Program Overview

Master of Arts in Art History (MA)

The MA in Art History is designed to instruct students in methods to research and present scholarly materials, while providing grounding in a broadly based and methodologically diverse art history. The program offers advanced study of art history in areas of Asian art, European and North American art, and the Indigenous arts of the Americas.

Overview

• The program is a stand-alone, two-year course of study.
• Students gain an understanding of the centrality of art historical study in comprehending the contemporary world and the history of ideas that are embedded in the subject.
• In their first year, students are exposed to both the most current thinking in the field and to art history's disciplinary archive through the Department's required Methodologies seminar.
• Through their coursework and research, students are encouraged to explore and engage with the art historical discourse and supplement their understanding of art and its cultural context.
• Students also augment their skills by completing a language requirement and by presenting their research to peers, faculty, and the public during Roundtable presentations.

Program Structure

• The MA in Art History is a stand-alone program providing an intensive two years of coursework.
• Students will gain an understanding of the centrality of art historical study in comprehending the contemporary world and the history of ideas that are embedded in the subject.
• In their first year, students are exposed to both the most current thinking in the field and to art history's disciplinary archive through the Department's required Methodologies seminar.
• Through their coursework and research, students are encouraged to explore and engage with the art historical discourse and supplement their understanding of art and its cultural context.
• Students also augment their skills by completing a language requirement and by presenting their research to peers, faculty, and the public during Roundtable presentations.

Quick Facts

• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Academic Unit: Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory
• Specialization: Art History
• Mode of delivery: In person at UBC Vancouver
• Program Components: Coursework + Thesis required
• Tuition (First Year):
  • Domestic: $5,626.02
  • International: $9,883.98
• Median Funding: 50% of students receive $10,200 or more funding per year in the first 2 years, before tuition and fees

Admission Information & Requirements

Minimum Academic Requirements

• The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC).
• The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements.
• Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:
  • Canada or the United States
  • International countries other than the United States
• Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements.
• Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

• Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application.
• Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.
• Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:
  • TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based
    • Overall score requirement: 100
    • Reading: 22
    • Writing: 21
    • Speaking: 21
    • Listening: 22
  • IELTS: International English Language Testing System
    • Overall score requirement: 7.0
    • Reading: 6.5
    • Writing: 6.5
    • Speaking: 6.5
    • Listening: 6.5

Prior Degree Requirements

• Applicants for the MA in art history normally are required to have had preparation in the discipline equivalent to the undergraduate major in art history at UBC: a minimum of ten courses (equaling 30 credits) in art history at the third and fourth-year levels.
• It is recommended that these courses represent a significant range of historical periods and/or geographical areas.
• An A grade must have been earned in at least 12 credits, with a high B standing in the remainder, for an overall average of not less than B+.

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

• Fees:
  • Application Fee: $118.50 (Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat), $168.25 (International)
  • Tuition per installment: $1,875.34 (Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat), $3,294.66 (International)
  • Tuition per year: $5,626.02 (Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat), $9,883.98 (International)
• Other Fees and Costs:
  • Student Fees (yearly): $1,144.10 (approx.)
  • Costs of living: Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.

Financial Support

• Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.
• Funding Statistics:
  • Based on the criteria outlined below, 10 students within this program were included in this study because they received funding through UBC in the form of teaching, research, academic assistantships or internal or external awards with a mean of $13,357 and a median of $10,200.
  • This results in a net balance (any funding provided to the student minus tuition and fees) mean of $4,799 and median of -$1,073.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

Enrolment Data

• Applications: 32 (2023), 38 (2022), 36 (2021), 41 (2020), 26 (2019)
• Offers: 10 (2023), 13 (2022), 11 (2021), 10 (2020), 8 (2019)
• New Enrolment: 6 (2023), 7 (2022), 4 (2021), 3 (2020), 6 (2019)
• Total Enrolment: 18 (2023), 14 (2022), 12 (2021), 15 (2020), 18 (2019)

Completion Rates & Times

• This program has a graduation rate of 92% based on 26 students admitted between 2015 - 2018.
• Based on 18 graduations between 2020 - 2023 the minimum time to completion is 1.7 years and the maximum time is 5.14 years with an average of 2.46 years of study.

Research Supervisors

• Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor.
• Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.
• This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program:
  • Adriasola, Ignacio
  • Claxton, Dana
  • Georgopulos, Nicole
  • Gu, Xiong
  • James, Gareth
  • Koh, Germaine
  • Makris, Georgios
  • Mansoor, Jaleh
  • Mitchell, Karice
  • Monteyne, Joseph
  • Orell, Julia
  • Peck, Alexandra
  • Pina Baldoquin, Manuel
  • Porto, Nuno
  • Roy, Marina
  • Salgirli, Saygin
  • Shelton, Anthony
  • Shirazi, Sadia
  • Silver, Erin
  • Smith, T'ai
  • Starling, Dan
  • Thauberger, Althea
  • Usher, Camille

Related Programs

• Same specialization:
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD)
• Same Academic Unit:
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (PhD)
  • Master of Arts in Art History (Critical Curatorial Studies) (MA)
  • Master of Fine Arts in Visual Art (MFA)

Further Information

• Specialization: Art History
• Art History offers advanced study in the major periods of European and North American art, in certain areas of Asian art, and in the indigenous arts of the Americas.
• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Academic Unit: Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory
• Program Identifier: VGMMAA-B4
• Classification: Humanities and the arts » Arts (arts, history of arts, performing arts, music), architecture and design » Art history and theory