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Degree Requirements (30 Hours)

All students accepted into the program must take the M.A. proficiency examination in the history of art during the first semester of their residence. The examination consists of the identification and discussion of certain major works of Western and Asian art from antiquity to the present. Students who fail the exam may retake it at the beginning of their second semester. Failure to pass the exam on the second attempt results in dismissal from the program. Faculty advisors are assigned to students by the end of their first semester. All art history majors are required to pass a reading proficiency test in a foreign language approved by the faculty advisor.

Students are required to complete 24 hours of course work, at least half at the 700-level or above, including ARTH 701 - Methodologies and Practices of Art History|  and at least one course in three of the four areas of core study offered by the faculty:

• Renaissance, Baroque, and 18th-Century Art and Architecture
• Modern and Contemporary European Art and Architecture
• American Art and Architecture
• Asian Art and Architecture

Courses may only fulfill the requirement for a single area. With the advisor’s approval, up to 6 hours of electives may be fulfilled with courses outside of ARTH. Finally, students are required to complete a written thesis (ARTH 799, 6 hours) or master’s project (ARTH 798, 6 hours). The thesis or master’s project committee will consist of a director and two readers. Where appropriate, one of the two readers may be chosen from another department, school, or program. A 4-6 page thesis or master’s project proposal must be approved by the committee. A formal oral defense of the finished written thesis or master’s project will also be required. The oral defense of the thesis or master’s project serves as the student’s comprehensive assessment for the degree.