Program Overview

The Master of Arts in Art History practicum track is appropriate for students who desire advanced art historical training and credentials for work in the art world, but who do not envision pursuing a doctorate or an academic career. It emphasizes applied learning using the discipline of Art History to understand or promote the value of the visual arts in a variety of cultural, educational, or business settings. Students gain practical training experience through a supervised practicum project that integrates academic training and knowledge with outcomes in areas such as museum education, galleries, or community arts organizations.

Degree Structure

MA practicum candidates pursue coursework in tandem with thesis track candidates while developing and completing a practicum project in close consultation with their committee. The degree typically takes one or two years to complete.

Degree Requirements

Graduate Coursework 

MA Practicum students devote the first two 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.

The program for the MA: Practicum Track degree in art history requires:

• A minimum of 25 numerically graded credits, equivalent to 5 5-credit courses, numbered 400 and above and approved by the faculty advisor.
• 10 credits of ART H 598 (Master’s Practicum). These 10 credits may take the form of the completion of a project, internship, or written case study approved by the faculty advisor. They may but need not be taken all in a single quarter. Students must be registered for at least 2 Art H 598 credits during the quarter in which they complete and defend their practicum project.
• 2 credits of ART H 599 (Reading and Writing Projects). These credits reflect preparation for a public presentation focused on work completed in ART H 598 (Master’s Practicum).

A minimum of 37 total credits are required for the MA: Practicum degree in Art History.

Practicum Project

The practicum is the culminating product of the Art History MA: Practicum Track program, and must evidence the student’s practical or theoretical knowledge of some aspects of art in historical or contemporary situations. Although the division of Art History does not arrange or offer internships for the practicum, students can seek out internships in approved nonprofit arts organizations and arts education programs or complete case studies of the impact and benefits of the practice of, teaching of, and support for the visual arts in business, education, and society in general. The practicum must be comprised of activities carried out after the student’s matriculation into the program.

Practicum projects fall into three categories: 

• A curatorial project. Under this option, the student ideates and facilitates an exhibition. The project must involve 3,000 words of writing, typically in the form of a curatorial essay. In some cases, the Division can allow students to hold the public presentation component of the exhibition following their graduation from the program, provided that concrete plans are in place for doing so and all of the preparatory work has been done during the degree. This is to accommodate gallery schedules.
• A Digital Humanities (DH) project. This is a data-driven art historical project that employs primary and/or secondary data to shed light on a topic of the student’s choice. It must involve 3,000 words of writing and a final product ready for a public 32 audience, such as a set of visualizations, a website or online exhibition, or a dataset (or multiple such components).
• A public-facing educational project. Under this option, the student will ideate and execute a project that shares art historical content with a public audience, whether general or targeted. The project must clearly articulate plans for dissemination and make a case for the import and benefit of sharing this particular art historical material in this fashion, to be narrated in a statement of 3,000 words.
   

Prerequisites

Students should discuss potential practicum topics with their faculty advisor as early as possible, ideally during their first quarter in the program. When a topic is finalized, students should work out a timeline for completing the proposal. Practicum proposals are usually completed the quarter before students plan to enroll for practicum credits. 

Students must complete all required coursework and receive committee approval of a written proposal (see below) before they may begin taking practicum credits. Students must track completion of these requirements via the MA Progress Form. To obtain registration codes, students must submit a signed ART H 598 approval form with their approved proposal attached to the academic advisor for graduate students.

Practicum Supervisory Committee

MA practicum projects are guided and evaluated by a Supervisory Committee consisting of a committee chair and at least one other Art History faculty member. Students should consult with the Graduate Program Coordinator and their faculty advisor to establish the committee but are ultimately responsible for determining the potential committee members' willingness to serve. For more information about member eligibility, including members from outside the UW, see Policy 4.2: Supervisory Committee for Graduate Students.

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 practicum project.

The Practicum Supervisory Committee must approve a written project proposal before the student can enroll in Art H 598 (Practicum) and begin work on a practicum project. The Art H 598 Approval Form is available in the Advising office and on the Art History SharePoint.

Project Proposal

Practicum proposals vary in form and/or content depending on the nature of the project and the expectations of the chair and committee members. In all cases, students must present a proposal of minimum 750 words that outlines the project’s concept, goals, and deliverables.

Final Examination

The final examination is an oral presentation and discussion of the candidate's practicum project 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. 

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 and (2) Master’s Supervisory Committee Approval Form. The student is responsible for returning forms bearing the original signatures of all committee members to the academic advisor for graduate students in room 104 of the Art Building.

Completing the MA: Practicum Degree

To have your master’s degree conferred, you must submit a Master’s Degree Request during the quarter you plan to graduate. Detailed instructions are available on the Graduate School website.

Master's Degree Request

The request form is available via MyGrad from the first day of instruction until the end of the quarter, but it’s recommended to submit it early. 

Students should submit their MA Degree Request as soon as the Final Examination 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 valid for one quarter only; if requirements for the degree are not completed during this quarter, the student must file a new application.

Satisfactory Progress Requirements

Art History graduate students must maintain satisfactory performance and progress toward completion of their degree program to continue graduate study and research at the University of Washington. Graduate students engage in quarterly progress reviews with their advisor and receive an annual progress evaluation from the art history faculty to ensure they continue to meet all UW Graduate School satisfactory progress requirements.