FAAH

MA in Art History

The Master of Arts degree in Art History offers students a curriculum from Ancient to Contemporary Art. For some students, the Master of Arts degree is a terminal degree in preparation for curatorial or education careers in galleries, museums, and private concerns; for others, it is preparation to enter a PhD program elsewhere. In either case, students receive training for honing their research and writing skills.

Additionally, students have the option to concentrate in museum training, and can take advantage of the many opportunities to experience and study works of art first-hand at the various museums and galleries in the region. Students also have the chance to meet and interact with a number of leading art professionals in: seminars taught by Washington, D.C.-based curators; the department’s robust visiting artist and scholars lecture series; and the annual, nationally renowned, Contemporary Art Think Tank.

Prerequisite
A bachelor's degree in an appropriate field, such as art history, history, literature, or religion.

Requirements
36 credit hours of graduate course work. During the first semester, students are required to complete the art historiography seminar (AH 6258). At the beginning of the first semester of study students must pass a reading comprehension examination in French, German, Italian or Spanish. As many as 6 credits of graduate course work may be completed outside the department with approval of the graduate advisor.

Students must successfully complete one qualifying paper. A first draft is due in the fall of the second year, after completion of 18 credits; the final draft is due the following spring. Qualifying papers are typically based on seminar papers and revised as publishable work; all qualifying papers are judged by a panel of faculty members. Please click here for more information on Qualifying Paper guidelines.

Master of Arts in Art History with a concentration in museum training
Prerequisites and requirements are the same as those for the Master of Arts in the field of art history. Students include in their course work 6 credits of AH 6299, Museum Internship, after completion of 18 credits of art history courses.

Consortium Registration
Students wishing to take limited classes beyond GW have the benefit of registering for courses at the other institutions belonging to the Washington Consortium of Universities. Any graduate student interested in these programs must consult with his/her departmental advisor prior to participation.