Art History, M.A.

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Return to: 10200 The Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Art History prepares candidates for professional activities in museums, galleries, and in the fields of historic preservation, conservation, and art criticism. The program also prepares students for graduate work at the doctoral level. All degree programs of the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) through Georgia State University.

Applicants may obtain additional information about the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design by contacting the school’s director of graduate studies.

Application Procedures

Applications for the Art History program are reviewed once a year, in the spring, for fall admissions. Each applicant must satisfy the general requirements of the College of the Arts. Incomplete or improperly prepared applications will not be reviewed.

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of the Arts, the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design has the following requirements:

M.A. Degree

Applicants for the M.A. degree must submit the following items:

1. Three letters of recommendation. No form is required.

2. A one-to-two-page statement of purpose describing current academic interests, proposed area of specialization, and long-range career goals. The statement should also explain how the Art History graduate program at Georgia State University will serve those interests and goals.

3. A writing sample such as a term paper from an upper-level art history course.

4. General Record Examination (GRE) scores.

5. A current resume/CV outlining your skills, experience, and interest.

6. Transcripts. Unofficial transcripts for the application are acceptable and official transcripts required upon admission.

The statement and writing sample should be uploaded with the other application materials or sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Specific admission requirements for the M.A. degree in Art History include the following:

1. A high standard of overall undergraduate achievement.

2. Undergraduate coursework in art history. Applicants normally should have a minimum of five upper-level courses or the equivalent.

Applicants to the Art History graduate program are also encouraged to meet personally with a member of the art history faculty.

Please note: Deadlines are for completion of applications.

All materials must be in the Office of Graduate Admissions by the deadline. Due to the volume of applications submitted each year, it is recommended that you submit all your materials a month in advance.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts in Art History offers two tracks: a thesis track and a non-thesis track. Students declare which track they intend to pursue after completing 18 hours of coursework, with the art history faculty who will then determine whether or not they may continue in their chosen track. Students who do not have a grade-point average of at least 3.7 (A-) will generally not be allowed to continue in the program, and students who have not demonstrated sufficiently strong research and writing skills will not be allowed to pursue the thesis track. Students who plan to continue graduate work after the Master of Arts in Art History at Georgia State University are urged to pursue the thesis-track option.

Each student will be assigned an advisor upon acceptance into the program, but may change advisors contingent upon acceptance by the subsequent advisor. Students are responsible for making appointments with their advisors and for being familiar with the requirements for the degree. Students must work closely with their advisors to determine the best distribution of art history courses and the most pertinent electives, as well as to make sure that they correctly progress towards the degree.

All candidates for the Master of Arts degree in Art History must demonstrate a reading knowledge of either French or German. The language requirement should be fulfilled no later than the end of the first year (or 18 hours) of graduate work. This requirement may be adjusted by petition of the student if his/her major area of research requires learning a language other than French or German. The foreign language reading requirement may be satisfied by:

Completing or providing evidence of completion of two years of college coursework in the requisite language.
Passing a reading examination administered by the Department of World Languages and Cultures. The reading tests, offered once a semester, emphasize translation ability. Students are permitted to take the exam more than once, if necessary.
Receiving a B or better in FREN 7151 - French for Reading , GRMN 7151 - German for Reading , or, with permission, SPAN 7151 - Spanish for Reading .

Courses taken to satisfy the foreign language requirement will not count toward the total hours of coursework a student must take in order to obtain a degree. Graduate-level language courses can be taken as electives, and FREN 7151 , GRMN 7151 , or SPAN 7151 can be taken as an elective once the student has already fulfilled the foreign language reading requirement in another language.

Thesis Track (33 Hours)

18 hours of coursework consisting of 6 art history lecture courses or seminars with a minimum of three seminars (AH 6000 or AH 8000 level).
Three hours of AH 8010 - Methodology and Historiography of Art .
Six hours of electives in related areas
Thesis proposal approved by the thesis committee.
Six hours of AH 8999 - Thesis Research .
Thesis approved by the thesis committee.

(In regard to 4, 5, and 6, students should consult the latest art history thesis guidelines.)

Students should take at least one course in three of four general areas of study. These areas are:

Ancient and Medieval Art
Early Modern Art
Modern and Contemporary Art
Global South

Non-Thesis Track (36 Hours)

27 hours of coursework consisting of nine art history lecture courses or seminars with a minimum of four seminars (AH 6000 or AH 8000 level).
Three hours of AH 8010 - Methodology and Historiography of Art .
Six hours of electives in related areas.

Students should take at least one course in three of four general areas of study. These areas are:

Ancient and Medieval Art
Early Modern Art
Modern and Contemporary Art
Global South