Degree Requirements
- A minimum of 40 numerically graded credits numbered 400 and above and approved by the faculty adviser.
- A minimum of 10 credits of ART H 700 (Master’s Thesis).
- Submission of a thesis document.
- Demonstration of an intermediate level of proficiency in a language other than English related to the student’s field of study.
The thesis may be an extension of a seminar paper and must demonstrate the student’s ability to conduct rigorous research, indicate familiarity with bibliographical and reference materials, and show a capacity for the synthesis and critical evaluation of the material under consideration.
These requirements are the minimum MA requirements for the Division of Art History. To be eligible for a degree in the Graduate School, a grade point average of 3.0 in numerically graded courses numbered 500 and above is required.
Language Requirement
Across different fields of art historical specialization, languages are recognized as important research tools, offering access to sources and objects and enabling cultural and cross-cultural study, collaboration, and dialogue more broadly.
All degree candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency in one language; for fulfillment of the language requirement, we accept ancient, Indigenous, and modern languages.
The specific language required for your course of study will be determined at the start of the program in consultation with your faculty supervisor and the Graduate Program Coordinator. In some cases, English may be an appropriate choice. In keeping with the aims and ideals of a globalizing discipline, a student’s first language is not a factor in determining the language relevant to the course of study.
The language requirement may be satisfied by passing a departmental examination, by completing the third quarter of the second year of the language as a graduate student at UW with a minimum grade of 3.0, or by taking graduate-level coursework conducted in the target language with a minimum grade of 3.0.
For Indigenous languages, the method of instruction and assessment will be worked out on an individual basis depending on the availability of university or other institutional coursework and/or community-centered learning.
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.
Credit Hour + Credit Distribution Requirements
The program for the Master of Arts in art history requires a minimum of 50 credits in the thesis track. Of these credits, a minimum of 40 credits must be numerically graded 5-credit art history courses numbered 500 and above, exclusive of thesis credits. A maximum of 10 credits in related departments, in numerically graded upper-division courses, may be approved for credit in place of art history courses. No more than 12 credits of ART H 600 may be counted toward the minimum credit requirement for the thesis-track Master of Arts degree; with faculty approval ART H 597 may be substituted for up to 5 credits of ART H 600. A minimum of 5 numerically graded credits must be taken in at least 3 of the major areas that are the Division’s focus: 1) Art of the Americas, 2) Asian Art, 3) Medieval and Early Modern Europe and the Mediterranean, and 4) Modern and Contemporary Global Art. Students in the thesis track must take at least 10 credits in ART H 700; ART H 700 is treated as continuing courses until satisfactory completion of the final examination and are available only for ungraded credit.
Scholarship + Satisfactory Progress Requirements
To be eligible for a degree in the Graduate School, a student must have an average of B (3.00) in numerically graded courses numbered 400 and above and comply with other Graduate School performance guidelines. Read the complete list of Graduate School master's degree requirements. Students will engage in quarterly progress reviews with their advisor and will receive an annual evaluation of satisfactory progress by the art history faculty. Ideally, an MA track is two years in length.
Admission to the Graduate School allows students to continue graduate study and research at the University of Washington only as long as they maintain satisfactory performance and progress toward completion of their degree program. For more information, read Memo 16: Academic Performance and Progress.