Program Overview

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Art History, PhD

The PhD program in Art History is designed for students who wish to pursue original research in the field. The program aims to equip students with a deep knowledge of art history, as well as the field's theoretical and historical foundations. PhD students are prepared to pursue careers in academia, as well as to become museum curators and directors.

Learning Outcomes

Students are expected to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

• Understanding of the development of the history and methodology of art history
• Skill in the visual analysis of primary source material
• Skill in contextual analysis and secondary source interpretations
• Productive engagement in the broad and ever-shifting philosophical, scholarly, and institutional debates that determine the structure and content of art history
• Ability to engage in sustained critical thinking
• Ability to write clearly and compellingly
• Deep knowledge of three of the following distribution fields: African, architecture, Asian, ancient, medieval, Renaissance and Baroque, 18th- and 19th-century European, American, and modern/contemporary
• Reading proficiency in French or German as well as a second language of particular relevance to their field of study
• Ability to conduct independent research in museums, archives, and/or libraries
• Knowledge and skills necessary to be effective teaching assistants for courses numbered 1000–1999
• Grant-writing skills
• Public speaking skills necessary to present research in professional academic settings
• Capacity to teach as an instructor of record in their area of expertise
• Critical research and writing skills necessary to publish peer-reviewed articles

Program Requirements

The Doctor of Philosophy program in Art History requires a minimum of 72 semester hours of graduate credit. Of the 72 semester hours, at least 39 semester hours must be earned while registered in the UI Graduate College, after formal program admission. Students must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.50.

Required Courses

Students must satisfactorily complete the following courses:

• ARTH:4999 Capstone Seminar in Art History
• ARTH:6020 Art History Colloquium for 1 semester hour each semester that they are enrolled for 9 semester hours or more or have an RA/TA appointment
• An art history seminar in their first three semesters of PhD coursework

Directed Studies

Normally, a maximum of 6 semester hours earned in ARTH:6040 Directed Studies may be applied toward the semester-hour requirement for the PhD.

Language Requirement

PhD students must demonstrate proficiency in French or German for admission to the PhD program in Art History. They must demonstrate proficiency in a second non-English language, generally one relevant to the chosen area of research, by the end of the third semester in the PhD program.

PhD Committee

The PhD committee consists of the student's dissertation advisor, who is responsible for the major field; two members responsible for the two minor fields; and at least two additional members. Of these five, four must be tenured or tenure-track faculty members from the art history division. One must be from outside the division and must be a member of the Graduate College faculty.

Comprehensive Examination

Upon completion of course requirements, the PhD candidate takes three written comprehensive examinations. The major exam consists of six questions and lasts six hours; the two minor exams each consist of three questions and last three hours.

Oral Comprehensive Examination

Within approximately two weeks of completing the three written exams, the candidate meets with the degree committee for the oral comprehensive examination, which concentrates on questions that arise from the written comprehensive exams.

Dissertation Proposal

Each student must complete a publishable dissertation that makes an original contribution to the art history discipline and demonstrates evidence of superior understanding of critical issues in the candidate's chosen specialization field.

Final Examination

Upon completing a dissertation, the candidate meets with the PhD committee for an oral defense of the dissertation. The oral defense constitutes the final examination for the PhD.

Sample Plan of Study

A sample plan of study for the Art History PhD program is provided below:

• First Year:
  • Fall: ARTH:4999 Capstone Seminar in Art History, ARTH:6020 Art History Colloquium, ARTH:6XXX Graduate Art Seminar, Elective course
  • Spring: ARTH:6020 Art History Colloquium, ARTH:6XXX Graduate Art Seminar, Elective course, Elective course
• Second Year:
  • Fall: Language Proficiency Exam, ARTH:6020 Art History Colloquium, ARTH:6XXX Graduate Art Seminar, Elective course, Elective course
  • Spring: ARTH:6020 Art History Colloquium, ARTH:7010 PhD Readings, Elective course, Elective course
• Third Year:
  • Fall: Exam: Doctoral Comprehensive Exam, Dissertation Prospectus, ARTH:7010 PhD Readings
  • Spring: ARTH:7020 PhD Thesis
• Fourth Year:
  • Fall: ARTH:7020 PhD Thesis
  • Spring: ARTH:7020 PhD Thesis
• Fifth Year:
  • Fall: ARTH:7020 PhD Thesis
  • Spring: ARTH:7020 PhD Thesis, Exam: Doctoral Final Exam

Career Advancement

Many graduates pursue careers that match their degree specializations, such as commercial or graphic designer, conservation or museum curator or administrator, art educator, public artist, gallery and museum administration, art appraiser and restorer, or community art center coordinator or instructor. The Pomerantz Career Center offers multiple resources to help students find internships and jobs.