Application Procedures

All applications must be post marked by December 31 to be considered.

Applications are accepted online only. The online application is available here: http://www.northwestern.edu/graduate/ and click on 'apply online.'

When reviewing applications to the Art History Program, the Department considers the applicant's:

1. Abilities in art historical research and independence of thought, as demonstrated in the writing sample.
2. Breadth and sophistication of undergraduate (and master's level) art historical training.
3. Reasons for wanting to study Art History on the Ph.D. level at Northwestern.
4. Strength of foreign language preparation in French, German, and other languages appropriate to area of concentration.

Residency Credit
All students are required to complete three years of course work in the department. In exceptional cases, up to one year of residency credit may be granted to students who have earned an M.A. in Art History elsewhere prior to admission.

Application Checklist

1. Completed application. This must be received by December 31 for admission the following September, and includes a mandatory application fee that must be paid on-line.
2. Be sure to fill out the Statement of Purpose part of the online application.
3. Graduate Record Examination scores and TOEFL or IELTS scores (for foreign applicants). GREs must have been taken within 5 years of the quarter in which the applicant hopes to begin graduate study at Northwestern. In addition to GRE and TOEFL or IELTS scores, foreign applicants must also take the TSE (Test of Spoken English), which is required for Teaching Assistantships. To be valid, the TOEFL, TSE and IELTS must have been taken within two years of the quarter in which the applicant hopes to begin graduate study at Northwestern. Send scores to Institution Code 1565.

Supplemental Materials: Mail directly to the department.

1. Writing sample, such as a research paper demonstrating the applicant's abilities and interests.
2. Two letters of recommendation in duplicate. Recommendations for applicants from non-English speaking countries must be submitted in their original language, with an English translation appended.Beginning with applications for Fall 2008, letters of recommendation can also be submitted on-line.
3. Two copies of official transcripts from all colleges and graduate programs attended by the applicant.