Other Information

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/arthistory/

The department offers programs of instruction in the history, theory and criticism of art and archaeology. These programs are intended to prepare students for careers in scholarship and teaching, in curatorial work and museum administration, as well as for independent research and critical writing. The department offers one of the richest graduate programs in the discipline, and students are encouraged to take advantage of its variety of subjects and approaches. M.A. and M.Phil. programs of study: the history of Western art (inclusive of Western Medieval, Byzantine, Italian, French and English Renaissance and Baroque art; 19th- and 20th-century European art, American art and the history of photography); Ancient art and archaeology; Aegean and classical art and archaeology; Near Eastern art and archaeology; East Asian art and archaeology; South Asian art and architecture; Pre-Columbian art and archaeology; African Art and Architecture; the history of architecture, theory and criticism. Interdisciplinary offerings are available through programs in classical studies and in medieval and Renaissance studies, as well as programs in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

For the doctorate, the department offers a sequential M.A./M.Phil./Ph.D. program. The first year of course work culminates in the Masters Paper and the award of the M.A. degree. The next two M.Phil. years consist of course work, teaching and curatorial opportunities and preparation for the M.Phil. oral examination, which is taken by the end of the third year. Students present a thesis proposal to the faculty late in the third or early in the fourth year and begin research on the dissertation. After award of the M.Phil., students of merit are appointed as Teaching Fellows to teach in the undergraduate Core Curriculum, which involves a highly organized training program and unusual independence as teachers in a small seminar setting. Fellowships are awarded in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success. Teaching and research experience are considered an important aspect of the training of graduate students. Thus, graduate fellowships include teaching and research apprenticeship.

For the nonsequential masters degree, the department offers an M.A. in Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies (see under Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial Studies). For a nonsequential M.A. in other fields or periods of art and architectural history, students are accepted and mentored by a faculty member in the proposed field of study. This mentor should be indicated on the application and contacted prior to the application deadline to discuss the M.A. applicant’s planned course of study. Recipients of the nonsequential M.A. must reapply to be considered for admission to the Ph.D.

The resources of the department extend beyond the classroom: The Avery Memorial Architecture and Fine Arts Library, the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, the Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture, and the many museums and art galleries of New York offer an incomparable array of world art on permanent and temporary exhibition. In addition, courses are taught by the curatorial staffs in the various museums. The Media Center for Art History provides learning opportunities for graduate students in the area of new imaging and information technologies. More information about the Department of Art History and Archaeology is available on the Web at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/arthistory

Other Resources for Study

Aside from the regular courses, a varied program of individual lectures and colloquia by distinguished visitors, sponsored by the Art History Student Union, is offered at frequent intervals. In addition, the department hosts three fora that bring together faculty and graduate students in the New York area. Programs are available on the department’s Web site for the Robert Branner Forum for Medieval Art and Architecture, the Howard Hibbard Forum for Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture, and the Collins/Kaufmann Forum for Modern Architectural History.

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, in existence since 1986, has presented many widely noted exhibitions. Most exhibits are planned and curated by faculty and graduate students. Seminars devoted to preparing exhibitions and their accompanying catalogues are occasionally offered.

In addition to the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, the many collections and libraries of New York City provide opportunities for further study and research. Students have free access to most of these. In several, such as the Metropolitan Museum, the Frick Collection, the Museum of Modern Art, and the New-York Historical Society, special facilities are available for students. Periodically, graduate seminars are taught by museum curators and meet at the museums. The galleries of art dealers offer an ever-changing series of exhibitions in which the works of the most recent artists, as well as of the more established ones, can be seen. Various private collections in New York, through the courtesy of their owners, are often made accessible to students under the guidance of their instructors. Visits to museums and collections form part of the assigned work in many of the courses. Trips are occasionally made to out-of-town museums. The department also offers courses on a regular basis at Reid Hall in Paris.

The University contributes to the support of the schools in Athens and Rome that are associated with the Archaeological Institutes of America, and to the American School of Oriental Research. The advantages of these schools are open to all graduates.

DEGREE:	PHD	Free-Standing Master's
Deadline for Fall Admission	December 15	February 3rd
Deadline for Spring Admission	no spring admission	no spring admission
Resume/CV	yes	yes
Writing Sample	yes (10-30 pages)	yes (10-15 pages)
GRE General	yes	yes
GRE Subject	no	no
Miscellaneous	See below	See below

Generally applicants are expected to have taken a minimum of four undergraduate courses in art history, archaeology or other fields related to art history. Reading knowledge of two or three foreign languages is strongly recommended. Demonstration of proficiency in at least one language is required during the first year of study. All applicants should submit a sample of critical or scholarly writing. Interviews are not required as part of the Ph.D. application process. However, applicants are strongly encouraged to consult, and possibly meet, with a faculty member in the intended field of specialization prior to February 1st. Applicants are advised to visit the department’s Web site or contact the department for information about faculty specialties and availability, as well as for general information about the graduate program.

A student who holds an M.A. degree in art history from another institution should apply to one of the specific M.Phil. programs of study (listed above), submit an M.A. thesis or other sample of graduate-level work and consult with a member of the faculty in his or her intended area of specialization. Students granted advanced standing (after the first year of study at Columbia) based on conferred M.A. in art history at another institution begin the program at the level of the second year and do not earn the Columbia M.A. Consult the regulations on advanced standing from the Graduate School for further information.