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For the M.A. Degree Leading to the Ph.D.

Students are expected to complete all requirements for the M.A. degree in one year (eight courses and two Residence Units). All students must take the proseminar in art-historical theory and method (Art History G6009) in their first term. Also required are three seminars and four courses at the 3000 or 4000 level (no more than two at the 3000 level), of which two may be taken for R credit. At least one letter grade course on the graduate level must be in an area of Western art or architecture and at least one in a non-Western field. In selecting courses, students should also consult the requirements for the advanced programs listed below. With the consent of their advisors, students may take courses outside the department in the culture, literature, history, and philosophy of the areas of their interests.

Qualifying paper: A separate thesis is not required for the M.A. degree, but the student must file a seminar paper with the department, approved by the seminar instructor and one other member of the full-time faculty.

Languages: A reading knowledge of one foreign language must be demonstrated in the first year in order to complete the M.A.; to meet this requirement, students are expected to be proficient in several languages when they begin the program. Language examinations are scheduled within the department: consult the graduate student coordinator for more information. Students should also consult the language requirements of the M.Phil. programs listed below.

Based on the subject area to which they applied, Nnew graduate students are assigned a first-year advisor on arrival. Sometimes a change of adviser occurs at an advanced stage, and some dissertations are co-sponsored. These arrangements should be declared formally at the time of the defense of the thesis proposal.

First- and Second-year review: A systematic review of all first- and second-year students is undertaken at the end of the second term. Continuing students should plan to complete all requirements (including the qualifying paper) by April. Students are strongly warned against carrying incompletes to subsequent semesters.

For the M.Phil. Degree

The department offers separate programs in different fields leading to the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in the history of Western art (inclusive of Western medieval; Byzantine; Italian, French, and English Renaissance and Baroque art; 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-century European art; American art; and the history of photography); East Asian art and archaeology; South Asian art and architecture; pre-Columbian art and archaeology; African Art and Architecture; and the history of architecture. While each of these programs has its own specific degree requirements, the department encourages students, in planning programs with their advisers, to take a wide variety of courses, including relevant courses offered by other departments. Students should begin planning well in advance for the major and minor fields of the M.Phil. oral examination.

The department encourages second-year students to begin considering the formulation of their dissertation proposals. Thus, all students should be sure to enroll either in a seminar pertinent to their dissertation interests or in an independent readings tutorial with an appropriate member of the faculty. Students are encouraged to engage in travel relevant to their dissertation research in the summer following their second year of study. The dissertation proposal must be approved by a committee of three members of the faculty. Guidelines for the preparation of dissertation proposals are available in the department office, as are examples of current proposals. Ordinarily, the dissertation proposal should be approved during the sixth semester or soon thereafter in the seventh semester. Students who, by the middle of the fourth year have not received faculty approval of a dissertation project will miss opportunities to apply for departmental dissertation fellowships and for outside dissertation funding. Independent reading and research courses at the 9000 level are specifically designed for the exploration and development of dissertation topics. In addition, the department frequently sponsors dissertation workshops/colloquia for third-year students.

In the third year students should complete course and language requirements as well as prepare for the M.Phil. oral examination, which is normally taken by April. Candidates for the M.Phil. examination are encouraged to continue taking courses in order to take advantage of the diversity of offerings within the department and University. They should also seek the specific guidance of the faculty in the major and minor fields of the M.Phil. examination.

Languages: A reading knowledge of a second foreign language must be demonstrated before taking the M.Phil. examination; in some fields a third language may also be required at that time: consult the language requirements of the programs listed below. Under certain circumstances (with written permission from the director of graduate studies [DGS]), the completion of the third or additional foreign language may be delayed beyond the M.Phil.

Teaching requirement: Participation in the instructional and/or research activities of the department for three years is required. As a rule, in the second and third years of study, students gain exposure to teaching and curatorial practice as readers and section leaders in undergraduate courses, as assistants in the slide and photograph collections, and as assistants in the Archaeology Laboratory. Students who are interested in broadening their teaching apprenticeships are eligible to teach in the Art Humanities Program once they have received the M.Phil. Students may only apply to be a Preceptor if they have or expect to have the M.Phil. by the May prior to being appointed as a Preceptor, and if they are not past their sixth seventh year of registration during the first year of the Preceptorship. Students may not hold instructional appointments after year seven.

Oral examination: Students are eligible to sit for this exam only after completion of all other M.Phil. requirements. Normally, this two-hour exam is taken in the sixth semester. The appropriate planning form is available in the department office; each of the three examiners must sign it, and the DGS must approve the exam by the beginning of the term in which the exam takes place. Consult the graduate secretary about scheduling the exam. Guidelines for the oral examination are available from the graduate secretary or DGS.

The orals consist of an examination in a major field and a minor field by a committee of three faculty. Each field should represent a significant period in the history of art, for example, Northern Renaissance painting, 17th-century Dutch art, Gothic architecture, 20th-century painting, and so forth. Students should consult early with their advisor and with the DGS, and be guided by them and by the principle that a field should be a respectably large and comprehensive body of knowledge, not a subspecialty.

The major field is the one in which a student intends to write a dissertation, and the degree of knowledge should be that of a specialist embarking on research. The minor field is not necessarily a smaller field, but it represents an area in which a student would like eventually to teach, and the degree of knowledge should be that of a well-informed teacher. Major and minor fields can be geographically and chronologically adjacent, but they should not amount simply to two slivers of what is usually considered the same larger field. In the major field, students have an option, with the permission of the advisor, to present and be examined on a node, i.e., a subject where the bibliography is so rich and the issues so complex that mastering it represents a significant and intellectual accomplishment. For example, nodes in the above major fields could be Dürer, theories of mathematics and proportionality in the Gothic, and Surrealism. The node in the major field is optional; there is no node in the minor field.

In East Asian art, students confer with their advisor about the required minor through the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures (see M.Phil. program of study below).

Students are advised that, according to departmental and University policy, those who have not completed their M.Phil. requirements by March of the sixth term are at a disadvantage with regard to consideration for certain University and departmental grants, as well as outside fellowships, for the following year. Those who have not completed these requirements by April 1 of the sixth term may not be considered for fellowships for the following year, and students who do not satisfy them at all during the sixth term are, in most cases, ineligible for consideration for any fellowship support until the M.Phil. degree has been completed.
For the Ph.D. Degree

Upon successful completion of the oral examination and certification for the M.Phil. degree, the faculty considers whether or not to permit students to continue toward the Ph.D. In the semester of the oral examination or the semester after, and no later than one year after the completion of the M.Phil., a student must file with the department a dissertation proposal that has been approved by a committee of three members of the faculty. The dissertation is to be prepared and defended in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Consult the graduate secretary for information about these regulations, one of which requires that an annual report on progress in the research and writing of the dissertation be returned to the department. 

For the Free-Standing M.A. in Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies

See under Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies.

For the Free-Standing M.A. in Art History

The M.A. is open to students in all fields of study represented in the department. Students are accepted into the program and are mentored by a faculty member in the proposed field of study; for this reason, it is vital that applicants consult with the faculty member most closely allied with their interests during the application process. Full-time students are expected to complete all requirements for the MA degree in two years, of which the second year requires at a minimum part-time study as the student engages in researching and writing the MA thesis. Part-time study for the MA is also possible, and part-time students typically complete the degree in three to four years. The program for MA candidates is determined in discussion with the student's advisor and is a mix of seminar and lecture courses. The MA program requires ten courses (30 points of credit) and no fewer than two cumulative Residence Units of registration. In the first year, the standard full-time program includes a total of eight courses. Of the ten courses required for the degree, at least three should be lecture courses at the 3000, 4000 or 6000 level (no more than two at the 3000 level). Up to two of the lecture courses may be taken for R (registration) credit. Students must demonstrate proficiency in at least one foreign language through a translation examination in order to complete the degree. The translation examination is given through the department and consists of two portions, a translation and a precis, of art history texts selected and evaluated by the faculty. With the approval of the advisor, students may take courses in the culture, literature, history, and philosophy of their areas of interest. Language courses and studio art courses do not count towards the degree. In the second year of full-time study, or final year of part-time study, students must register for one thesis course in each semester as they work under the close supervision of a faculty advisor, thus completing the ten-course requirement.

Programs of Study

In the History of Western Art

Fields of specialization: A primary field, which includes a previously determined subject of concentrated attention, and a secondary field are to be chosen in consultation with the DGS and the student's advisor. The secondary field may be in another program in the Department of Art History and Archaeology or in another department of the University.

Course requirements: A minimum of ten courses, after satisfaction of requirements for the M.A. degree, of which seven must be taken for a letter grade. Five of those seven are usually seminars or advanced research courses. Students must also have taken graduate courses for letter grades, at the 4000-6000 level, in at least three of the following fields: ancient, medieval, Renaissance and Baroque, modern, and at least one graduate-level course for a letter grade in a non-Western field within the department.

Languages: A reading knowledge of two foreign languages; and, in individual fields, a third language determined in consultation with the student's advisor by the end of the first year.

Examinations: a comprehensive oral examination covering both fields of specialization. Students must satisfy all course and language requirements prior to scheduling the oral examination.

In Ancient Art and Archaeology

Program of study: Near Eastern, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, Greek, and Roman art history, architectural history, and archaeology. Each student's individual program is determined with the advice of the sponsoring committee. Attention is called to the Doctoral Program Subcommittee on Classical Studies, under which an interdisciplinary program can be arranged in conjunction with study in the Department of Art History and Archaeology (see Classical Studies).

Fields of specialization: One major and one minor field to be chosen in consultation with the sponsoring committee. Work is encouraged in related fields: Greek, Latin Akkadian and Sumerian literature, ancient history, philosophy, epigraphy, or anthropology.

Course requirements: A minimum of ten courses beyond the M.A. degree, of which seven must be taken for a letter grade. Five of those seven are usually seminars or advanced research courses. A maximum of three lectures can be taken for R credit and applied toward the degree, but an R-credit course should not be in the major field. Students must also have taken graduate courses for letter grades, at the 4000-6000 level, in at least three of the following fields:  ancient, medieval, Renaissance and Baroque, and modern; and at least one graduate-level course for a letter grade in a non-Western field within the department.  Students who do not have sufficient background in the relevant philological fields, archaeology, or history for their areas of research may be required to take related courses in those fields.

Languages: A reading knowledge of two modern languages other than English, usually, but not limited to, German, French, or Italian, and demonstrated competence in two ancient languages, often Greek and Latin  or Sumerian and Akkadian. Required languages are to be determined in consultation with the advisor by the end of the first year.

Fieldwork: Students are encouraged to participate in archaeological field projects, in consultation with the advisor.

Examinations: A comprehensive oral examination covering the major and minor fields of specialization. Students must satisfy all course and language requirements prior to scheduling the oral examination.

In East Asian Art and Archaeology

Program of study: Emphasizes interdisciplinary and interregional studies, a firm grounding in historical research, current art historical approaches and theory, as well as training in traditional connoisseurship skills through study of the numerous collections of East Asian art in and around New York City.

Fields of specialization: Three fields consisting of one primary and one secondary field within the Department of Art History and Archaeology and another secondary field in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, such as history, literature, or religion. Depending on the student's research area, and with the approval of the advisor, the outside department may be one other than the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.

Course requirements: A minimum of ten courses beyond the M.A. degree, of which seven must be taken for a letter grade. Course work normally includes four seminars, two independent research courses at the 8000 or 9000 level, and four lecture courses, two of which may be taken for R credit.

Languages: Prior to entry into the program, students should have completed at least three years of study in the East Asian language of specialization. All students in Chinese art must demonstrate proficiency in modern and classical Chinese, as well as a reading knowledge of modern Japanese. Students in Japanese art are required to demonstrate proficiency in modern and classical Japanese and are encouraged to take at least one semester of kanbun or one year of classical Chinese. Language proficiency can be demonstrated either through course work or examination. All students must pass a certifying examination demonstrating a reading knowledge of either French or German.

Examinations: A comprehensive oral examination covering the primary field and two secondary fields of specialization, usually taken in the second semester of the third year. Students must satisfy all course and language requirements before scheduling the oral examination.

In South Asian Art and Archaeology

Program of study: In addition to courses offered through the department, students are encouraged to take courses in other departments of the University. Students should formulate a program of study in consultation with their advisors.

Fields of specialization: For the M.Phil. degree, one major and one minor field, to be chosen in consultation with the DGS and the student's advisor by the end of the first year. The minor field may be in another program in the Department of Art History and Archaeology.

Course requirements: A minimum of ten courses beyond the MA degree. Five of the ten must include a combination of seminars and independent research courses at the 8000 or 9000 level, taken for a letter grade. A maximum of three lectures can be taken for R credit and applied toward the degree.

Languages: A reading knowledge of one Eastern language. The student may apply the language used to fulfill the M.A. requirement toward the M.Phil. degree, provided it is relevant. Two years of study of Sanskrit, or one year of Sanskrit and one year of Hindi-Urdu, Tamil, or other appropriate language fulfill this requirement. In certain cases, the advisor may require the student to demonstrate reading knowledge of a third language. Required languages are to be determined in consultation with the advisor by the end of the first year.

Examinations: A comprehensive oral examination. A student must satisfy all language and course requirements before scheduling the oral examination.

In Pre-Columbian Art and Archaeology

Fields of specialization: A primary and a secondary field. Primary fields are Mesoamerican art and archaeology and South American art and archaeology. Secondary fields include all other fields offered within the department.

Course requirements: A minimum of ten courses, of which seven must be taken for a letter grade. Five of those seven are usually seminars or advanced research courses.  The program of study is to be determined in consultation with the advisor. One course each year should be in a related field outside the department.

M.Phil. examination: A comprehensive oral examination covering both fields of specialization. Students must satisfy all course and language requirements before scheduling the oral examination.

Languages: A reading knowledge of German and Spanish, as well as a third language chosen in consultation with the advisor.

In African Art and Architecture

Fields of specialization: One primary and one secondary field. The major field is African art and architecture. Minor fields include all other fields offered within the department.

Course requirements: A minimum of ten courses, of which seven must be taken for a letter grade. Five of those seven are usually seminars or advanced research courses.  The program of study is to be determined in consultation with the advisor. One course each year should be in a related field outside the department.

M.Phil. examination: A comprehensive oral examination in both fields of specialization. Students must satisfy all course and language requirements before scheduling the oral examination.

Languages: A reading knowledge of German and French, as well as a third language chosen in consultation with the adviser.

In the History of Architecture

Fields of specialization: For the M.Phil. degree, a primary field and a secondary field to be selected in consultation with the student's advisor and the DGS. One of the minor fields may be outside the department or in another program in the Department of Art History and Archaeology.

Course requirements: A minimum of ten courses beyond the M.A. degree, of which seven must be taken for a letter grade. Five of those seven are usually seminars or advanced research courses. Students must show that they have taken a lecture course for a letter grade in each of the following periods of architectural history: ancient, medieval, Renaissance and Baroque, and modern. It is recommended that students take advantage of the department's offerings in non-Western architectural history. Non-architects may take courses in graphics, design, and/or structures in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation with the joint approval of their advisors and that school (although such courses do not count for graduate credit toward the degree).

Languages: A reading knowledge of two of the three following languages is required for the M.Phil. degree: French, German, and Italian. Required languages are to be determined in consultation with the advisor by the end of the first year.

Examinations: A comprehensive oral examination in both fields of specialization. Students must satisfy all course and language requirements before scheduling the oral examination.

Minor in Theory and Criticism

Students may develop minors in Theory and Criticism that cover one or more methodological and theoretical concerns, generally including interactions between art historical practice and other disciplines, over a wide range of historical periods. In no case can the minor lie primarily in the same chronological period as the student's major. Each minor in Theory and Criticism is developed individually and must take the form of a written proposal, including the rationale and parameters of the field to be examined, a working bibliography, and a sheet recording the approval of the examiner for the minor field, the agreement of the examiners in the major field, and the signature of the DGS.

Fellowships, Travel Grants, and Financial Aid

A comprehensive program of financial aid, including fellowships and appointments in teaching, is available to incoming Ph.D. students. After the first year, all Ph.D. students admitted to the program receive annual stipends through the fifth year, provided that they remain in good academic standing. Students holding fellowships are expected to maintain a high standard of academic performance and complete all requirements on schedule. It is departmental policy not to grant advanced standing to any incoming student, regardless of previously-earned degrees or coursework.

The department offers fellowships for dissertation research from the Rudolf Wittkower and Howard Hibbard Fellowship Funds, the C. V. Starr Scholarship Fund, and the Pierre and Marie Gaetana Matisse fellowship for 20th-century art. All students are also required to compete for outside funding for dissertation research. Grants for summer travel and research are available from the Milton J. Lewine Fund, the Douglas Fraser Fund, and funds established by the Advisory Council of the department.

All continuing students who wish to be considered for departmental fellowships, grants, or other types of financial aid should consult the DGS.