Program Overview

Visual Studies, Ph.D.

The Ph.D. Program in Visual Studies, administered by the faculty of the Department of Art History, engages in the histories, theories, and analysis of the visual, from practices and experiences of looking to the nature of representation, images, and their media. Interdisciplinary and theoretically rigorous, Visual Studies is committed to the investigation of cultural productions of seeing, picturing, and knowing, from the past to the present day.

Overview

Students wishing to explore innovative lines of inquiry into the visual can enter the program with a B.A. or M.A. in a relevant field (those with a B.A. may earn an M.A. in route to the Ph.D.), but the program admits only those students intending to complete their doctorate. In addition, a Graduate Emphasis in Visual Studies is available to Ph.D. and M.F.A. students in all departments.

Admission

The program is open to students applying with either a bachelors or a masters degree, and applicants must meet the general requirements for admission to graduate study. The program accepts applicants for admission for the fall quarter only.

Requirements

• All students are required to demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language and are strongly encouraged to develop competence in a second.
• Students consult with the Director and/or their principal advisor(s) to determine the appropriate language on which the student will be tested, based on their interests and program of study.
• Beyond the core series, students are required to complete an additional 11 courses for a total of 14 courses.
• Out of this total, at least 10 courses (including the core series and VIS STD 297) must be within the program in Visual Studies, and at least two courses are to be from outside the Visual Studies discipline.
• Students admitted with an M.A. in a related field may petition the Visual Studies Graduate Committee to have some of their course requirements waived.

Master's Paper and M.A.

• During their second year, students admitted without an M.A. in a related field will enroll in VIS STD 296 for the purpose of expanding and developing a seminar paper into a Masters paper under the supervision of a faculty advisor.
• The Masters paper is an essay of near-publication quality, approximately 30 pages in length.
• In addition to the advisor, two additional readers from the Visual Studies faculty will assess the Masters paper and the students overall academic performance.

Preliminary Examination

• By the end of the first year, a student must reach an agreement with one of the program's core faculty members to serve as principal advisor.
• The student and principal advisor define two fields, one major and one minor to be examined by the faculty.
• The fields should combine historical breadth and some variety in media.
• Over the course of two quarters, students prepare reading lists in close consultation with their principal advisor and field supervisor, and complete the reading of those lists.
• The examination normally takes place at the end of each of the two quarters of study.
• The first part of the examination consists of a written component, in which the student is called upon to respond to questions posed in the two examination fields.
• There is also an oral component to the preliminary exam process.

Prospectus and Advancement to Candidacy

• During their third year, students draft a prospectus that defines the scope, approach, and rationale for a proposed dissertation and begin research on the dissertation.
• At the end of the third year, the student should defend the written exams and prospectus with the entire five-person committee.
• Based on the students written exam results, prospectus, oral defense, and overall progress, the committee will determine whether the student has successfully advanced to candidacy.
• Advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. is contingent upon successful completion of both the preliminary exams, subsequent approval of the prospectus by the dissertation committee, and satisfaction of all language requirements.

Dissertation

• The student and the principal advisor consult to determine the composition of a doctoral committee of three members including the principal advisor, which then must unanimously approve the prospectus before the student proceeds with the dissertation.
• The doctoral committee, on the basis of the candidates past academic performance and proposed dissertation topic, may require additional course work or other forms of preparation for the dissertation.
• The doctoral committee, under the direction of the principal advisor, supervises the students research program and ultimately approves the dissertation.
• After submitting a full dissertation to their committee members, students will be required to pass an oral dissertation defense with their three-person doctoral committee prior to filing their dissertation and graduating.
• The examination will be open to all members of the academic community. Faculty and graduate students of the school (or academic unit) and the Graduate Dean must be given appropriate written notice at least five days in advance of the date, time, and place of the examination.