General Information
The PhD program in the Division of Art History prepares graduates for university-level teaching, curator positions at major museums, and independent research in the field. Before beginning work for the PhD, students should have completed a master's degree in art history. Requirements for the degree include 60 credits of coursework beyond the master's degree and research capability in at least two foreign languages.
Preparation
Applicants to the PhD program must have a master's degree in art history or a related field combined with course work in art history. Applicants need not have an undergraduate major in art history but should have a solid record of art history course work. In our program we define a “solid record” for our undergraduate majors as 55 quarter credits of art history classes distributed among major fields of study offered in our department. This figure should serve only as a general reference point, however; we do not expect all applicants to have exactly the same background and course distribution as our undergraduate majors. Studio art classes and work experience in art-related fields can enhance your application but, in most cases, will not substitute for a good background in art history course work.
Financial Support
Each year the Division of Art History offers two fully funded five-year PhD packages, which are typically comprised of a combination of fellowship support and teaching assistantships.
Information about other financial support opportunities can be found under Graduate Support.