Full-time students are expected to complete all requirements for the MA degree in two years, of which the second year requires at a minimum part-time study as the student engages in researching and writing the MA thesis. Part-time study for the MA is also possible, and part-time students typically complete the degree in three to four years. The program for all MA candidates is determined in discussion with the student’s adviser and is a mix of seminar and lecture courses.
The MA program requires ten courses (30 points of credit) and no fewer than 2 cumulative Residence Units of registration. In the first year, the standard full-time program includes a total of eight courses. Of the ten courses required for the degree, at least three should be lecture courses at the 3000, 4000 or 6000 level (no more than two at the 3000 level). The MA in Critical and Curatorial Studies requires the Critical Studies Colloquium and the Curatorial Colloquium, both for a letter grade. Up to two of the lecture courses may be taken for R (registration) credit. Students must demonstrate proficiency in at least one foreign language through a translation examination in order to complete the degree. The translation examination is given through the department and consists of two portions, a translation and a précis, of art history texts selected and evaluated by the faculty. With the approval of the adviser, students may take courses in the culture, literature, history, and philosophy of their areas of interest. Language courses and studio art courses do not count towards the degree. In the second year of full-time study, or final year of part-time study, students must register for one thesis course in each semester as they work under the close supervision of a faculty advisor thus completing the ten-course requirement.
Note
the minimum admission requirements described in the GSAS Bulletin
and on the Questions and Answers page. Applicants interested
in the MA in architectural history or the MA in other fields
of art history must consult with a faculty member in the proposed
field of study. Recipients of the non-sequential MA will be
considered for admission to the Ph.D. only upon separate application
to the PhD program in the department.
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About the Program
The department offers a Master’s degree in art history in fields other than modern art. Students may focus on any field of study represented in the department, such as architectural history, Italian or Northern Renaissance, ancient, South or East Asian. Students are accepted and mentored into the program by a faculty member in the proposed field of study. The course and thesis requirements are the same as the MA in Modern Art, however the student is not required to take the MA Colloquium in Modern Art. Recipients of the non-sequential MA in Art History will be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program only upon re-application. Students who are interested in earning a Ph.D. are advised to apply to the [ Ph.D. program ] directly, where they earn their MA degree in the first year.
Application Procedures
All application materials must be received by February 3. Applicants for the MA in Art History must submit a supplemental form indicating a field of specialization. Please find the form [ here ].
Note the minimum admission requirements described in the GSAS Bulletin
and on the Questions and Answers page. Applicants interested in an MA in
Modern Art should apply to the MA in Modern Art: Critical and Curatorial
Studies.
Sample Program
10 courses (30 points of credit), one MA thesis required for graduation
| Semester1 |
Semester2 |
Semester3 |
Semester4 |
Seminar
Seminar
Lecture
Lecture |
Seminar
Seminar
Lecture
Lecture |
MA Thesis I:
Research
|
MA Thesis II:
Writing |
Cost
The MA degree requires 2 cumulative Residence Units and thirty points of credit, as well as completion of an MA thesis. There are no fellowships or scholarships available for MA programs. In 2005-2006, tuition for full-time students in the first year was $31,448. Required health insurance/services cost was $2,267. Loans and information about federal workstudy are available through the [ financial aid office ] of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Resources for MA students
Master’s students not only have access to the department’s renowned faculty, and university libraries, but also to the multitude of other resources available at Columbia University and through out New York City. Access to NYC institutions extends beyond campus with free admission to several museums including the Met, MoMA, Whitney Museum of American Art and the International Center of Photography.
Application
Applications are available online at [ here ]. For additional information please visit [ FAQs for MAs ] or call (212) 854-1651
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About the Program
Recognizing a need to train scholars to enter curatorial and critical fields in the area of Modern art and architecture, as well as fields as diverse as publishing, journalism, and the art market, the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia introduced the Modern Art: Critical Studies Masters program in 1998, under the direction of Rosalind Krauss, University Professor.
The MA Colloquium, a core course for all modern art students taken in the first term, is designed to explore issues of historical and critical method by focusing on them through the lens of a particular area of concern within the modernist field. These “lenses” will change from year to year, but an example would be the rise of photography within modernism, with all that it implies for the relationship between high art and mass culture and all that it signals with regard to new media. Another such example might be notions of “primitivism,” which would lead to sessions ranging from postcolonial studies to contemporary art’s use of ethnographic models; or contemporary architecture studies and theories of urbanism. The structure of the colloquium combines reading and analysis of texts conducted by the major theorists and critics working in the given subject area. The “lens” of the MA Colloquium in Fall 2005 was “After Information: Document, Archive, Map.”
Credits/Requirements
Full-time students are expected to complete all requirements for the MA degree in two years of which the second year may involve part-time study. Part-time study for the MA is also possible; part-time students typically complete the degree in three to four years. The program for all MA candidates regardless of specialization is determined in discussion with the student’s adviser and is a mix of seminar and lecture courses. All MA programs require ten courses (30 points of credit) and 2 cumulative Residence Units of registration. In the first year, the standard full-time program includes a total of eight courses. Of the ten courses required for the degree, at least three should be lecture courses at the 3000 or 4000 level (no more than two at the 3000 level). Two of the ten courses may be taken for R (registration) credit. Two seminars and the MA Colloquium (offered in the fall semester) are required for a letter grade. For Curatorial track students, two Curatorial Seminars meet the two-seminar requirement. Students must demonstrate proficiency in at least one foreign language to qualify for the MA. With the approval of the adviser, students may take courses in the culture, literature, history, and philosophy of their areas of interest. Language courses and studio art courses do not count towards the degree. In the second year of full-time study, or final year of part-time study, students must register for one thesis course in each semester, completing the ten-course requirement.
Note the minimum admission requirements described in the GSAS
Bulletin and on the Questions and Answers page. Applicants interested
in the MA in architectural history or the MA in other fields
of art history must consult with a faculty member in the proposed
field of study. Recipients of the non-sequential MA will be
considered for admission to the Ph.D. only upon separate application
to the PhD program in the department.
Sample
Program
10 courses (30 points of credit), one MA thesis required for graduation
| Semester1 |
Semester2 |
Semesters3 |
Semester4 |
MA Colloquium
Seminar
Lecture
Lecture |
Seminar
Seminar
Lecture
Lecture |
MA Thesis I:
Research
|
MA Thesis II:
Writing |
Cost
The MA degree requires 2 cumulative Residence Units and thirty points of credit, as well as completion of an MA thesis. There are no fellowships or scholarships available for terminal MA programs. In 2005-2006, tuition for full-time students in the first year was $31,448. Required health insurance/services cost was $2,267. Loans and information about federal workstudy are available through the [ financial aid office ] of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Resources for MA students
Master’s students not only have access to the department’s renowned faculty and university libraries, but also to the multitude of other resources available at Columbia University and through out New York City. Access to NYC institutions extends beyond campus with free admission to several museums including the Met, MoMA, Whitney Museum of American Art and the International Center of Photography.
Application Procedures
All application materials must be received by February 3rd. Applications are available online [ here ]. On the application, indicate under Proposed Department “Art History & Archaeology, Ma in Modern Art” and under Subfield “Critical Studies”. For additional information please visit [ FAQs for MAs ]* or call (212) 854-1651.
All application materials must be received by GSAS by February 3rd. Applications and information are available online [ here ].
Application Information
The GRE and TOEFL code for the Graduate school is 2162. There is no department code.
For admission to all graduate programs, the prerequisite is a minimum of 4 courses in art history or studies closely related (e.g., archaeology, architectural history, art-historical anthropology). An undergraduate major in art history is not a requirement. It is also advised that students have prior knowledge of at least one foreign language at the time of applying.
Application Requirements
In addition to the application the following must be sent to the Graduate School:
- 3 letters of recommendation
- Official Transcripts
- GRE scores
- TOEFL (for international students)
- Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages)
- Writing Sample (10-15 pages) – this should be an example of your best scholarly writing and should be a complete text
- Optional CV
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