Doctor of Philosophy in History of Art
KU offers a wide range of graduate art history courses, exploring visual and material cultures of Europe, the Americas, and East Asia while engaging in discussion of methodological and theoretical models.
The Ph.D. is intended for students who already hold the M.A. degree in art history.
Admission to Graduate Studies
Admission Requirements
- All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.
- Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
- English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required.
Admission to the Ph.D.
Applicants for the Ph.D. are expected to hold an appropriate M.A. degree. Admission requirements for this program follow Graduate Studies' Admissions Policy.
Application deadlines:
- January 5 for fall admission
- October 1 for spring admission
If January 5 or October 1 falls on a weekend or holiday, we will extend the deadline to the following business day.
Required application materials:
- Three letters of recommendation (preferably from art history professors). The application system will send your recommenders an email containing the instructions for submitting their letters once you have entered their contact information.
- A chronological list of art history courses completed that includes (1) the number of credit hours, (2) the instructor's name, and (3) the grade received. Applicants typically have completed no fewer than 18 credit hours of art history coursework.
- Résumé or curriculum vitae
- A statement of personal and educational interests and career objectives. We appreciate this opportunity to learn more about you. Feel free to discuss any personal, educational, economic, cultural, and/or social experiences that have helped shape you as a candidate. Please address how the graduate program/faculty in Art History at KU would help you to achieve your goals. Do not exceed 750 words.
- A writing sample, preferably from an art history course that you feel best represents your research, writing, and critical thinking skills. Your text (not including the bibliography, endnotes, and images) should be between 10-20 pages.
- Official transcripts, or copies of official transcripts, from all post-secondary institutions
Admission to the Ph.D. program for students who receive the M.A. degree from KU:
M.A. and M.A./Ph.D. students who wish to be considered for full admission to the Ph.D. program must complete and sign the Petition for Continuation in the Ph.D. Program form, which will be distributed at the M.A. exam. It is expected that such students will already have expressed this interest to a potential major field advisor and received that faculty member's support.
The student must pass the M.A. exam in order for the petition to be considered by the graduate faculty. After receiving departmental approval for the petition and completing all M.A. degree requirements, the student will automatically be entered into the Ph.D. program.
Students who do not submit the petition at the time of the M.A. exam will need to formally reapply for admission to the art history graduate program.
Ph.D. Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Candidacy Coursework Requirements | ||
| The student, in consultation with the appropriate faculty advisor(s), develops a unique plan of study comprised of at least 18 graduate credit hours. The purpose of the coursework is to inform the student's comprehensive exams. The student's faculty advisor and comprehensive exam committee determine the exact number of required post-M.A. courses via the Doctoral Program of Study Petition. | 18 | |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship
The University requires that every doctoral student receive training in responsible scholarship and research skills pertinent to the doctoral level of research in their field(s). The Ph.D. aspirant must complete these requirements by the end of the semester in which they take the oral comprehensive exam. History of Art Ph.D. students satisfy this requirement with:
- Demonstrated proficiency of at least one foreign language sufficient to meet the demands of their research. Ph.D. students may be required by their committee to demonstrate proficiency in two or more foreign languages, depending on the student’s area of specialization and program of study. Proficiency may be demonstrated by: (1) passing a departmental proficiency exam; (2) completing with a grade of B or better the fourth-semester course of a language; (3) completing with a B or better a course such as FREN 601 French for Reading Knowledge.
- Successful completion of at least one 700 level or above History of Art seminar course. All graduate seminars include instruction in and discussion of appropriate research conduct and research misconduct; authorship, publication, plagiarism, copyright; peer review; and professional practices.
Doctoral Program of Study Petition
Students who receive the M.A. degree in art history at KU present to the graduate faculty for their approval, a Doctoral Program of Study Petition within two semesters of completing M.A. coursework. Students who enter the Ph.D. program with an M.A. in art history from another institution present their Petition within three semesters of commencing studies at KU.
The Doctoral Program of Study Petition identifies the faculty member who will be the major field advisor and two other graduate faculty members, representing two minor fields, for the comprehensive exam. In consultation with the major advisor, the student will define a primary area of specialization and prepare a program of study within it. Also, in consultation with the minor field advisors, the student will define the two minor fields. Specific coursework within the two minor fields is devised with the respective minor advisors, under the overall supervision of the major advisor.
In consultation with the major field advisor, the graduate faculty makes the final determination regarding the student's Doctoral Program of Study Petition. If approved, the student's program will be overseen by the major advisor and guided by the committee.
Written and Oral Comprehensive Exams
Students must take both written and comprehensive oral examinations at the end of their coursework. Both written and oral examinations cover the major area and two minor areas specified in the student’s Doctoral Program of Study Petition.
Doctoral Candidacy
The student may enroll in HA 999 dissertation hours beginning with the semester in which the comprehensive exams are taken and the dissertation proposal is prepared. The student must comply with Graduate Studies' Doctoral Candidacy policy, which includes but is not limited to enrollment in at least 1 dissertation hour every semester until graduation.
Dissertation Proposal
The dissertation proposal must be approved by the student’s primary advisor and the graduate faculty within three months of passing the comprehensive Ph.D. examinations. The student is strongly encouraged to work closely with the primary advisor immediately following the comprehensive examination to meet this deadline.
Upon acceptance of the dissertation in final draft form, the candidate must successfully pass the final oral examination (the dissertation defense) to complete the degree.
Dissertation
The dissertation must be an original work of research that advances the field of art history and complies with the Office of Graduate Studies' Doctoral Dissertation policy. Once the dissertation advisor has approved a draft of the complete dissertation, the student distributes the draft of the entire dissertation to the second and third readers. Once the dissertation committee approves the final dissertation draft, the student distributes it to all members of the committee and schedules the final oral examination.
Final Oral Examination
The final oral examination of the dissertation is the culmination of the Ph.D. program. This oral examination, which is open to interested members of the university community, generally begins with a brief presentation that summarizes the dissertation and is usually illustrated by images provided by the candidate, followed by questions from the committee members. The final oral examination committee will assign a grade of honors, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory for the candidate's performance and dissertation.
Handbook for Graduate Students
A detailed presentation of departmental degree requirements and regulations is included in the department’s Graduate Student Handbook.
Graduate Policy
Students are encouraged to review Graduate Studies' policies that apply to doctoral degree programs for information about other requirements that may apply.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- demonstrate mastery of course material.
- read, critically analyze, and use archival/primary, contextual, and scholarly literature.
- complete quality primary/archival and secondary research.
- speak clearly, coherently, articulately, and persuasively.
- construct in writing a clear, coherent, and persuasive scholarly argument.
- use art historical methodologies and/or relevant critical theories.
- demonstrate mastery of relevant knowledge in the field of art history (comprehensive exams, dissertation proposal, dissertation).