DESCRIPTION: The Master of Arts degree offers a broad education in art history, while also allowing students the freedom to pursue an area of specialization. The two-year program emphasizes the development of both oral and written communication skills and informed criticism.
CURRICULUM: Graduate studies are conducted in small-enrollment seminars and in independent research projects developed by students with consenting professors. Courses generally reflect current research interests of the faculty and include examinations of methodology, period studies, major figures, and topical themes.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Students seeking admission to the M.A. program in art history must have completed a Bachelor's degree, normally as an art history major, at an accredited institution. In addition to completing the standard application forms generated by the Graduate school, prospective students must submit academic transcripts of all undergraduate studies, GRE scores, three letters of recommendation from instructors familiar with the applicant's academic work, and a substantial writing sample. International students must also submit TOEFL scores.
The application deadline for this program is January 1.
Upon admission, the Director of Graduate Studies assigns each incoming student a faculty advisor whom the student may contact regularly for academic counsel.
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS: Students must be in residence during the full two years of the M.A. program. During this time, students complete thirty-six credit hours, or nine four-credit graduate courses. Certain courses are required of all graduate students. They are FIA 656, The Literature of Art Criticism, and at least one course in each of the four broad areas of art history taught in the department: ancient/medieval, Northern/Italian Renaissance, Baroque/eighteenth century European, and modern/American. The remaining sixteen credit hours consist of courses taken at the student's discretion, though limitations apply. No more than eight credits can be independent study, and courses in studio art do not count toward the degree program. Undergraduate remedial courses, such as foreign languages, count toward full-time status but not toward the graduate degree.
A language exam and art history qualifying exam are administered just prior to the start of classes in the first semester of graduate study and must be passed successfully before students enroll in the second year. In their last semester, students participate in a non-credit pro-seminar in which they prepare a qualifying paper for presentation at a public symposium sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts. Once a year during the spring semester, the Director of Graduate Studies confers with each graduate student on campus to monitor progress toward completion of the program. Throughout the course of study, students must maintain a "B" average.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS: For the most current U.S. Government requirements, international students should contact the Center for International Services.
QUALIFYING EXAMINATIONS: All newly matriculated students are required to pass competency exams in the history of art and in one foreign language. The qualifying exam in art history tests the student's broad background in the discipline and consists of sixty slide identifications of major monuments and forty brief definitions of terms. Students who do not pass this test must file a petition form within one month for re-testing. This petition should be completed after consultation with the student's advisor and should state the method of preparation and date for re-taking the exam.
All graduate students must demonstrate reading ability in one foreign language pertinent to their program of study (usually French, German or Italian). On arrival, students will take a written test consisting of a passage from an art historical text in the chosen language. Students are allowed 1 1/2 hours to complete the translation with the assistance of a dictionary. Those who do not pass must file a petition form within one month for re-testing. This petition should be completed after consultation with the student's advisor and should include the method of preparation and date for re-taking the exam.
FINANCIAL AID: Incoming students may apply for University fellowships, teaching assistantships, and part-time instructorships by stating their need on the admission application form. Continuing students indicate their interest in financial aid in a letter to the Director of Graduate Studies prior to January 1. Graduate assistants assist in the teaching of the large, introductory art history survey course, which entails grading exams and directing small student discussion sections related to the course content. Assistantships carry free tuition and provide a stipend for living expenses. Part-time instructors receive a stipend but no tuition credits. University fellows receive tuition and a stipend, but have no other duties. Fellowships may be announced as early as 1 February. Other awards are announced no later than early April.
SPECIAL RESOURCES FOR ART HISTORICAL STUDY: The resources of Bird Library for studies in art history include over 62,000 monographs, 230 periodicals, and 360,000 slides. Special Collections preserves papers relating to, among others, William Gropper, Louis Lozowick, Jacob Lawrence, Margaret Bourke-White and Jacky Martin. The Syracuse University Art Collection and the Everson Museum of Art have notable holdings of American and European paintings, prints and sculpture. The central New York area is home to many other fine libraries, art museums, and historical sites open to students studying at Syracuse University. See Cultural Resources for further information.
M.A. PROGRAM IN ART HISTORY: SEMESTER BREAKDOWN
Year 1: Fall Semester Students enroll in three four-credit hour courses, including FIA 656, The Literature of Art Criticism. During the first week of the semester, they must pass a qualifying examination in general Western art history and a foreign language competency examination. The qualifying exam must be passed before registering for a second semester, and the foreign language test must be completed successfully before enrolling in a second year of graduate study. Chances to re-take both these examinations will be offered several times throughout the academic year.
Year 1: Spring Semester Students enroll in three four-credit courses, being attentive to distribution requirements.
Year 2: Fall Semester Students enroll in three four-credit courses, being attentive to distribution requirements. At the end of the semester, students attend the first meeting of the pro-seminar and discuss topics for their final qualifying papers.
The qualifying paper is an extensive scholarly work of original research and analysis. It is expected to be approximately twenty-five pages long, plus notes and bibliography. The paper develops and expands information and ideas already examined initially by the student in work completed in a graduate course taught in the Department of Fine Arts. The paper is written under the supervision of the faculty member in whose course the work was originally developed. Should that faculty member be willing to support the student's work, but unavailable because of academic leave or other circumstances, he/she may request that another faculty colleague assume responsibility for advising the student. When necessary, the Director of Graduate Studies will assist the student in locating an advisor for the qualifying paper.
The qualifying paper is written in tandem with attendance at a non-credit pro-seminar. All second-year graduate students are required to participate in this forum, which meets four or five times during the academic year. The seminar gives students the opportunity to discuss their research goals, keep track of their progress, and identify methodological concerns. Faculty who are currently directing qualifying papers conduct the meetings. The aim of the pro-seminar is to share knowledge and to keep students actively working toward the completion of their degrees. The Director of Graduate Studies coordinates meeting dates. The first meeting of the pro-seminar occurs in the fall semester of the student's second year and is attended by students and their advisors. At this time, students present preliminary ideas for their qualifying papers and discuss research plans. Students then obtain approval from their advisors to work together on the projects.
Year 2:Spring Semester Having completed their course work and passed their exams, students attend the pro-seminar and produce their qualifying papers. The second meeting of the pro-seminar takes place in late February of the Spring semester, when students present a short synopsis of a draft of their qualifying papers. By late March, students submit final drafts of qualifying papers to their advisors. The semester ends with student presentations of their scholarly work in a public symposium sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts. In April (in accordance with the Graduate School's dates for May graduation), one or two public symposia are held, depending on the number of graduate students enrolled in the pro-seminar. At each session of the symposium, students present twenty-minute versions of the scholarly material in their qualifying papers and take questions.
Department Approval 11/98 Effective Fall 1999 Text revised 6/99
