Requirements

Coursework

MA: Thesis Track students devote the first four quarters of the program to completing required coursework, or numerically-graded graduate-level credits, in Art History and other complementary disciplines. Coursework provides a solid foundation in art history’s methods, critical approaches, and various subfields, while also allowing students to begin honing an area of specialization. Most graduate-level seminars at UW carry 5 credit hours. Typically, students enroll in 10-15 credits, equivalent to 2-3 courses, each quarter. 

MA Thesis candidates are required to complete a minimum of 40 credits in numericallygraded graduate-level courses, including:

• 6 courses in Art History
• 2 courses in Art History or in upper-division non-art history seminars approved by your primary advisor.

No more than 12 credits of ART H 600 may be counted toward the minimum credit requirement for the Master of Arts: Thesis Track degree; ART H 597 may be substituted for up to 5 credits of ART H 600 with faculty approval. 

The 40 credits of graduate-level coursework count toward the minimum of 50 total credits required for the MA thesis degree in art history (see Thesis Credits).

Language Courses

Students often need to enroll in introductory or intermediate-level foreign language courses in order to fulfill division language requirements. Please note that credits taken to fulfill the language requirement do not count toward those required for the MA degree.

Language Proficiency

All MA Thesis degree candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency in one language; for fulfillment of the language requirement, we accept ancient, Indigenous, and modern languages. To ensure timely progress and to facilitate work on the thesis, students are strongly encouraged to satisfy the language requirement during their first year in the program. Students must satisfy the language requirement before they may begin taking thesis credits.

Master’s Supervisory Committee

MA theses are guided and evaluated by a supervisory committee including a minimum of three faculty members. Students consult with the Graduate Program Coordinator and their faculty advisor to establish a committee consisting of a committee chair (typically their advisor), a second faculty member from Art History, and a third from Art History or another unit. For more information about member eligibility, including members from outside the UW, see Policy 4.2: Supervisory Committee for Graduate Students. Students are responsible for determining the potential committee members' willingness to serve.

The Graduate School does not require notification of the membership of this committee. The committee chair shall keep written records concerning any formal agreements or stipulations regarding the student’s program of study and thesis. 

Students must obtain the Supervisory Committee's approval of a written proposal with a signed Art H 700 approval form before they may begin taking thesis credits.

Thesis

The thesis is the culminating product of the Art History MA: Thesis Track program. It may begin as a seminar paper that the student develops into a publishable article for an academic journal or publication. The thesis demonstrates the student’s ability to conduct rigorous research, indicates familiarity with bibliographical and reference materials, and shows a capacity for the synthesis and critical evaluation of the material under consideration. 

A MA Thesis takes a minimum of two quarters of full-time work in Art H 700 (Thesis) to complete. Students must complete all required graduate-level coursework, satisfy the language requirement, and receive Supervisory Committee approval of a written proposal (see below) before they may begin taking Art H 700 thesis credits. Students must track completion of these requirements via the MA Progress Form. To obtain registration codes for Art H 700, students must submit a signed ART H 700 approval form (available in the Art History SharePoint or the advising office) with their approved proposal attached to the academic advisor for graduate students. 

Students who intend to complete the MA program in two years and graduate in the spring in their second year should adhere to the following thesis schedule: 

• Year 1 Autumn and Winter: discuss potential thesis topics with advisor
• Year 1 Spring: finalize a thesis topic; form supervisory committee
• Year 1 Summer: research and draft a thesis proposal
• Year 2 Autumn: revise thesis proposal based on advisor’s feedback; obtain supervisory committee approval of proposal
• Year 2 Winter: enroll in Art H 700; write and submit first draft to advisor
• Year 2 Spring: enroll in Art H 700; revise and submit final draft to advisor; submit advisor-approved final draft to supervisory committee 30 days before defense; defend thesis.* 

*See “Sample Thesis Submission and Defense Timetable” for more information.

THESIS CREDITS

After completing 40 credits of numerically graded graduate-level coursework, satisfying the language requirement, and receiving Supervisory Committee approval of a written proposal (see below), students may register for Art H 700 (Master’s Thesis). 

At least 10 credits of Art H 700 (Master’s Thesis) are required for the degree. These 10 credits may, but need not be, taken all in a single quarter. Students must be registered for at least 2 credits during the quarter in which they complete and defend their thesis. ART H 700 is treated as continuing courses until satisfactory completion of the final examination and is available only for ungraded credit.

PROPOSAL 

Your thesis proposal is a document in which you articulate your thesis project and the original contribution it will make to a scholarly topic. Thesis proposals vary in length and content depending on the nature of the project and the expectations of the chair and committee members. However, all proposals must include the following elements, not necessarily in this order:

• Title page
• 1-2 paragraph abstract
• Project Overview: introduces the thesis topic and explains the original contribution it will make to a specific scholarly subject.
• Literature Review: offers a brief, synthetic survey of relevant scholarship and positions your project in relation to it.
• Section summaries/outline: explains the subjects and organizational structure of the thesis. Proposals developed from existing seminar papers will typically be more detailed and specific than proposals based on future research.
• Timeline for completion: provides an overview of how you plan to research, draft, revise, and deliver the thesis to your supervisory committee.
• Bibliography: includes the key scholarship that you anticipate citing.
• Images (optional): Max. 5 images of artworks or objects that are central to the thesis. 

Students must write and obtain the Supervisory Committee's approval of a written thesis proposal via a signed ART H 700 approval form before they may begin taking thesis credits (Art H 700).

FINAL DRAFT 

A MA Thesis takes a minimum of two quarters of full-time work in Art H 700 (Thesis) to complete, and should be a minimum of 10,000 words long, including footnotes. Students 27 should plan accordingly and expect to revise and resubmit at least one full draft of their theses before receiving their advisor’s approval of a final draft. Students are strongly recommended to communicate with their advisor as early as possible to set a schedule for submitting drafts and receiving feedback. Once a final draft is approved by the advisor/supervisory committee chair, it can be submitted to the other supervisory committee members for their review and suggestions, allowing minimum 30 days for review (no later than May 1 for spring quarter graduation). 

FINAL EXAMINATION/DEFENSE 

The final examination is an oral defense of the candidate's thesis conducted by the Supervisory Committee. Students are responsible for scheduling the defense in consultation with the committee chair. The defense date must be at least 30 days after the final draft was circulated to the full Supervisory Committee. 

The graduate student and at least one Art History faculty member from their committee (or a substitute from the Art History faculty, if necessary) must be physically present at the defense. If a member(s) needs to participate in an exam but cannot be physically present, the Graduate School allows for video conferences if certain requirements are met. The Supervisory Committee must certify the results of the final examination by signing hard copies of two forms, generated through the online degree application process: (1) a Warrant for Master’s Degree and a (2) Master’s Supervisory Committee Thesis Approval Form.

The student is responsible for returning forms bearing the original signatures of all committee members to the GPA in room 104 of the Art Building. The completed forms must be submitted to the GPA by the last day of the quarter; otherwise, registration for the following quarter is required and another Master’s Degree Request must be submitted.

Completing the MA: Thesis Degree 

To have your master’s degree conferred, you must submit a Master’s Degree Request, Master’s Thesis Approval Form, and a formatted final thesis via MyGrad during the quarter you plan to graduate. Detailed instructions are available on the Graduate School website. 

MASTER’S DEGREE REQUEST 

Students should submit their MA Degree Request as soon as the defense is scheduled. The form is available every quarter between the first day of instruction and the last day of the quarter.

The filing of the MA Degree Request is the responsibility solely of the student, who must be registered for the quarter in which the degree is expected. Master's degree applications are 28 valid for one quarter only; if requirements for the degree are not completed during this quarter, the student must file a new application.

MASTER’S THESIS APPROVAL FORM

A completed and signed approval form is required for Master’s students submitting an Electronic Thesis (ETD) as part of their degree requirements. This form must be signed by at least two graduate faculty members of your committee, including your Chair/s, indicating they have approved the final version of your thesis project. Once you’ve obtained the necessary signatures, submit your form according to the instructions on the Graduate School website. The completed form must be submitted to the GPA by the last day of the quarter; otherwise, registration for the following quarter is required and another Master’s Degree Request must be submitted. 

ELECTRONIC THESIS SUBMISSION AND FORMATTING

To graduate with a master’s (thesis program) degree, students are required to submit an Electronic Thesis/Dissertation (ETD) to the Graduate School through the UW ETD Administrator Site. ETDs are distributed by ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing and made available on an open access basis through UW Libraries ResearchWorks Service.

The thesis must be submitted electronically to the Graduate School by the last day of final examinations of the quarter in which degree requirements are completed. Consult the Graduate School website for formatting requirements. It is the responsibility of the student to check with the Graduate School, the UW Library copyright office, Proquest, and any other guidelines on fair use practices, permissions, and inclusion of images.