The George Washington University - Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
MA in Art History
Online USA
MA
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
USD 59,294 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
Key Summary
Situated in the heart of the culturally rich city of Washington, DC, the Master of Arts (MA) program in Art History at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design provides students with unique opportunities to study the arts. Students learn to apply visual and historical analyses to artworks, as well as incorporate relevant and current theoretical and methodological approaches to research. The program's proximity to DC’s many museums and galleries means that the permanent collections and exhibitions of some of the most important art institutions in the world often serve as the backbone of student coursework and study. The curriculum covers a wide swath of the history of art, but has specific areas of focus in Renaissance, Islamic, South Asian, American, and modern and contemporary art. We are committed to building and nurturing a diverse and inclusive scholarly community that is critical for innovation, insight, and progress. The rigorous and supportive scholarly program places special emphasis on developing individual students’ critical analysis, research, and writing skills.
For some students, the MA is a terminal degree in preparation for curatorial or education careers in galleries and museums; for others, it is preparation to enter a PhD program elsewhere.
The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) offers funding opportunities in all doctoral and master's programs. These awards differ by level and by program. PhD students are typically offered full funding packages (full tuition, living stipend, and graduate assistantship). CCAS offers merit-based partial tuition awards to many of the students admitted to our PsyD and master's programs; some of these programs also offer graduate assistantships as well as small stipend awards.
The following requirements must be fulfilled
The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate Programs. 36 credits in required and elective courses.
Course List
- CAH 6258 Art Historiography
Elective
At least one course from five of the following seven categories: Classical, ancient Near East, and medieval worlds
- CAH 6201 Proseminar in Ancient Art of the Bronze Age and Greece
- CAH 6202 Proseminar in Ancient Art of the Roman Empire
- CAH 6205 Topics in Ancient Art
- CAH 6211 Proseminar in Early Christian and Byzantine Art and Architecture
- CAH 6212 Proseminar in Romanesque and Gothic Art and Architecture
- CAH 6215 Seminar in Medieval Art and Architecture
- CAH 6270 Special Topics in Art History
Islamic spheres
- CAH 6213 Islamic Art and Architecture
- CAH 6214 Art of the Book in the Medieval Muslim World
- CAH 6265 Seminar in Islamic Art and Architecture
- CAH 6270 Special Topics in Art History
Renaissance/Baroque
- CAH 6220 Proseminar in Italian Art and Architecture of the Thirteenth Through Fifteenth Centuries
- CAH 6221 Proseminar in Italian Art and Architecture of the Sixteenth Century
- CAH 6222 Proseminar in Early Northern Renaissance Art and Architecture
- CAH 6223 Proseminar in Northern Renaissance Art and Architecture
- CAH 6225 Seminar in Renaissance Art
- CAH 6231 Proseminar in Italian Art and Architecture of the Seventeenth Century
- CAH 6232 Proseminar in Northern European Art and Architecture of the Seventeenth Century
- CAH 6234 Proseminar in Spanish and Portuguese Art through the Sixteenth Century
- CAH 6236 Seminar in Baroque Art
- CAH 6270 Special Topics in Art History
18th-19th Century
- CAH 6240 Proseminar in European Art of the Eighteenth Century
- CAH 6245 Seminar in European Art of the Nineteenth Century
- CAH 6251 Proseminar in American Art in the Age of Revolution
- CAH 6252 Proseminar in American Art in the Era of National Expansion
- CAH 6254 Seminar in American Art before 1900
- CAH 6270 Special Topics in Art History
Modern/Contemporary
- CAH 6246 Proseminar in Modern Architecture in Europe and America
- CAH 6250 Seminar in Modern Art
- CAH 6255 Seminar Studies in American Art and History
- CAH 6256 Seminar in American Art of the Twentieth Century
- CAH 6257 Seminar in Photography
- CAH 6269 Seminar in Contemporary Art
- CAH 6270 Special Topics in Art History
- CAH 6286 Preventive Conservation Concepts
- CAH 6287 Preventive Conservation Techniques
- CAH 6400 History of Exhibitions
Asian/African
- CAH 6260 Seminar in African Art
- CAH 6261 Seminar in Asian Art
- CAH 6262 Seminar in South Asian Art
- CAH 6270 Special Topics in Art History
- Pre-Columbian/Latin American
- CAH 6270 Special Topics in Art History
- Internship/Independent Study
- CAH 6298 Independent Research in Art History
- CAH 6299 Museum Internship
Up to 6 credits of graduate coursework may be completed outside the department with the approval of the graduate advisor.
One qualifying paper must be submitted in the spring semester of the second year. Part-time students will submit one
qualifying paper at the date set in consultation with the graduate advisor.
Foreign language proficiency is not required for the master's degree. However, students have the option of taking an
examination in one of the following foreign languages: Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Latin, Persian,
Portuguese, or Spanish. Museum Training Concentration
Graduates of the Art History Program have gone on to work at
- National Gallery of Art
- Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden
- The Phillips Collection
- Washington Project for the Arts
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- National Portrait Gallery
- Bonhams
- Sotheby's
- Nasher Museum at Duke University
- GW/Textile Museum
- Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
- Dumbarton Oaks
- Transformer DC, and many more archives, museums, galleries, auction houses, universities across the globe.