Program Overview

Doctor of Philosophy in Art History

The Doctor of Philosophy in Art History is a 30-credit hour PhD program offered by the Tyler School of Art and Architecture. This program provides rigorous academic training required to attain teaching, research, and curatorial positions at the highest levels of the discipline.

Program Overview

The program is intentionally small, allowing each student's primary advisor to provide one-on-one mentorship and personalized career development. Students work closely with highly accomplished faculty who have diverse and global areas of expertise, including:

• New and emergent digital technologies
• Modern and contemporary art, especially in North and Latin America
• Renaissance and Baroque Italy, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands
• The ancient Mediterranean
• The Islamic world
• The history of prints, photography, and media theory

Program Format and Curriculum

The Art History PhD is offered on a part- or full-time basis and must be completed within seven years. All students enter the program with a primary advisor and work closely with them during their studies. The art history doctoral curriculum concentrates on Western art history, broadly conceived, including the ancient Mediterranean, early modern, Europe, Islamic, Latin America, and modern and contemporary in the United States. Curricula are informed by the historiography and critical theory of art history.

Some courses included in the program are:

• Architecture as Performance: Space, Society and Spectacle in the Ottoman Empire
• History and Theory of Printmaking
• Modern and Contemporary Art in Latin America
• Seminar on Ancient Art: Taking Place: Studying Place-making in the Ancient World
• Seminar on Contemporary Art: Research Entanglements: Artistic Practice, Curatorial Work and Theory
• Seminar on Early Modern Art: The Affective Image: Devotional, Erotic, Political
• Seminar on Problems and Period Style: Ancient Counterfeits, Looting, and the Ethics of Collecting

Admission Criteria

The doctoral program accepts students with a master's degree in art history or a closely related field. Occasionally, exceptionally well-prepared students with a bachelor's degree and strong art history background are admitted into the direct track 60-credit hour program without first earning a master's degree.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition rates are set annually by the university and are affected by multiple factors, including program degree level, course load, and in-state or out-of-state residency. The tuition costs for the 2025-2026 academic year are:

• Pennsylvania resident: $1,148.00 per credit
• Out-of-state: $1,577.00 per credit

Accreditation

The Tyler School of Art and Architecture's degree programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The school's architecture and environmental design programs are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board, Planning Accreditation Board, and International Facilities Management Association.

Research Areas

Students have access to research opportunities created by Tyler's location in Philadelphia and at Temple University Rome, a leading center for interdisciplinary research and study abroad. Fellowships are available for study abroad programs.

Student Organizations

Students can enhance their coursework, build meaningful networks, and gain leadership experience by participating in student-led clubs and organizations, such as:

• Graduate Arts Collective
• American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS)
• Art History Graduate Organization
• American Society of Landscape Architects, Student Chapter at Temple's Ambler Campus

Study Away Programs

Exposure to diverse cultures, environments, and mindsets is essential for art, architecture, and design students. At Tyler, students are encouraged to broaden their perspective and explore unique environments through study away programs, including programs in Rome.