visual art phd programs

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The UC San Diego Visual Arts PhD Program grants two PhD degrees: Art History, Theory and Criticism and Art History, Theory and Criticism with a Concentration in Art Practice . The program embodies the department's commitment to innovative research by embracing the close intersection of art, media, and design practice with history, theory, and criticism, and by offering training in the history, theory, and criticism of a range and mix of areas represented in our MFA faculty, including studio art, film, video, photography, computational media, performance art, public art, design, visual culture, and socially engaged art practice. Regional and cultural frameworks of study include European and Latin American art, Chinese art, nineteenth-century French visual culture, Mesoamerican, Native American, and Indigenous art and material culture, Medieval art and culture, queer and feminist art, material culture, science, technology, and art; and ocean, environmental, and land art.

The Art Practice Concentration degree, which must be applied for at the time of application to the PhD program, follows the same course of scholarly training, research, and writing as the Art History, Theory and Criticism degree, with additional requirements in research-based art practice that span all years of coursework, qualifying, and doctoral research. Two students are admitted to this concentration annually.

Information for Current and Prospective Students

Requirement overview, program requirements.

• Coursework, 88 units

Language Requirement

• Qualifying Materials and Exams

Dissertation and Defense

• For VA77 Only- Art Practice Project and Exhibition

Full Time Enrollment

In order to remain eligible for financial support all graduate students must be enrolled   in 12 units of upper-division (100-199) or graduate level (200 and above) courses each quarter during the regular academic year. Graduate students must also maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 to maintain good academic standing. The majority of students will choose to complete the majority of their academic coursework for a letter grade.

Pre-Candidacy

Coursework should be chosen in consultation with the Advisor and should be taken in preparation for the Qualifying phase. During the first three years in the program, students should aim to fulfill the following requirements:

• MA en Route Requirements (if interested and eligible)
• Qualifying Materials and Exams (year 3)

Advancing to candidacy occurs when the student has passed all course, language, and qualifying requirements and is ready to research and write a dissertation. Doctoral candidates, sometimes referred to as “all but dissertation” or ABD, work on their dissertation with Advisor and Committee consultation and feedback for two or more years. During this time, Art Practice candidates additionally produce the required art practice components. Each quarter, most doctoral candidates typically enroll in 8-12 units of VIS 299 and/or 4 units of a 500, in consultation with their Advisor. Candidacy concludes when the candidate completes and successfully defends the dissertation (and, for VA77, the additional Art Practice requirements) and is awarded the doctorate.

Degree Paths

The program consists of two degree paths: Art History, Theory and Criticism (VA76) and Art Practice (VA77), a concentration designed for artists engaged in advanced research who wish to pursue their work in an environment geared to doctoral study, and to produce studio, media, performance or public facing work alongside a written dissertation. See Handbook for further details.

Interdisciplinary Specializations

Students within the PhD program who are interested in the opportunity to undertake specialized research may apply to participate in an interdisciplinary specialization. Students accepted into a specialization program would be expected to complete coursework in addition to those required for their PhD program. The department offers interdisciplinary specializations with the following campus programs.

• Anthropogeny:   for students with an interest in human origins
• Critical Gender Studies:   providing specialized training in gender and sexuality
• Interdisciplinary Environmental Research : for students interested in environmental solutions

Curriculum: VA76 Art History, Theory and Criticism

VA76- 22 courses, 88 units

GENERAL FIELD EMPHASIS

During the first year of study, students declare a general area of study in consultation with their Advisor and with the approval of the Faculty Director. This general field emphasis will be considered as they choose courses and, toward year three, plan their qualifying materials. See the Handbook for general field options.

CORE REQUIREMENTS (8 courses, 32 units)

Required (4 courses, 16 units):

• VIS 200- Methods and Theories
• VIS 204- Rethinking Art History
• VIS 500 (1 course, 4 units)- Apprentice Teaching
• VIS 502- Graduate Teaching in Visual Arts

Breadth (4 courses, 16 units), choose from 4 different areas with 3 different faculty:

• Medieval, Renaissance or Early Modern Art- VIS 251, VIS 252
• Modern and Contemporary Art- VIS 254, VIS 255
• Media Studies- VIS 256
• Meso-American Art or North American Indigenous Art- VIS 257, VIS 260
• Asian Art- VIS 258
• Latin American Art- VIS 259
• Material Culture- VIS 261
• Design Studies- VIS 262

ELECTIVE REQUIREMENTS (14 courses, 56 units), choose from the following options:

• Art History Seminars (VIS 230-269), a minimum of 6 MUST be taken for the elective area
• Graduate Research (VIS 299), during 1st year with provisional advisor
• Professional Practice Seminar (VIS 220)
• Art Theory/Practice (VIS 206, VIS 210-219), a maximum of 2 may be taken
• Other Department, a maximum of 3 graduate level courses may be taken 
• Reading Courses (approved undergrad courses), a maximum of 4 may be taken 
• Directed Group Study (VIS 298), a maximum of 1 may be taken
• Individual Studies (VIS 295), a maximum of 12 units may be taken with Advisor

Curriculum: VA77 Art History, Theory and Criticism- Art Practice

VA77- 22 courses, 88 units

CORE REQUIREMENTS (12 courses, 48 units)

Required (9 courses, 36 units):

• VIS 206- Seminar in Art Practice Research
• VIS 207 (repeat 3 times for 12 units)- Working Practice for Art Practice
• VIS 210-219, 1 course from Art Theory/Practice 

Breadth (3 courses, 12 units), choose from 3 different areas with 3 different faculty:

ELECTIVE REQUIREMENTS (10 courses, 40 units), choose from the following options:

• Art History Seminars (VIS 230-269), a minimum of 3 MUST be taken for the elective area
• Art Theory/Practice (VIS 210-219), a maximum of 2 may be taken
• Other Department, a maximum of 3 may be taken 
• Reading Courses (approved undergrad courses), a maximum of 2 may be taken 
• Directed Group Study (VIS 298), a maximum of 4 units may be taken

For the VA76 PhD students, competency in reading, understanding, and interpreting texts in two languages other than English is required before advancement to candidacy (Qualifying Exam stage), and competency in at least one language is expected at the time of application to the program. Art Practice Concentration students (VA77) will be required to satisfy competency in one language other than English before advancing to PhD candidacy. The student and their Advisor will jointly determine examination languages. 

The Program’s language requirement may be met in one of three ways: 

• Passing the department’s in-house Language Exam  
• Passing one approved graduate-level language course 
• Passing two approved upper-division undergraduate language courses 
• Passing a two-year sequence of approved undergraduate language courses in a single language  

Required Paperwork

For each language exam or course sequence taken to satisfy a language requirement, a Language Completion form must be completed by the student, the proctor/instructor and submitted to the Student Affiars Manager in order to receive credit for completion of the language requirement. Submitted forms are automatically routed via DocuSign for approval and processing.

In-House Language Exams

In-house Language Exams test ability in reading and comprehension (by translation into English) only, not writing or spoken fluency in the designated language. The exam consists of two short texts, one less difficult to be translated into English without a dictionary, and one more difficult to be translated with a dictionary. The dictionary may be either a printed volume or an on-line resource. One hour is allowed for each section (total test time: 2 hours). The translations may be written on a computer or by hand. Exams are corrected by the faculty member responsible for designing the exam, who also invigilates the test. If adequate reading knowledge is not demonstrated, the student’s Advisor will review with the student and the faculty setting the exam the steps necessary to master the language and a new exam will be scheduled within a reasonable amount of time. 

Students requesting an in-house language examination should consult with faculty responsible for particular languages:

• Chinese and Japanese : Professor Kuiyi Shen 
• French : Professors. Jordan Rose and John Welchman 
• German : Professor Alena Williams 
• Italian : Professor William Tronzo 
• Korean : Professor Kyong Park
• Mayan languages : Professor Elizabeth Newsome 
• Spanish : Professors Elizabeth Newsome and Mariana Wardwell 
• Turkish: Professors Memo Akten and Pinar Yoldas

Individual arrangements for determination of competency will be made for those languages that cannot be tested by department faculty . 

Committee Constitution and Management

About the committee.

This is the group of four faculty who agree to the student’s request for mentorship and evaluation during the qualifying and doctoral years. The Committee is chaired by the Advisor(s). In addition to mentoring and guiding the student’s research, this team serves as the Qualifying Committee and the Doctoral or Dissertation Committee, conducting the Qualifying Exam and the Dissertation Defense. The committee must be formally appointed by Graduate Division in the process outlined below.

Committee Constitution

The Committee Chair is the student’s Faculty Advisor/Co-Advisors and is selected by Year Two through mutual agreement with the student. The rest of the Committee is constituted through request and consent between the student and other faculty, with the guidance and approval of the Advisor(s). 

Makeup of the committee:

• 3 Visual Arts Faculty (including the Chair/Co-Chairs), 1 member may be a non-PhD faculty
• 1 tenured or emeritus faculty from outside the department

For each option, Assistant or Acting-Associate Faculty may serve as a general member or Co-Chair but not as sole Chair. The Graduate Division website has  additional information  about committees and a  Committee Membership Table  which may be helpful in determining what role a faculty member may serve on a committee.

Submitting Your Committee

After faculty have agreed to serve on the Committee, and the Faculty Advisor has approved the list, the student must complete and send the  Committee Constitution form  which will be routed to the Student Affiars Manager for processing.  This form must be approved by the Graduate Division by Week 5 BEFORE the Qualifying Exam .

Changing Your Committee

There are times when committee membership must change after the intial review and approval. All changes to committee membership need to be approved by the Department and then Graduate Division. Committee reconstitution must be completely reviewed and approved by Week 5, the quarter PRIOR to QE/Defense. When changing committee membership:

• Review the Committee Membership requirements 
• Discuss the change in committee membership with the Committee Chair/Co-chairs
• Discuss the change in committee with impacted committee members
• Complete the   Committee Reconstitution form   which will be routed to the Student Affairs Manager for processing.

Committee Management

It is the responsibility of the student, in consultation with their advisor/committee chair, to engage with and request feedback on drafts of written materials and (for VA77) documentation of artwork progress with all committee members during research and writing of their qualifying materials and dissertation. The student also must email final copies of all materials to their Committee prior to their Qualifying Exam and Dissertation Defense. 

Qualifying Exam, Advancement to Candidacy

About the qualifying process.

The Qualifying process occurs throughout Year Three. The student, under the supervision of the Advisor and with the advice of the Committee, prepares two bibliographies (one on the chosen field of emphasis and the second pertaining to the proposed dissertation); writes a qualifying paper and a dissertation prospectus; and takes written and oral examinations pertaining to these documents. The Art Practice PhD additionally requires a practice prospectus and a third bibliography.

Qualifying Exam

The Qualifying Examination has two parts: A Written Examination in which the student writes two essays over five days in response to questions provided by the Committee; and two weeks later,  a 2- or 2.5-hour Oral Examination led by the Committee, during which the student is asked questions and put in dialog about all of the qualifying materials.

Qualifying Timeline

A student must have completed all required course work and passed all language examinations before taking the qualifying examination, which will be held no later than the end of the third year. Upon successful completion of the qualifying examination, the student will be advanced to candidacy.

Qualifying Exam Administrative Checklist  

Qualifying Exam Failure

Should a student fail the examination, the Faculty Committee will clarify the weaknesses in the exam, so that the student can prepare to take it a second time. If a second oral examination is warranted, they will have to re-take and pass the exam prior to the end of the Pre-Candidacy Time Limit (or they need an extension approved to continue). They can always take a leave and return but if the PCTL is expired, they will have to advance before returning or an exception to extend the time would be need to be approved prior to retuning. If the student fails the oral examination a second time, their graduate studies in the department will be terminated.

MA en Route

• Five Art History seminars 
• VIS 200 Methods and Theories
• VIS 204 Re-Thinking Art History 
• One Theory/Practice seminar (chosen from VIS 210-219)
• Four breadth courses, from four different breadth areas

We do not offer an MA with an Art Practice concentration. Therefore, Art Practice concentration students must make a formal change in their degree aim to designate Art History, Theory, and Criticism (VA76). This change must take place at least two quarters prior to the Qualifying Exam. 

Note:   Students who wish to receive an MA as part of the Ph.D. program   must apply for master’s degree candidacy by the end of the second week of the quarter in which they expect to receive the degree.   Please see the Graduate Coordinator regarding this process.

Necessary Documents for the Qualifying Exam

• Report of the Qualifying Exam

Necessary Documents for the MA on the Way

• Application for MA (due week two) 
• Final Report for MA 

Best Practices for Completing the Report of the Qualifying Exam and Final Report via DocuSign:

• Ahead of your exam/defense ask faculty to add [email protected] as a “safe sender” so those emails are less likely to go to junk/spam. Although campus IT has taken steps to identify DocuSign as a safe sender, it is still recommended that individual users do so as well.
• At the end of your Exam/Defense ask your committee members to check their email for the DocuSign email with the link to the form and sign while you're all online together. 
• ask the faculty to check their junk folder, spam quarantine, or other spam folders
• next, ask them to log into their DocuSign account using their @ucsd.edu email address and SSO credentials to access the form/s directly (https://docusign.ucsd.edu) *some people have personal DocuSign accounts so ask them to ensure they are logging into the UCSD DocuSign account
• Get verbal confirmation of who has signed and who has not, then follow-up with the Student Affairs Manager to resolve any issues your committee members have with signing the form.
• Once the appropriate form is submitted to the Graduate Division, the appropriate fee will be charged directly to the student’s financial TritonLink account. 

About the Dissertation

Following successful completion of the qualifying examinations, the candidate will research and write a doctoral dissertation under the supervision of their Advisor and with the input of the Committee. Students in the art practice concentration (VA77) will submit a written dissertation that observes the same regulations and conventions as VA 76, except that the length requirement is slightly shorter and there must be one additional chapter devoted to discussion of the art practice. In addition, Art Practice candidates will additionally produce and exhibit a visual component. See the Handbook for details. 

About the Defense

After the committee has reviewed the finished dissertation (and art practice components, for VA 77), the candidate will orally defend their dissertation (and art practice work and exhibition), responding to questions from the Committee in a meeting that may be public (the student may invite visitors), as per university policy. The Dissertation Defense is the culmination of all of your work within the Ph.D. program. Please read all of the information on the Graduate Division's website about " Preparing to Graduate " and make an appointment to speak with the Student Affairs Manager one year prior to when you plan to defend.

Roles and Responsibilities for the Defense

Student will:

• Schedule the Dissertation Defense with their committee. This is normally scheduled for three hours. (You are responsible for reserving a room or scheduling the zoom meeting). 
• Complete the PhD Dissertation Defense Notificaiton form which will notify the Student Affairs Manager of the date and time of the defense. This form is required so that the Final Report paperwork can be initiated and sent to your committee members on the date of the defense.
• Follow-up with your committee, the Graduate Division, and the Student Affairs Manager about any issues surrounding the completion of your degree.

Faculty Advisor will:

• Ensure the   policy   appropriate participation of all members of the committee at the Dissertation Defense. It is also helpful to remind all committee members to sign the forms by checking their inboxes for the DocuSign request to sign the forms. These sometimes end up in a person's spam folder.

Student Affairs Manager will:

• Fill out the Final Report form via DocuSign and route the form the morning of the exam/defense for signature to all committee members, the department chair, and the Graduate Division.
• Follow-up with committee members regarding signatures on the Final Report and general petition forms (if needed).
• Send out the announcement of the defense to department faculty and graduate students.

Additional Information and Tasks

Preliminary Dissertation Appointments with the Graduate Division: Students will schedule their preliminary and final appointments with Graduate Division Academic Affairs Advisors utilizing the online calendaring system they have in place:   https://gradforms.ucsd.edu/calendar/index.php

Committee Management : If you need to make any changes to your doctoral committee please follow the instructions above in the "Committee Management" drawer. 

Embargo Your Dissertation:   Talk to your faculty advisor about embargoing your dissertation. You may want to embargo your dissertation if you are planning to turn it into a book. The embargo will delay the university's publication of your dissertation and prevent other academics from using your research.   https://grad.ucsd.edu/_files/academics/DissertThesisReleaseTemplate.pdf

Necessary Documents for the Dissertation Defense

• Final Report (routed for signature by the Student Affairs Manager)

Best Practices for Completing the Final Report via DocuSign:

• At the end of your Defense ask your committee members to check their email for the DocuSign email with the link to the form and sign while you're all online together. 
• Get verbal confirmation of who has signed and who has not, then follow up with the Student Affairs Manager to resolve any issues your committee members have with signing the form.

Paying Associated Fees:  For students who will need to pay fees (advancement to candidacy, thesis submission fee, filing fee, re-admit fee), they will be charged on the financial TritonLink account once the form is received by the Graduate Division. There is no need for students to go to the cashier’s office.

Grades and Evaluations

Only courses in which a student received grades of A, B, or S are allowed toward satisfaction of the requirements for the degree. Note that a “C” is generally regarded as unsatisfactory within this department. In satisfaction of all program requirements and electives, A, A-, and B+ are regarded as acceptable grades for seminars and courses. Grades of B, B- indicate weaknesses and are cause for concern. Grades of C+ or below are regarded as unsatisfactory and may lead to academic probation. University policy states that any student with more than 8 units of “U” and/or “F” grades is barred from future registration including the next available quarter. It is not recommended that VIS 295/298/299 are taken for a letter grade.

Grade Point Average

A graduate student must maintain a minimum grade point average of at least 3.0 (B average) to continue in good standing. A student is subject to dismissal if the overall grade point average falls below 3.0 at any time.

Spring Evaluation

Every Spring quarter, Advisors (in the first year Provisional Advisors) will submit an evaluation of their advisee’s progress to Graduate Division. Students are expected to submit a summary of the past academic year to their advisor. These evaluations serve as an important tool for students and advisors in assessing student progress, while also providing suggestions and goals for students’ successful completion of their projects.   

The Graduate Division will review the evaluations when student/departments are making specific requests for exceptions

The duration of the Ph.D. program is five to eight years. University and departmental regulations stipulate that the maximum tenure of graduate study at UC San Diego or Total Registered Time Limit (TRTL) is eight years; while seven years is the limit for receiving any type of university financial support or a student's Support Time Limit (SUTL). For the Department of Visual Arts, the "normative" time to degree is 6 years. Students are expected to pass their qualifying exam and advance to candidacy in year three, but no later than year four which is the university's Pre-candidacy time limit (PCTL).

To learn more about time limits please visit the Graduate Division website.

Time Limits:  https://grad.ucsd.edu/academics/progress-to-degree/time-to-doctorate-policy.html

You can check your time limit by logging into the Graduate Student Portal.

Graduate Student Portal:  https://gradforms.ucsd.edu/portal/student/

PhD Current Students

Phd handbook.

The department website and catalog are great resources for students to learn generally about the PhD program and progress towards their degree. There are detailed instructions and robust program information available in the full PhD Handbook. Each student should refer to this resource throughout their academic career.

2023-24 Academic Year

2022-23 Academic Year  

2021-22 Academic Year

How to Apply

• Join our PhD Art History Program (VA76)
• Join our PhD Art Practice Program (VA77)

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Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies  

The Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies (AFVS) at Harvard offers a graduate program in Film and Visual Studies leading to a PhD.

The Department also offers a secondary field in Film and Visual Studies for students already admitted to PhD programs in other departments in the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The study of film at Harvard functions within the multi-disciplinary examination of audio-visual experience. From Hugo Münsterberg's pathbreaking forays into the psychological reception of moving images and Rudolf Arnheim’s seminal investigations of "visual thinking" to Paul Sachs’s incorporation of film into the academic and curatorial focus of the fine arts at Harvard and Stanley Cavell’s philosophical approaches to the medium, Harvard has sustained a distinguished tradition of engaging cinema and the cultural, visual, spatial, and philosophical questions that it raises. With their emphases on experimentation in the contemporary arts and creative collaboration among practitioners and critics, the Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies (AFVS) and the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts provide a singular and unparalleled site for advanced research in Film and Visual Studies. The program aims to foster critical understanding of the interactions between the making of and thinking about film and video, between studio art, performance, and visual culture, and between different arts and pursuits whose objects are audio-visual entities. The Carpenter Center also supports a lively research culture, including the Film and Visual Studies Colloquium and a Film and Visual Studies Workshop for advanced doctoral students, as well as lecture series and exhibitions featuring distinguished artists, filmmakers, and scholars.

Interdisciplinary in its impetus, the program draws on and consolidates course offerings in departments throughout the Faculty of Arts and Sciences which consider film and other arts in all their various countenances and investigate the place of visual arts within a variety of contexts. Graduate students may also take advantage of the significant resources of the Harvard Film Archive (HFA), which houses a vast collection of 16mm and 35mm film prints as well as rare video materials, vintage film posters, photographs, and promotional materials. The HFA furthers the artistic and academic appreciation of moving image media within the Harvard and the New England community, offering a setting where students and faculty can interact with filmmakers and artists. In early 2003, the HFA opened a new Conservation Center that allows the HFA conservator and staff to accession new films as well as to preserve its significant collections of independent, international, and silent films.

Students and faculty in Film and Visual Studies are also eligible to apply to the Harvard Film Study Center for fellowships which are awarded annually in support of original film, video, and photographic projects. Established in 1957, the Film Study Center provides production equipment, post-production facilities, technical support, and funding for nonfiction works that interpret the world through images and sounds. Among the many important films to have been produced at the Film Study Center are John Marshall's The Hunters (1956), Robert Gardner's Forest of Bliss (1985), Irene Lusztig's Reconstruction (2001), Ross McElwee's Bright Leaves (2003), Peter Galison and Robb Moss’s Secrecy (2008), Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor's Sweetgrass (2009), Véréna Paravel and J.P. Sniadecki’s Foreign Parts (2011), Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor’s Leviathan (2013) and De Humani Corporis Fabrica (2022), Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez’s Manakamana (2014), Mati Diop’s Atlantiques (2019), Ernst Karel and Veronika

Kusumaryati’s Expedition Content (2020), and Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós’ Dry Ground Burning (2022).

Images:  Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine  (2005), directed by Peter Tscherkassky, from a print in the collection of the Harvard Film Archive.

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Graduate Contacts

Laura Frahm Director of Graduate Studies 

Emily Amendola Graduate Coordinator Film and Visual Studies Program (617) 495-9720 amendola [at] fas.harvard.edu  

FAQs about the Graduate Program

My native language is not english; do i have to take the an english language proficiency exam.

Adequate  command of spoken and written English  is essential to success in graduate study at Harvard. Applicants who are non-native English speakers can demonstrate English proficiency in one of three ways:

• Receiving an undergraduate degree from an academic institution where English is the primary language of instruction.*
• Earning a minimum score of 80 on the Internet based test (iBT) of the ...

When is the application deadline for admission to the Ph.D. program in Film and Visual Studies?

December 15, 2023

Where can I obtain an admissions application?

Applications are found on the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website ( https://gsas.harvard.edu/admissions/apply ). 

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Doctor of Philosophy in Visual and Performing Arts

Program description.

The PhD in visual and performing arts program is designed primarily for individuals who wish to conduct advanced research and to teach at the college level, and can lead to a wide variety of non-academic careers as well. It is open to qualified candidates who desire to enhance their knowledge and skills.

The program provides students with a flexible, interdisciplinary context within which to pursue their studies, built on connections among specific courses and areas of interest. Each student plans an individual program of studies in consultation with an assigned advisor.

Visual and performing arts is an interdisciplinary program of study, so students take the majority of their coursework in visual and performing arts courses, but must also take two seminars each in both history of ideas and literature. Students pursuing the PhD in visual and performing arts may submit a creative project as part of their dissertation.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the program seek positions such as: artists, performers, teachers, researchers, arts administrators, arts entrepreneurs, arts writers/critics, editors, museum staff, consultants, archivists and other positions in research or professional practice. Career settings may include higher education, non-profits, cultural and historical organizations, publishing houses, government agencies, international development organizations, museums and archives, business/corporate entities and independent consulting.

Marketable Skills

Review the marketable skills for this academic program.

Application Requirements

Visit the  Apply Now  webpage to begin the application process.  

Applicants to the Doctoral degree program should have:  

• A baccalaureate degree (BA or MA) or its equivalent from an accredited institution of higher education, normally in an arts and humanities field.  
• Letters of Recommendation: Applicants must submit 3 letters of recommendation from faculty, or other individuals, able to judge the candidate’s potential for success in the program.  
• Admissions Essay: Applicants must submit a 650-word narrative essay, which should be reflective rather than factual. The essay should address the applicant’s academic interests and goals and indicate how the program would enable such pursuits.  
• A writing sample: Submit an academic writing sample (e.g., a seminar paper or a critical essay). 
• International applicants must submit a TOEFL score of at least 80 on the internet-based test.  Scores must be less than two years old. See the  Graduate Catalog  for additional information regarding English proficiency requirements for international applicants.  
• Each application is considered holistically on its individual merits. You must submit all supporting documents before the Graduate Admissions Committee can review your application. 
• The Graduate Record Examination is not required. 

Deadline:  The application deadline is January 15. All applications completed by the deadline will be reviewed for admission. Applications submitted or completed after January 15 may be reviewed for admission only if spaces remain within the upcoming cohort and will be reviewed in order by the date the application file became complete.

Contact Information

Dr. Catherine Parsoneault Clinical Professor and Program Head Phone: 972-883-2140 Email: [email protected]

Graduate Advising Pia K. Jakobsson Phone: 972-883-4706 Email: [email protected]

Graduate Admissions Phone: 972-883-6176 Email: [email protected] Request Bass School Graduate Program Information

Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology The University of Texas at Dallas, JO31 800 W. Campbell Road Richardson, TX 75080-3021

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Film and Visual Studies

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Harvard has sustained a distinguished tradition of engaging cinema, media, and visual studies. This exciting, vital interdisciplinary program places you at the crossroads of creative and innovative fields of research.

You will experience a dialogue among the expanded field of moving image culture, visual arts, spatial studies, and media studies. You will be at the forefront of pressing research that represents the global future and can make a real difference, among scholars who are often artists and filmmakers, in a program that encourages a mix of artmaking and art-thinking.

The research pursued is at the center of the critical debates of our times. Examples of work published by alumni of the department include “Re-Vision: Moving Images Media, The Self, and Ethical Thought in the 20th Century” and “Land Cinema in the Neoliberal Age.”

Graduates of the program have secured faculty positions at prestigious institutions including Cornell University, UC Santa Cruz, Emerson College, Colgate University, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Others have gone on to start their own businesses and become artists, writers, and curators.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of Film and Visual Studies and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies . 

Admissions Requirements

Please review admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of Film and Visual Studies .

Writing Sample

A writing sample is required as part of the application and must be between 15 to 20 pages, in 12-point font, double-spaced, with normal margins. The writing sample must be an example of critical writing (rather than creative writing) on a subject directly related to film, performance, and/or visual studies. You should not send longer papers with instructions to read an excerpt or excerpts.

Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose should give the admissions committee a clear sense of your individual interests and strengths. You do not need to indicate precisely what your field of specialization will be, but it is helpful to know something about your aspirations, and how Film and Visual Studies at Harvard might help in attaining these goals.

Strong language background helps to strengthen the application, and students who lack it should be aware that they will need to fill this gap before they can take the general examinations.

While the overall GPA is important, it is more important to have an average of no lower than A- in courses related to film and visual studies or related fields. In addition, if you have not majored in film studies or a related field, it is important to have sufficient background to enter the graduate program.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Not Accepted

Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for Film and Visual Studies

See list of Film and Visual Studies faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

Ph.D. in Art, Art History and Visual Studies

General info.

• Faculty working with students: 20
• Students: 26
• Part time study available: No
• Application Terms: Fall
• Application Deadline: December 14

Stanley Abe Director of Graduate Studies Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies Duke University Box 90766 Durham, NC 27708-0764

Phone: (919) 684-2224

Email:  [email protected]

Website:  https://aahvs.duke.edu

Program Description

The program, which is designed for a small group of students, emphasizes the study of art, architecture and visual culture within a theoretical and historical frame. The Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies offers an interdisciplinary program of graduate study leading to the Ph.D. (No M.A. is offered. Please find more information on the Digital Art History/Computational Media M.A. tracks).

We invite applications from dedicated students interested in careers in research, criticism, teaching, and museum work. Admission is highly competitive and limited to an average of four new students per year. The Department makes every effort to offer full funding to all admitted candidates. Students are trained for teaching by serving as graders and teaching assistants.

Duke University is now in the forefront of academic institutions supporting interdisciplinary and theoretical initiatives in the humanities. Art History and Visual Studies have a unique contribution to make to these efforts and all members of the faculty are engaged in innovative teaching or research projects involving faculty from other departments and programs. All members of the graduate faculty team-teach courses or have courses cross-listed in other departments (African and African-American Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Classical Studies, Economics, Literature, Germanic Languages and Literature, Religion) or programs (Documentary Studies, Women's Studies, International Comparative Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies). Students have a minor field outside the department.

The department works cooperatively with the art history program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as with the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh.

Program Statistics

• Art, Art History and Visual Studies: PhD Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
• Art, Art History and Visual Studies: PhD Completion Rate Statistics
• Art, Art History and Visual Studies: PhD Time to Degree Statistics
• Art, Art History and Visual Studies: PhD Career Outcomes Statistics

Application Information

Application Terms:  Fall

Application Deadline:  December 14

Graduate School Application Requirements See the  Application Instructions  page for important details about each Graduate School requirement.

• Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts required with application submission; official transcripts required upon admission
• Letters of Recommendation: 3 Required
• Statement of Purpose: Required (see department guidance below)
• Résumé: Required
• GRE Scores: GRE General - Optional
• English Language Exam: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test required* for applicants whose first language is not English * test waiver may apply for some applicants
• GPA: Undergraduate GPA calculated on 4.0 scale required

Department-Specific Application Requirements (submitted through online application)

Writing Sample A 10-page writing sample is required with your application.

We strongly encourage you to review additional department-specific application guidance from the program to which you are applying:  Departmental Application Guidance

List of Graduate School Programs and Degrees

Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts

IDSVA’s pioneering curriculum—fusing interactive online education with intensive residencies—allows working art professionals to pursue rigorous advanced scholarship without having to interrupt or abandon their teaching careers, art practice, or other professional responsibilities.

As a true nomadic institution, IDSVA does not have a campus. We exist everywhere our students and faculty are. The IDSVA experience fuses interactive online education with intensive residencies in Rome, Spannocchia Castle (Tuscany), Siena, Florence, Venice, Berlin, Paris, Athens, Madrid, Marrakech, Mexico City, and NYC.

Artists, architects, curators, educators, philosophers, and creative scholars. Throughout this experience, IDSVA students are joined by world-leading artists and philosophers who make up the Core Faculty and Visiting Faculty.

Our innovative curriculum explores the deeply intertwined relations between the history of ideas and the history of visual culture. IDSVA grants a PhD in Visual Arts: Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Art Theory.

Changing the Way Humans Think

IDSVA’s aim is to change the way human beings think, to change the way we see the lifeworld and the way we see one another. That change— the change we are working toward as a shared communal aspiration —stands as IDSVA’s vision of the possible.

Visting Faculty

The IDSVA Visiting Faculty bring together the world's leading philosophers, artists, and scholars. These internationally renowned educators join students at residency sites and lead seminar discussions about the site's historical, aesthetic, and ideological significance.

Achievements

With a wide-ranging and prolific array of exhibitions, conference presentations, and publications, IDSVA students & alumni are changing the way we see and think.

Job Appointments

We are proud to share the latest job announcements from our students & alumni.

Book Publications

Recent book publications from IDSVA students, alumni, and faculty.

IDSVA to participate in the 2024 Biennale Sessions

In June 2024, IDSVA will participate in the La Biennale di Venezia Biennale Sessions

SIMONETTA MORO NAMED IDSVA’S NEW PRESIDENT

Following an international search process, Simonetta Moro has been named the new President of the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (IDSVA). Dr. Moro succeeds IDSVA’s founder, George Smith (2006-2024).

IDSVA is proud to announce the 2024 Commencement Speaker, Bruce C. Glavovic

Bruce Glavovic will receive an honorary PhD degree at the 2024 IDSVA Commencement Ceremony in New York City

IDSVA presents the final webinar in the series "The Blazing World, Or the Climatological Imperative: From Inaction to Reimagination"

April 5th from 2-4 pm EDT

IDSVA presents the second webinar in the series: “The Blazing World, Or the Climatological Imperative: From Inaction to Reimagination”

March 22, 2024 from 1-3pm ET

Join IDSVA for the International Webinar Conference Series: The Blazing World, Or the Climatological Imperative

PLENARY OPENING Bruce Glavovic on March 15, 2025.

IDSVA Student & Alumni Spring Professional News

We're pleased to present this list of IDSVA students and alumni participating in academic conferences and events this Spring. In particular, five IDSVA students and alumni will participate in the 2024 College Art Association (CAA) Conference in Chicago, IL, from February 14-17.

Meet the 2023 David Driskell Fellow: Matthew Fields

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Matthew Fields is an emerging African American laborer, Artist and Arts Educator.

IDSVA is now accepting Applications for September 2024 Enrollment

The Priority Application Deadline for September Enrollment is April 8, 2024

The 2024 Winter Residency in Madrid and Marrakech

The residency will take place from January 5-11, 2024

"IDSVA is one of the single most important developments in the recent history of art education." David C. Driskell, (1931-2020) American artist and preeminent historian of African American Art. The David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora is located at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Get in Touch

Please take a moment to fill out the form below and I will be in touch as soon as possible to help answer any immediate questions and facilitate the next steps in the admissions process. I'm looking forward to working with you. Best, Molly Davis Director of Administration & Director of Admissions

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For artists, earning an M.F.A. demonstrates advanced abilities in an art specialty field, such as graphic design, painting and drawing, or visual communications. These are the top graduate schools for fine arts. Each school's score reflects its average rating on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding), based on a survey of academics at peer institutions. Read the methodology »

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School of Art Fine Arts Doctoral Program (Art)

Fine arts doctoral program (art).

The Art track of the Fine Arts Doctoral Program centers on art praxis, which we define as theoretically informed action aimed at creating change in academic, social, and community contexts. We have chosen the word "praxis" instead of "practice" to signal a different relationship to theory than assumed by the theory-practice binary, and to indicate a fundamental difference between MFA programs in studio practice and the PhD. For Aristotle, praxis meant an action that is valuable in itself, as opposed to that which leads to creation, and for scholars of modernity from Marx to Lefebvre, praxis was, and remains, infused with an ethical and political imperative, and designated a more grounded and intentional mode of social and political transformation.

The Art track is part of a College-wide Fine Arts Doctoral Program , which includes students focusing on music, theatre, dance, and visual art. All areas of the Fine Arts Doctoral Program require a series of core courses that bring together students from across the College for innovative interdisciplinary and collaborative inquiry. These core courses support the art area's commitment to blurring disciplinary boundaries through original modes of investigation.

Students conduct interdisciplinary research integrating methodologies from a home discipline related to Art with methodologies from disciplines of Music, Theatre, and Dance housed at other Schools in the J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual and Performing Arts or the University at large. Such interdisciplinarity is not simply additive, but transformative, blurring the chosen disciplines and even fundamentally altering them.

This program is for

• studio artists who want to transform their approach to making into a methodology for research,
• scholars who want to intervene in their home discipline by proposing novel ways of conducting research,
• curators and cultural practitioners who want to do community-engaged projects, and
• educators who want to rethink inquiry and develop meaningful practices organized around art and images that transform engagement through interdisciplinary initiatives.

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How to apply.

Interested candidates applying for admission to the Fine Arts Doctoral Program for Fall 2023 can do so through the Texas Tech University Graduate School portal.

A complete application - via the Graduate School application portal - will include the following:

• Official transcripts of all previous college-level study
• Official G.R.E. score report (The GRE score requirement has been waived for Fall 2024-entering applicants)
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Current resumé or curriculum vitae
• A scholarly writing sample (10-30 pages of academic writing)
• Art portfolio (optional)
• Statement of intent (800 words maximum; see tips on writing statements of intent). Please indicate in your statement the faculty members in the FADP(Art) program (see below) with whom you would like to work.
• For international students: passport and additional documents that prove your eligibility to study in the United States
• Registration fee

ENTRANCE QUALIFICATIONS

For acceptance into the doctoral program, the applicant must have completed a master's degree, or its equivalent, with emphasis in some area of the visual arts. Every effort is made to select candidates who show strong scholarship and professional competence.  Applicants who have not taken at least 15 hours of art history, art criticism, art education, arts administration, aesthetics, and/or visual culture courses at the college level may be required to meet the 15-hour minimum in the form of leveling courses taken here at TTU, which will not count toward the 60-hour minimum in the doctoral degree plan.

While the Fine Arts Doctoral Program (Art) takes applications year-round, please take into consideration the following dates:

JANUARY 15th for Fall semester entry, with full financial consideration.

OCTOBER 15th for Spring semester entry, with available/limited financial consideration.

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Degree handbook.

• PhD Handbook

ONLINE CATALOG INFORMATION

Student success, school of art alumni.

Class of 2012

Sara Peso White

Class of 2015

Bryan Wheeler, dissertation: “Painting ‘Section' or Painting Texas: Negotiating Modernity and Identity in the Texas New Deal Post Office Murals.” Lecturer in the School of Art and College of Media and Communication.

Class of 2016

Yuan-Ta Hsu

Lina Kattan, dissertation: “Conflicted Living Beings: The Performative Aspect of Female Bodies' Representations in Saudi Painting and Photography.” Associate Professor of Visual and Performing Arts, University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Class of 2017

Norah Alqabba, dissertation: “Globalization and the Role of the Sharjah Biennale in the Transformation of Saudi Contemporary Sculpture”

Class of 2019

Kimberly Jones, dissertation: “Women in Contemporary Israeli Cinema”

Katharine Scherff, dissertation: “The Virtual Liturgy: An Examination of Medieval and Early Modern Ritual Objects as Media Technology.” Full-time Lecturer at TTU, Art History and Global Art Program, Affiliated Faculty Medieval and Renaissance Studies Center.

Jared Stanley, dissertation: “Working Through Grief: Continuing Bonds in the New Golden Age of American Television.” Division Chair, Division of Art and Design, School of Fine Arts and Communication, Bob Jones University.

Class of 2020 

Niloofar Gholamrezaei, dissertation: “Photographic Images, Distanced Realism, and the State of Being Modern in the Works of Mohammad Ghaffari and Otto Dix.” Assistant Professor of Visual Arts and General Education, Regis College.

Class of 2021

Ahmad Rafiei, dissertation: “Objects in Motion: Global Interactions and Cross-Cultural Exchange from Safavid to Twentieth-Century Iran.” Curatorial Fellow, Toledo Museum of Art, 2021-2024.

Sylvia Weintraub, dissertation: “Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Online: Why Making Matters on Pinterest.”

Assistant Professor of Art Education in the department of Visual and Theatre Arts at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Class of 2022

Corina Carmona, dissertation: “Re-membering a Coyolxauhqui Pedagogy: Creative and Cultural Praxis at the Intersection of Ethnic Studies and Fine Art”

Deepika Dhiman, dissertation: “Using Autoethnography and Visual Storytelling to Examine How Identity is Informed by Social Normative Behavior in India and the United States”

Class of 2023

Kathryn Kelley: “Creatives Engage with Spontaneous Self-Affirmation as a Part of Their Writing Practices”

Quest ions?

Contact the interim coordinator.

Andrés Peralta, PhD Interim FADP Coordinator

Fine Arts- Art Doctoral Program Faculty

Klinton Burgio-Ericson, PhD

Kevin Chua, PhD

Theresa Flanigan, PhD

Rina Little, PhD

Jorgelina Orfila, PhD

Andrés Peralta, PhD

Maia Toteva, PhD

Heather Warren-Crow, PhD

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Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology

Visual and Performing Arts Graduate Programs

Integrate study and practice in the arts with academic enrichment from the humanities.

The graduate programs in the visual and performing arts provide an interdisciplinary context to pursue research and practice across a wide range of creative and academic traditions. You can focus your studies in film, visual art, performing arts or art history. You’ll also have the opportunity to enrich your practice in the performing and visual arts and to participate in seminars in other disciplines including history, philosophy and literature.

Doctor of Philosophy in Visual and Performing Arts

The PhD in Visual and Performing Arts degree program is designed primarily for individuals who wish to conduct advanced research and to teach at the college level, and can lead to a wide variety of non-academic careers as well. It is open to qualified candidates who desire to enhance their knowledge and skills.

The program provides students with a flexible, interdisciplinary context within which to pursue their studies, built on connections among specific courses and areas of interest. Each student plans an individual program of studies in consultation with an assigned advisor.

Visual and Performing Arts is an interdisciplinary program of study, so students take the majority of their coursework in Visual and Performing Arts courses, but may also take seminars in History of Ideas and Literature. Students pursuing the PhD in Visual and Performing Arts may submit a creative project as part of their dissertation.

Coursework: 42 semester credit hours

Forty-two semester credit hours of which at least 21 are taken as organized graduate-level courses in Visual and Performing Arts (VPAS).

Required Courses: 30 semester credit hours 

VPAS 6300  Proseminar in Visual and Performing Arts 1

ARHM 6310  Team-Taught Interdisciplinary Seminar

15 semester credit hours of organized graduate-level  VPAS  courses

9 semester credit hours of  VPAS 8305  Field Exam Preparation

Elective Courses: 12 semester credit hours

12 semester credit hours of electives in any graduate-level courses.

Students in all PhD programs in the Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology are expected to demonstrate intermediate-level reading proficiency in a foreign language (equivalent to two years of foreign-language study at the undergraduate level). Students must fulfill the language requirement before scheduling doctoral field examinations.

As part of its approval of a dissertation proposal, the Graduate Studies Committee will consider the appropriateness of a candidate’s language preparation for the research or creative project. Faculty members chairing field examinations and dissertations should ensure that students possess the necessary language proficiency to carry out their proposed doctoral research.

The requirement can be satisfied upon enrollment in a PhD program by demonstrating evidence of one or more of the following:

• Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher (e.g., an undergraduate literature course in a foreign language) with a grade of B or better.
• Completion of a graduate course taught in a foreign language or with more than 25% of its required readings in a foreign language.
• An undergraduate major, graduate degree, or certificate in a foreign language.
• Successful completion of graded coursework at a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English.
• A degree in any discipline from a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English.

The requirement can be satisfied during graduate study at UT Dallas in one of the following ways:

• Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher at UT Dallas or elsewhere with a grade of B or better.
• Successful completion of  LIT 6326  Translation Workshop with a grade of B or better.
• Successful completion of one of the following:  HUMA 6330  French Workshop;  HUMA 6331 Spanish Workshop;  HUMA 6333  German Workshop with a grade of B or better.
• Passing a written translation exam in an approved foreign language at UT Dallas.

The doctoral field examinations consist of three written sections and an oral defense. The examining committee, composed of three members of the faculty (at least two of whom are faculty in the Visual and Performing Arts Program), oversees definition and preparation of the three examination fields. Initial committee formation must take place during the semester in which students complete 36 semester credit hours of coursework, which will typically be followed by nine semester credit hours of  VPAS 8305 : Field Exam Preparation. Exams normally should be completed before completion of 60 semester credit hours.

Students are formally advanced to PhD candidacy when they have successfully completed the doctoral field examinations and received final approval for dissertation topics. Students should submit a preliminary dissertation proposal for consideration during the oral section of the doctoral field examination. After that examination, a four-person supervising committee is formed, normally from the examining committee plus an additional faculty member, to oversee dissertation work. The supervising committee must then approve a formal dissertation proposal before the student submits it to the Graduate Studies Committee for final approval.

Each candidate then writes a doctoral dissertation, which is supervised and defended according to general University regulations.

Master of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts

The Master of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts offers either a professional option or a research option. Students pursuing the research option for the MA in Visual and Performing Arts may submit a creative project as part of their portfolio.

Visual and Performing Arts is an interdisciplinary program of study, so students take the majority of their coursework in Visual and Performing Arts courses, but may also take seminars in History of Ideas and Literature.

Coursework: 33 semester credit hours

Thirty-three semester credit hours of which at least 18 semester credit hours are taken as organized graduate-level courses in Visual and Performing Arts.

Required Courses: 21 semester credit hours

Free Electives: 12 semester credit hours 

Twelve semester credit hours of electives in any graduate-level courses.

Students in the professional option must complete 33 semester credit hours of coursework. They are not required to complete a portfolio or meet the foreign language requirement.

Students in the research option must complete 33 semester credit hours of coursework, fulfill a foreign language requirement, and complete a portfolio.

The research option MA degree requires demonstrated proficiency in an approved foreign language. The requirement can be satisfied upon enrollment in the MA program by demonstrating evidence of one or more of the following:

• Successful completion of  LIT 6326 : Translation Workshop with a grade of B or better.
• Successful completion of one of the following:  HUMA 6330 : French Workshop;  HUMA 6331 : Spanish Workshop;  HUMA 6333 : German Workshop with a grade of B or better.

Two research papers or a creative project plus a scholarly essay originating in or completed for graduate courses are revised and presented in a portfolio for evaluation by a master’s committee.

Program Highlights

Research and Creative Opportunities

Since our school combines the humanities and the arts, many faculty members are engaged in the creation and performance of artistic works in creative writing and the visual and performing arts. 

Six centers and institutes affiliated with the Bass School promote interdisciplinary research:

• The Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies
• The Center for Asian Studies
• The Center for Translation Studies
• The Center for U.S.-Latin-America Initiatives
• The Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology 
• The Edith O-Donnell Institute of Art History

Our graduate students conduct and present research nationally and internationally. 

See our graduate student accomplishments.

Faculty Mentors

Our faculty members will help you gain the knowledge, skills and support you need for a rewarding career. Meet our faculty .

Student Organizations

Get real-world experience and leadership opportunities by performing with our musical ensembles, theatre groups and more.

Explore student organizations and music ensembles →

Dr. Robert Xavier Rodríguez

Chair in Art and Aesthetic Studies, professor of music

“I was among the first arts and humanities faculty at UT Dallas in 1975. My students and colleagues have brought me many joys, especially the former students who have kept in touch over the past 36 years. I have particularly enjoyed the opportunity to make music on campus with my Musica Nova ensemble and to have several of my works performed and sometimes premiered here. After the next 36 years, I will be 101, at which point I hope I can afford to retire.”

Contact Information

Catherine Parsoneault Clinical Professor and Program Head Phone: 972-883-2140 Email: [email protected] Office:  JO 4.120

Pia K. Jakobsson Graduate Academic Advisor Phone: 972-883-4706 Email:  [email protected] Office:  JO 4.128

Graduate Advising Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology The University of Texas at Dallas, JO31 800 W. Campbell Road Richardson, TX 75080-3021 Phone: 972-883-4706 Email:  [email protected]

Office of Admission and Enrollment 800 W. Campbell Road Richardson, TX 75080-3021 972-883-2270 or 1-800-889-2443 [email protected] utdallas.edu/enroll

Doctoral Application Deadlines

Ma application deadlines.

• Degrees, Minors & Certificates
• Graduate Student Writing Resources

Reach out to us  to get more information about your program of interest.

Review the Bass School’s  graduate application process and requirements.

School of Arts and Humanities

Visual and performing arts.

The Graduate Programs in the Visual and Performing Arts (MA, PhD) foster integrated study and practice in the arts. The MA and PhD programs provide students with an interdisciplinary context in which to pursue research and practice across a wide range of creative and academic traditions and critical and theoretical approaches spanning the Visual and Performing Arts (VPAS). Students can focus their studies in film, visual art, performing arts, and art history. Students have the opportunity to enrich their practice in the performing and visual arts and to participate in seminars in disciplines outside of the VPAS such as history, philosophy, and literature.

FACG> ah-visual-and-performing-arts-ma

Professors: Fred I. Curchack @curchack , Enric Madriguera @efm011000 , Adrienne L. McLean @amclean , John J. Pomara @pomara , Thomas P. Riccio @txr033000 , Robert Xavier Rodríguez @rxr014610 , Charissa N. Terranova @cxt074100 , Michael Thomas @mxt190021 , Marilyn Waligore @waligore

Associate Professors: Shelley D. Lane @sdl063000 , Mark Rosen @mxr088000 , Shilyh Warren @sjw120030

Clinical Professors: Carie King @cxl085200 , Catherine Parsoneault @cxp160030 , Maribeth (Betsy) Schlobohm @mls077000

Clinical Associate Professors: Linda Salisbury @ljs130230 , Lorraine Tady @ltt042000

Clinical Assistant Professors: Paul Galvez @pag101000 , Shelby Hibbs @sah140730 , Sarah Kozlowski @skk150030

Professors of Instruction: Kathy Lingo @klingo , Christopher (Chris) Ryan @cxr088000

Associate Professors of Instruction: Diane Durant @ddm043000 , Kelly P. Durbin @kpdurbin , Kathryn C. Evans @kcevans , Melissa Hernandez-Katz @mhkatz , Jonathan Palant @jxp170230 , Monica M. Saba @msaba

Assistant Professors of Instruction: Barbara Baker @blb140430 , Lori Gerard @lag091020 , Janece Glauser @jbg130030 , Christina Montgomery @cxm190022 , Misty Owens @mxo122530 , Allison Templeton @aam141730 , Patricia Totusek @pft140030

Doctor of Philosophy in Visual and Performing Arts

60 semester credit hours minimum

Coursework: 42 semester credit hours

Forty-two semester credit hours of which at least twenty-one are taken as organized graduate-level courses in Visual and Performing Arts (VPAS).

Required Courses: 30 semester credit hours

VPAS 6300 Proseminar in Visual and Performing Arts 1

ARHM 6310 Team-Taught Interdisciplinary Seminar

15 semester credit hours of organized graduate-level VPAS courses

9 semester credit hours of VPAS 8305 Field Exam Preparation

Elective Courses: 12 semester credit hours

12 semester credit hours of electives in any graduate-level courses.

Foreign Language

Students in all PhD programs in the School of Arts and Humanities are expected to demonstrate intermediate-level reading proficiency in a foreign language (equivalent to two years of foreign-language study at the undergraduate level). Students must fulfill the language requirement before scheduling doctoral field examinations.

As part of its approval of a dissertation proposal, the Graduate Studies Committee will consider the appropriateness of a candidate's language preparation for the research or creative project. Faculty members chairing field examinations and dissertations should ensure that students possess the necessary language proficiency to carry out their proposed doctoral research.

The requirement can be satisfied upon enrollment in a PhD program by demonstrating evidence of one or more of the following:

• Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher (e.g., an undergraduate literature course in a foreign language) with a grade of B or better.
• Completion of a graduate course taught in a foreign language or with more than 25% of its required readings in a foreign language.
• An undergraduate major, graduate degree, or certificate in a foreign language.
• Successful completion of graded coursework at a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English.
• A degree in any discipline from a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English.

The requirement can be satisfied during graduate study at UT Dallas in one of the following ways:

• Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher at UT Dallas or elsewhere with a grade of B or better.
• Successful completion of LIT 6326 Translation Workshop with a grade of B or better.
• Successful completion of one of the following: HUMA 6330 French Workshop; HUMA 6331 Spanish Workshop; HUMA 6333 German Workshop with a grade of B or better.
• Passing a written translation exam in an approved foreign language at UT Dallas.

Doctoral Field Examinations

The doctoral field examinations consist of two written sections and an oral defense. The examining committee, composed of three members of the faculty (at least two of whom must be in the Visual and Performing Arts Program) oversees definition and preparation of the two examination fields. Initial committee formation must take place during the semester in which students complete thirty-six semester credit hours of coursework, which will typically be followed by nine semester credit hours of VPAS 8305 Field Exam Preparation.

Dissertation

Students are formally advanced to PhD candidacy when they have successfully completed the doctoral field examinations and received final approval for dissertation topics. Students should submit a preliminary dissertation proposal for consideration during the oral section of the doctoral field examination. After that examination, a four-person supervising committee is formed, normally from the examining committee plus an additional faculty member, to oversee dissertation work. The supervising committee must then approve a formal dissertation proposal before the student submits it to the Graduate Studies Committee for final approval.

Each candidate then writes a doctoral dissertation, which is supervised and defended according to general University regulations.

Master of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts

33 semester credit hours minimum

Coursework: 33 semester credit hours

Thirty-three semester credit hours of which at least eighteen semester credit hours are taken as organized graduate-level courses in Visual and Performing Arts.

Required Courses: 21 semester credit hours

Free Electives: 12 semester credit hours

Twelve semester credit hours of electives in any graduate-level courses.

Professional Option

Students in the professional option must complete thirty-three semester credit hours of coursework. They are not required to complete a portfolio or meet the foreign language requirement.

Research Option

Students in the research option must complete thirty-three semester credit hours of coursework, fulfill a foreign language requirement, and complete a portfolio.

The research option MA degree requires demonstrated proficiency in an approved foreign language. The requirement can be satisfied upon enrollment in the MA program by demonstrating evidence of one or more of the following:

Two research papers or a creative project plus a scholarly essay originating in or completed for graduate courses are revised and presented in a portfolio for evaluation by a master's committee.

1. Must be taken during the first Fall semester of enrollment in the program.

Our Programs

Our Visual Art Graduate Program offers a vibrant community of artists and art historians engaged in research, theory and contemporary art practices—providing graduate students with an educational experience that will be intense, rewarding and productive. Both the MFA and PhD programs have an established history of contributing to the contemporary Canadian art scene. Our students are recipients of numerous awards, and a significant number of our alumni continue achieving national and international success as artists, curators and educators.

Combined MFA/MBA

The MFA in Visual Art is a five-term studio-centred program in which students independently develop an art practice, guided by faculty advisors who share their practice/theory interests. Seminars, guest lectures and critiques provide an environment of critical and theoretical enquiry that reflects contemporary debates in art and culture. No emphasis is placed on any one medium. Drawing, painting, performance, photography, print media, sculpture and time-based art (performance, video, audio, time-based installation, interactive media) are represented and often students’ practices across these media. Students independently pursue research that is relevant to their art studio work.

Set within a university context, the MFA in Visual Art seeks to provide students with the ability to think rigorously about their art practice and its relation to society as a whole. Along with Visual Art faculty, other York University faculty members, guest artists, curators and critics also support the development of students’ projects.

Applicants to the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program should hold an Honours degree in Visual Art, or equivalent, from a recognized university with a minimum of B standing to be considered for admission. Artists lacking formal academic qualifications, but showing exceptional promise and accomplishment through their portfolios, may be recommended for admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

The Schulich School of Business and the Graduate Programme in Visual Art offer a three-year combined programme leading to both a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Fine Arts degree.

The combined MFA/MBA degree programme offers students a unique opportunity to study. Graduates of this highly challenging programme will follow career paths in which knowledge of the arts and of management and business are required.

The MFA/MBA programmes complement each other in focus and offer excellent preparation for those interested in management careers in the arts and cultural sector.

The PhD in Visual Art is a practice-based program of study in which individually defined conceptual foci are materialized and disseminated through the integration of artworks, research and writing. Research questions in this context are focused on visual art, as well as other areas of scholarly investigation that are defined by candidates as relevant to their studio interests.

Inaugurated in 2008, the PhD in Visual Art is a four year full–time advanced degree that will prepare mature artist–researchers with the highest qualifications to teach studio and theory courses, supervise graduate students within a university context, and have significant professional careers as artists. These objectives are achieved through a combination of coursework, independent studio practice, and writing.

Courses are completed in the first two years, taken in the program and in the university at large, Students complete a comprehensive exam that is based on a self–curated exhibition in the second year and write a dissertation proposal by the end of the second summer (term 6) of the program. They must defend a dissertation in the form of a significant solo exhibition, accompanied by a substantial dissertation research support paper that amplifies and contextualizes the theme(s) in their studio work. Students’ scholarly/creative research is supported by a committee composed of faculty and art world professionals. Students must demonstrate maturity in research as recognized by the academic sector as well as by their peers in the art community.

VAAH ARTSPACES

VAAH ARTSPACES is our online gallery for showcasing the work of graduate and undergraduate students in the Visual Art & Art History Program.

Gales Gallery and the Special Project Gallery on our campus offer students the opportunity to gain installation experience, experiment with presentation techniques, and share their work with a broader audience.

Waymark: 2020 MFA Visual Art Digital Publication

An anthology which brings together the creative and critical Visual Art thesis work of our 2020 MFAs.

Digital Publication (.pdf) (.PDF

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The Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University currently offers a Ph.D. Program in Art History and Visual Culture , and Master's Programs Digital Art History and Computational Media .

The department also participates in an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Computational Media, Arts & Cultures , co-sponsored by the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, the Program in Literature , the Franklin Humanities Institute , and the Information Science + Studies certificate program, and many of the faculty are involved in the MFA in Experimental & Documentary Arts .

The department strives to provide students with the necessary tools to understand the global visual and material cultures of the past and present and with the skills to interpret them for the benefit of the broader community.

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PhD in Art Education

The Doctor of Philosophy in Art Education degree is designed for students who want to make a scholarly contribution to the Art Education field.

Allison Rowe, PhD (2021). “Work Like a River” (participatory lecture, 2017). Photo by Larissa Issler

PhD Art Education

At the University of Illinois, faculty and graduate students build a vibrant community of inquiry within the context of a Research 1 university. This community, including faculty whose breadth of interests span topics including contemporary art and visual culture in education, formal and informal learning, cultural policy and urban studies, and teacher training and identity, provides an intellectually stimulating environment for graduate students to stretch themselves intellectually and become world authorities on the particular topic of their dissertation.

Some doctoral students receive funding and support as teaching assistants for 4 years, and this funding is conditional upon academic standing. This funding includes a tuition waiver, a salary, health insurance, annual conference funding, plus many opportunities to gain competitive grants. Students complete coursework, consisting of 5 courses in art education, courses in research methodology and writing, courses in a minor that complements individual student interest, and courses that prepare students for the qualifying exam (taken after one year of full-time study) and the preliminary exam (at the conclusion of coursework). Examples of minors include Asian Studies, Art History, New Media, Museum Studies, and Women’s Studies. Following the conclusion of coursework, students write a dissertation that contributes new knowledge to the field of art education. Finally, students defend their dissertation.

During this course of study, there are numerous resources available to graduate students in Art Education, both within our program and across the University of Illinois:

• At our major comprehensive research university, students have access to the broadest possible range of elective courses.
• Visual Arts Research is a scholarly, refereed journal and has been published through the Art Education program for over 40 years. It is edited by Art Education faculty.
• The Everyday Arts Lab offers an excellent local site for graduate research for those interested in arts and social practice.
• With a total of 14 million titles the University of Illinois Library houses the largest collection of any public university in the world. The Ricker Library of Architecture and Art has 120,000 titles and 33,00 serials.
• The Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory is a program that promote conversations among a range of departments in the humanities, social sciences, and performing arts by organizing lectures, panel discussions, and conferences, as well as the Modern Critical Theory lecture series.
• The Krannert Art Museum includes an archive of over 8,000 works of art and rotating exhibitions of traditional and innovative art works.
• The Spurlock Museum highlights the diversity of cultures around the globe.
• Illinois is host to the  International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry , which brings a large contingent of art education scholars to campus.
• Regular visiting speakers from other institutions including Kevin Tavin, Amelia Kraehe, David Darts, Olivia Gude, Luis Camnitzer, Matthew Goulish, Marjorie Manifold, and Stephanie Springgay.
• Devoted room for Art Education PhD students including carrels for your use.

Faculty Interests

• Arts-based research
• Community arts education
• Conceptual art practices and theory
• Creative cities
• Cultural globalization
• Emerging curriculum theory
• Performance studies
• Psychoanalysis
• Social practice
• Socially engaged art
• Teacher identity
• Urban education
• Visual culture
• Youth studies

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PhD in Visual Studies

Program update.

We are not currently accepting applications for this degree program. To add your name to our mailing list for future information, please contact us .

The PhD program in Visual Studies was an advanced program for motivated, independently-minded scholars invested in critical discourses that analyze and challenge the social norm.

This program offered a study of visual culture with a particular emphasis on the late 19th, 20th and 21st centuries integrating art history, histories of the image, and critical theory with alternative perspectives rooted in sexuality studies and gender. Students took courses in any department or program at UB for credit. This course of study was research focused in consultation with advisers. There were only a few required courses—an introduction to visual studies/critical theory and another course that analyze art in the context of social change.

Graduates of the program prepared to work in a range of related disciplines including art history, studio art, performance studies, American studies, curatorial/museum work, critical theory, art writing.

Program Plan

Complete a minimum of 72 credit hours of graduate coursework towards the PhD in Visual Studies program. Up to 32 credits may be transferred in from previous graduate level degree applicable coursework, to be determined on a case by case basis.

Required Core Courses: 9 credit hours

• VS 501 Intro to Visual Studies (3)
• VS 505 Tactics of Praxis (3)
• VSXXX Critical Theory requirement (3)

Directed Electives: 45 credit hours

• 9 credit hours must be VS 595 Independent Study-advanced Reading
• 36 credit hours should be interdisciplinary. Each course must be approved by the program director by letter for the file.

Dissertation Guidance: 12-18 credit hours

A minimum of 12 hours must be comprised of VS 695 Advanced Research and VS 700 Dissertation Guidance. The remaining 6 credits may be dissertation guidance or approved electives.

• VS 700 or elective

For more information

Admissions information.

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Ph.D. in Culture and Performance

We foreground interdisciplinary research that builds on and contributes to theories of corporeality, performance, visuality, and culture.

While pursuing a Ph.D. in Culture and Performance, the UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance offers opportunities to develop specialized knowledge and skills in a diverse range of interdisciplinary fields such as activism, critical theory, curatorial studies, dance studies, film studies, performance studies, and visual studies. Students will designate a major field of study in consultation with their faculty adviser. Examples of methodologies include archival research, choreographic analysis, discourse analysis, ethnography, museum studies, oral history, or phenomenology. Students should also identify an area of geographical, cultural, and/or temporal focus. The student is expected to consult with their academic faculty adviser on a regular basis regarding area(s) of interest to determine associated coursework and research focus, and to plan the instructional schedule appropriately. See the full Culture and Performance program details on the Graduate Division's website.

Students in our program have received prestigious awards including those, among others, from the ACLS-Mellon, American Association of University Women, Fulbright, Ford, and Wenner-Gren foundations, along with winning prizes for their innovative research from professional organizations. At UCLA they have been selected for competitive honors, such as the Collegium of University Teaching Fellows, Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award, Moss Scholars Program, and the Dissertation Year Fellowship. These achievements serve as a testament to the students' research and teaching excellence. They also demonstrate the strong mentoring available in our department.  

Our interdisciplinary doctoral program has an impressive record of job placements and speaks to the high quality of education we are able to offer our students. Alumni have found success in a range of diverse sectors -- artistic, academic, curatorial -- and made notable impacts in myriad fields. Our accomplished students have been recipients of  postdoctoral fellowships from Northwestern University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Williams College, the Smithsonian Institution, and University of California Office of the President, among others.  Graduates of the Culture and Performance PhD are working as faculty at reputable institutions in the United States and internationally, like Duke University, Center for Contemporary Dance in Cologne, Rutgers University, University of Michigan, and University of Texas, and many others. We celebrate their success and and hope that their relationship with our Department will have positive effects on our professional development and the networks available to our students into the well future. 

Culture & Performance Handbook 2023-2024 (466.92 kB)

Details about individual courses can be found on the UCLA Registrar's website .

M.A. in Culture and Performance

The M.A. in Culture and Performance is not a terminal degree and is only available to students admitted to the Ph.D. program who have not already earned a master's degree prior to admission at UCLA.

FOR CURRENT Ph.D. STUDENTS:

Handbook: Please refer to the Handbook for your Admit year for your curriculum.

Read about our admissions policies and procedures.

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Herron School of Art + Design

Visual communication design, tell stories, shape the world through graphic design.

Graphic design is a vital aspect of communication that forms our perceptions and views of the world. As a student of visual communication design at Herron, you will learn new ways of thinking, seeing, and solving problems to create better solutions for the future.

From logos to branding systems, book covers to motion media, website design to mobile app interfaces, classroom projects set the standards for professional practice. Working across media, you will develop the ability to deliver effective outcomes and design solutions that take into account contexts, relationships, and experiences with the artifacts you have designed. You will also study a variety of formal design principles and the theory and history of visual communication design, while learning how to navigate the evolving nature of emerging technologies.

Herron's visual communication design program provides students with a deep understanding of the design process, the ability to work collaboratively, and the skills that are essential for a successful career in design.

Collaborative spaces

Herron’s eight visual communication design studios encourage a team-driven approach to projects. VCD students also have access to research and studio spaces including the Think It Make It Lab , woodshops, photo lighting studios, book arts studio, and the Herron Art Library.

Design for communities

Senior year in VCD brings a focus on experience design and related methods for engaging with people. Your final semester will culminate in a capstone project that you develop with a focus on either service experience or digital experience design, as well as a shared senior exhibition.

Plan of study

B.f.a. degree map.

Critical courses and milestones for each semester towards a B.F.A. in visual communication design

IUPUI Campus Bulletin

Required course names and descriptions for a B.F.A. in visual communication design

There is a culture in the VCD studios … [that] has allowed us to grow without judgment, truly be ourselves, and enjoy the process of becoming designers. Haley Francis-Halstead (B.F.A. Visual Communication Design '19)

Student work

Clockwise from top: Shelby Elrod, FundCast , 2020. Branding and digital application. Chad Wysong, A *somewhat helpful but definitely mediocre* Survival Guide , 2020. Saddle stitched pocket guide. Bailey Weaver, Rally , 2020. Branding, collateral design, and prototyping.   Courtesy of the artists

Foundation studies

Your first year at Herron focuses on skills that are crucial to your success in art and design school. You will explore basic principles and techniques, as well as your own historical, cultural, and personal influences as an artist or designer.

Learn more about foundation studies

Herron’s VCD classrooms and studios offer a collaborative studio environment and ample open space for discussions and presentations. To bring your design visions to life, the following resources are at your disposal.

• Adobe Creative Cloud available for free download
• Inkjet printers and tabloid size laser printers
• Shared studio spaces with individual desks for sophomores
• Dedicated workstations in a shared studio for juniors and seniors
• Flat file storage for sophomores and juniors
• Portable whiteboards for collaborative teamwork
• Ceiling mounted projectors and screens for presentations
• Large cutting mats, saddle staplers, and paper cutters
• Access to the Think It Make It Lab and woodshop as well as ceramics, photography, printmaking, and sculpture facilities

Enhance your degree

Pursuing a minor or certificate can help broaden your perspective and give you a competitive advantage in your chosen field.

Minor in Studio Art & Technology

Professional opportunities

With Herron's intensive visual communication design program you will be prepared for a number of career opportunities. In junior year, you become eligible for your required design internship, which provides valuable professional experience and, for many students, leads to a job offer.

Pursue your calling as a professional:

• Graphic designer
• Exhibit or environmental designer
• Art director
• Brand strategist
• User experience designer
• Mobile app designer
• Typeface designer
• Interactive designer
• Motion graphics animator
• Book designer
• Package designer
• Broadcast designer

Madison Anderson

Associate Faculty

Amrita Datta

Acting Assistant Professor

Aaron Ganci

Visual Communication Design Department Chair, Associate Professor

Andrea Haydon

Youngbok Hong

Director of Visual Communication Design Graduate Programs, Professor

Sylvia Ess McKee

Gürkan Maruf Mihçi

Assistant Professor

Pamela Napier

Associate Professor

Helen Sanematsu

Jennifer shivers, chris vaulter.

Samuel Vázquez

Join indiana’s only professional school of art and design.

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• Integrative Studio Practice (B.F.A.)
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• Music Technology (Ph.D.)
• Music Therapy (B.S.)
• Music Therapy (M.S.)
• Music Therapy (Ph.D.)
• Painting (B.F.A.)
• Photography (B.F.A.)
• Printmaking (B.F.A.)
• Sculpture (B.F.A.)
• Visual Art (M.F.A.)
• Visual Communication Design (B.F.A.)

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• Graduate Assistant Art Education Spring 2024
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Graduate Assistant, Half-Time (10 hrs./week)

Duties and responsibilities.

The RIC Art Education Program is seeking a half-time Graduate Assistant to work 10 hours per week to assist with program administration. Responsibilities will include documentation, digitization, organization, and management of program information, data, and visual imagery – and with research and preparation of new materials and digital records. Also, we are particularly interested in an applicant who could assist with the program’s further use of technology, digital media, and social media in support of our visual arts teacher preparation program and with special projects and events.

Benefit of the Graduate Assistant to Students (beyond financial assistance)

The Art Education Program’s Graduate Assistant will gain professional experience in digital media applications, organizational management, program administration, and educational leadership, with the opportunity to enhance and showcase personal technology skills, administrative skills, and professional initiatives.

Qualifications

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel required. 
• Knowledge of Mac/Apple computers and digital media is needed; some knowledge of social media and computer graphics (Adobe Photoshop, InDesign) would also be helpful. 
• Internet skills including proficiency with DropBox, Google Docs, Google Forms and Google Sites, and web and mobile applications.
• Able to multi-task with excellent organizational skills. 
• Strong writing and grammatical skills.
• Reliable self-starter and able to work well independently.
• Background in art is not required.

How to Apply

Send application, cover letter, and resume to both Dr. Shipe and Dr. Williams .

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