The M.A. in Art History enrolls eight new, full-time students each year. The program has a two-year schedule, graduating each class of eight students at the end of their second year. No part-time students are admitted, as the program requires a full two-year residency.

Course Work
Graduate program requirements include preparation in at least one research language, a Master’s thesis and a final examination. The MA degree requires at least thirty (30) credits of course work, including nine (9) thesis research credits (GRAD 395). These credits are composed of a set of core courses and a number of electives, as outlined below.

Required or Core Courses – 18 Credits:

Related Coursework Requirement
Students may have at least six credits of advanced work in a related or supporting area. Courses for the related or supporting area must be advanced work outside the major field of study (area of concentration) and ordinarily outside the Department. The advisory committee must approve the courses as part of the plan of study.

Foreign Language Requirement
A reading knowledge of one foreign language appropriate to scholarly research in Art History must be demonstrated in order to receive the M.A. degree, and a language examination must be passed before the student is eligible to take the M.A. Final Examination (Thesis Defense). These languages include French, Italian, Spanish and German. In special cases, students may petition for recognition of another language directly related to research in the student’s field of interest in fulfillment of the requirement. Students are highly encouraged to begin advanced language study before entering the program.

Master's Thesis
A thesis representing a significant contribution to ongoing research in the candidate's field is required. The thesis should be in one of the fields listed as Art History faculty areas of specialization. Students are not required to choose a thesis area before admission, but each student must make such a choice by the end of the first year of study. Thesis research and writing will be directed by the student's Major Advisor. Each graduate student must have a Major Advisor, whose name should be filed with the Art History Graduate Coordinator by the beginning of the second year of study. Any subsequent change of major advisor must be reported immediately to the Graduate Coordinator and to the Graduate School. Advisors will be assigned as follows: those students who have identified an area of study and an individual faculty member willing to supervise their work will enter the program with a Major Advisor already assigned. In other cases, the Graduate Coordinator will serve as a temporary Major Advisor until a permanent major advisor is chosen.

The student is expected to seek the guidance and approval of the Major Advisor in selecting a thesis topic. Thesis work will be supervised and evaluated by a committee of three readers chaired by the Major Advisor. The student and the Major Advisor will select the second and third readers. The Major Advisor and at least one other reader must be members of the Art History faculty. The third reader may be from outside the program in Art History, if approved by the Graduate School. The Major Advisor and other readers must be consulted in determining a preliminary thesis topic. The thesis topic should be filed with the Art History Graduate Coordinator by the last day of instruction of the second semester of study. The student must become familiar with the basic bibliography of the thesis subject and complete a preliminary outline of the thesis to present to the committee of readers by the end of the third semester. Thesis research and writing will be directed by the Major Advisor. Thesis topics, thesis advisors, and thesis committee members can be changed by mutual agreement. The Art History Graduate Coordinator is the referee for such changes.

Final Examination
The final examination – thesis defense – is an oral exam under the jurisdiction of the student’s advisory committee. It deals with the subject matter of the thesis. Invitation to participate in the examination will be issued by the advisory committee, although other members of the Art History faculty may attend. No fewer than three members of the faculty, including all members of the candidate's advisory committee must participate in the final examination.

For further information on the M.A. in Art History, please contact the Art History Graduate Program at (860) 486-3930 or lorraine.mcconnell@uconn.edu.

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