THE GUIDELINES ARE CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW FOR FUTURE STUDENTS.

Degree Requirements

Northwestern's Graduate Program in Art History is a combined M.A.-Ph.D. program designed exclusively for students who intend to pursue the Ph.D. degree. Students entering with a bachelor's degree will earn the M.A. degree after meeting the following requirements.

Requirements for the M.A.
Length of Study: One year minimum of coursework.
Residency and Courses: Three quarters of full-time study (nine courses) in good standing (B average) including Art History 401-1 and 401-2 (Methods/Historiography/Theory).
Foreign Language Requirement: Reading knowledge of French or German. Students in Asian art may pass an exam in Chinese or Japanese during the first year instead of French or German. Proficiency is determined by department examinations.

Successful completion of M.A. exam in the spring of the first year.

Residency and Course Requirements for the Ph.D.
For students entering with a bachelor's degree:
27 courses (3 courses per quarter over three years).
For students entering with an M.A. degree:
18 courses (3 courses per quarter over two years).

Other Requirements for the Ph.D.

Detailed Graduate Program requirements, including a year-by-year timeline and evaluation details (updated Sept. 2008).

Course Requirements & Expectations:

1. Graduate students are expected to take graduate seminars, course work on the 400-level. 300-level courses approved by the Graduate School may be taken with permission of the Art History Department Graduate Advisor.
2. Students are expected to study with a wide range of members of the faculty. Students concentrating in European or American Art are expected to take courses in African or Asian Art, and those concentrating in African or Asian Art are expected to take courses in European or American Art.
3. Those entering with a bachelor's degree must take 10 courses in the major field, and 3 courses in the minor field; those entering with an M.A. must take 6 courses in the major field, and 3 in the minor field.

Foreign Language Requirement:
Reading proficiency in French and German, and any other language(s) required for a particular area of study. Language proficiency requirements for students in African art may differ, and will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Students in Asian art are required to pass either French or German and one Asian language before advancement to candidacy. Another Asian language (or languages) will be required for completion of the Ph.D. as appropriate to the field of study. In some individual cases irrespective of the field of concentration, students may be awarded an extra year of funding in order to accommodate field-specific language requirements. Proficiency is determined by department examinations.

Minor Field Requirement:
A minor field will be chosen to supplement the student's major field because expertise in a field unrelated to that of dissertation research is expected.

Dissertation:
The dissertation is an original piece of research and analysis in the student's major field. A dissertation proposal must be passed by a majority of the departmental faculty during spring quarter of the third year of study (second year for students entering with an M.A.). A successful proposal is the final step in admission to Ph.D. candidacy.

Final Examination:
An oral defense of the dissertation before the student's committee.

Other Curricular and Policy Issues & Requirements:

1. A student's course of study will be tailored to the individual student's academic needs and interests, and will be determined as a result of consultation between the student, the Graduate Advisor and the advanced student's major and minor field advisors. Independent Study (Art History 499) is available to supplement coursework when necessary and desirable. Overall, students are expected to maintain an appropriate balance of seminar-based instruction in the Department, extra-departmental courses, supervised independent study, and non-400-level instruction, taking into account the availability of teaching faculty and courses, special opportunities, and other considerations specific to each student's program of study.
2. A maximum of three courses of credit may be taken in Art History 570: Seminar in College Teaching during a student's career when holding a Teaching Assistantship. (Restrictions apply; consult Graduate Advisor.)
   
3. Graduate students must take an active role in securing fellowships and grants to fund their studies beyond coursework. See the "Awards and Placement" page for details.