PhD Programs

• Sequential MA-MPhil-PhD program
• Sequential MPhil-PhD program (for students with advanced standing based on an MA in art history earned elsewhere)

• MA in Modern Art: Critical Studies
  
• MA in Modern Art: Curatorial Studies
  
• MA in Art History (e.g., Renaissance art, architectural history, Islamic art, Chinese art, Ancient art, Native American art, and any field that is represented by a faculty member in the Department)

Application deadline for all non-sequential MA programs is February 3.

All applications received by the deadline of February 3 are reviewed carefully and thoroughly by faculty over a period of several weeks in March.  Admissions decisions are communicated only by the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; decision letters from the Dean go out usually around late April. 

No.  All applications must be received by the deadline.

No. All materials should be sent to the GSAS Admissions Office, at the above address. Sending materials to the Department can cause delays in processing the application.

The faculty considered about 100 applications for fall 2006 admission to the Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies program and made an offer of admission to about 25%. The faculty considered about 40 applications for fall 2006 admission to the MA in Art History and Archaeology program and made an offer of admission to about 45%. Unfortunately, fellowship assistance is not available to students in non-sequential MA programs.

The approximate number of students in all non-sequential MA programs is 50. The number of students in the Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies entering class for fall 2006 is 17. For fall 2006 we welcome six students pursuing a non-sequential Masters with a faculty mentor (in Islamic, Roman, History of Architecture, and Renaissance).

For admission to all graduate programs including the non-sequential MA, the prerequisite is a minimum of 4 courses in art history or studies closely related (e.g., archaeology, architectural history, art-historical anthropology).  An undergraduate major in art history is not a requirement.   In evaluating the application, faculty must try to predict the applicant’s ability to succeed in this demanding program. Obviously, applicants who are better-prepared and who have achieved academic success have a better chance for admission.   Preparation for graduate study does not, however, consist solely of taking as many art history classes as possible.  Nor does suitability for this program always accompany high academic achievement as evidenced on an application.  The program presumes a readiness to contribute to advanced seminars and to sophisticated discussion of the history of art.  It is not an introductory program and students without the minimum number of undergraduate-level (or higher) courses are not likely to be admitted. For improving one’s background in art history, the School of Continuing Education can be a resource (see below).

Yes, this is very important. Although the personal statement should make clear what is the intended field of study all applicants should declare their intended field of specialization on the application where it says “subfield.”  Modern Art: Critical Studies MA applicants may write, “Modern Art: Critical Studies.” Modern Art: Curatorial Studies MA applicants may write, “Modern Art: Curatorial Studies.”  MA applicants in other fields should give their intended field, (e.g., Ancient, East Asian, Renaissance art, or Pre-Columbian archaeology, or Baroque architectural history, etc.), and refer to the special application instructions for the non-sequential MA degree in fields other than Modern art.  

No, there is no “general” MA in art history in this department. All non-sequential MA students must complete the M.A. Thesis, which by definition requires research in a particular area. You must indicate your intended field of study on the application under subfield; omitting your subfield may exclude your application from review of faculty in the proper field.  Non-sequential MA applicants whose interest is not Modern art must, as per the application instructions, gain the sponsorship of a faculty member in the proposed field of study.  See question about interviews, below.

The Graduate admissions process is selective and competitive. If you are planning to specialize in, say, Modern art and theory, but you have never taken a class on Twentieth-century art and you have not done extensive reading and writing in that area, then, you’ll have to make clear in your personal statement how you have gained adequate knowledge and skills that prepare you to contribute to graduate seminars and do independent research in Modern art.  The personal essay as well as your critical writing sample should demonstrate some sophistication about the field.  Remember, you need to indicate a specialization.

One way in which prospective graduate students commonly seek to explore art history or improve their background, get to know faculty in this department, and make plans for future study is to enroll as a postgraduate non-degree student in Columbia’s School of Continuing Education and Special Programs.  http://www.ce.columbia.edu/    Most undergraduate courses and most graduate lectures in the Department of Art History and Archaeology are open to students in this school.  A limited number of graduate courses taken for credit in the School of Continuing Ed may be applicable to a graduate degree in this department. 

Auditing of certain courses is available to non-degree students via the Auditing Program or the Lifelong Learner’s Program of the School of Continuing Education, http://www.ce.columbia.edu/.

Interviews are not required as part of the process of applying to the Modern Art: Critical or Curatorial Studies program.  Prospective students may visit faculty during their office hours.   However, applicants to MA programs in fields other than Modern art, being expected to gain the sponsorship of a faculty member, must consult with professors in the intended field of study prior to the application deadline.  For those applicants new to Columbia, an appropriate way to do this is first to become familiar with the faculty in the field—find out what they are teaching and writing about, look at their publications—and then visit or call during their office hours.  For information about faculty please consult the faculty directory.

General: You may call or visit during office hours in the fall term or early in the spring term.  Information about office hours is posted on the faculty directory at the start of each term.  Office hours are “open hours,” that is to say, no appointment is necessary during the period of the office hour, unless so indicated on the faculty directory.  There may be a short wait, especially at the beginning and end of a term when students are consulting with their instructors.  Some faculty may prefer to set an appointment for you.

Email: If you have specific questions related to your research interests you may direct these questions to faculty via email, but be advised that they get many unsolicited emails each week and it may take time to get any response.  Some faculty may prefer to respond only after having met you during their office hours.  

It is generally not necessary to meet with either the Chair of the Department or the Director of Graduate Studies.  Such a meeting would not be expected of prospective PhD or MA applicants unless either of these professors is a potential advisor in the respective field of study.  Most inquiries for the Chair and/or DGS are properly directed first to the MA Program Coordinator in the department office.  General inquiries about the program questions about program requirements, deadlines, course offerings, etc.—are properly directed to the MA Program Coordinator. 

How many letters of reference are required?  Who should be my referees?  Must they be art historians, architectural historians or archaeologists? 

As per the GSAS application instructions for all programs, three letters of recommendation are required.  Ideally the letters are from professors and scholars who can speak to your abilities and your suitability for graduate study in this program at Columbia.  Typically letters come from art and architectural historians or archaeologists, professors who have taught or supervised the applicant in college or at the Masters level, but a letter from an academic in another discipline, preferably the humanities, would be acceptable.  Letters from museum professionals are acceptable.  The referee ought to know you well, know your work, and know what your goals are.   The letters of reference are an important component of the application.

A reading knowledge of one foreign language relevant to the student’s area of study must be demonstrated in order to complete the Masters degree for non-sequential MA programs.  Applicants are not tested on language proficiency as part of the application process.  All applicants are asked to give a brief report of their language proficiency on the main application form.  The critical writing sample may also demonstrate some level of proficiency.  To meet the requirements given above all new students are expected to be proficient with languages when they begin the program.  Students can pursue language studies after matriculation.  Language courses may not be applied towards any degree in the department. Language skills are an absolutely essential component of graduate education. Applicants without language proficiency in the intended field of study are at a disadvantage in the admissions process, and new students find, upon matriculation, that language study hinders progress in coursework, as assigned readings may be in foreign languages. 

Campus tours are offered by the Visitors’ Center.  The Visitors’ Center is located in Room 213 Low Memorial Library, just inside the main front door.  Low is the domed building at the center of campus.  The phone number is 212-854-4900.

Prospective students are often welcome to sit in on a class in the Department of Art History and Archaeology.  Large lectures are the best option—consult the class schedule or contact the department office for suggestions.  It is a courtesy for visitors to introduce themselves to the instructor and ask permission to sit in on a class meeting, even a large lecture.  Ordinarily, prospective applicants do not sit in on seminar classes but with the prior permission of the instructor it may be possible. 

The Graduate School does not allow deferral of admission.  In order to be considered for the next year, an applicant must re-apply and submit a complete application again. 

Part-time study is possible and the non-sequential MA programs are structured to accommodate students whose work or family responsibilities, or financial pressures, make part-time study more feasible.  Refer to the GSAS Bulletin for regulations on registration, satisfactory academic progress and the completion of degree requirements.  

The Department offers a very limited number of courses beginning after 5pm.  Consult the class schedule for updates.  Given that the MA Colloquium is a daytime course, and that most department courses are offered between 10am and 4pm, it would not be possible to earn a degree exclusively with evening coursework.  Some students who work full-time but have some flexibility will set aside evenings, plus a full day or an afternoon for courses. 

Applicants for a non-sequential MA in architectural history, like all applicants for the non-sequential MA in fields other than Modern art, must obtain the sponsorship of a faculty member. The architectural Historians in this department are Hilary Ballon, Barry Bergdoll, and Stephen Murray.

No.  For the Visual Arts Division (painting, sculpture, etc) and The Film Division contact the Columbia University School of the Arts http://www.columbia.edu/cu/arts/    

For media studies we might suggest The New School University here in New York http://www.nsu.newschool.edu/04d_ma.htm  

or William Patterson University of New Jersey  http://www.wpunj.edu/coac/

No.  Try the Teachers College program in Arts Administration

or the Museum Anthropology MA Program from the Department of Anthropology

or the graduate program in museum studies at New York University 

• Consult the Department of Art History and Archaeology website
• Review the application and Bulletin on the GSAS web site http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/
• Visit the Department in Schermerhorn Hall and Avery Library; consult faculty, meet students, and ask questions of Department staff