ART HISTORY, MA
Art History
To obtain specific admissions requirements on how to apply to Graduate School, prospective students should visit this page: https://www.uab.edu/cas/art/graduate/ma-art-history
| Degree Offered: | M.A.* |
| Director: | Noa Turel, Ph.D. |
| Phone: | (205) 934-8973 |
| E-mail: | nturel@uab.edu |
| Website: | www.uab.edu/cas/art |
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A program leading to the Master of Arts degree in art history is offered jointly by UAB and the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa). The MA degree in Art History prepares students for further academic study at the doctoral level or for professional careers in museums, galleries, and other arts-related fields. |
Admission Requirements
For admission in good standing, applicants to UAB must meet Graduate School requirements for scholarship. A Minimum GPA of 3.0 (B) is required for acceptance into the program. The applicant should have completed 24 semester hours in art history and related areas such as history, aesthetics, archaeology, and anthropology, although this requirement may be reduced depending on the applicant's background and preparation. It is desirable that an applicant be able to read a foreign language related to the proposed field of study. Students may apply for admission for either the fall or spring semester.
Degree Requirements
Plan I: Thesis Track
Courses
Plan I students must complete 24 semester hours in art history.* For breadth of knowledge, students must take at least one Western and one non-Western course, and take courses in both modern and pre-modern time periods. A maximum of 3 semester hours of independent study will be permitted. Each student must take ARH 600 , which should be taken in the first semester of enrollment in the M.A. program, as well as ARH 652 Advanced Research Seminar, which should be taken in the final semester of coursework. Each student must take at least 6 semester hours of coursework at the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa).
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Note: A maximum of 6 of the required hours in art history may be taken in a related field with the concurrence of the joint faculty. |
Foreign Language Requirement
By the completion of 15 hours of coursework towards the M.A., students should have met the language requirement of a reading knowledge of one foreign language relevant to the student’s area of study, approved by the Graduate Program Director and Faculty Advisor. Students may demonstrate language competency by passing a translation exam administered by the Department of Foreign Languages (French or German) or by attaining at minimum a B in a 200-level course (e.g. FR 201 or FR 202 or GN 201 or GN 202). For other languages, students must consult with the Graduate Program Director and Faculty Advisor and arrange an appropriate translation exam or course to fulfill the language requirement. Students may not enroll in ARH 652 exam until the language requirement is completed. A reading knowledge of a second foreign language is strongly recommended. Students may not advance to candidacy until the language requirement is completed.
Thesis
The student must present a thesis under the direction of a member of the joint art history faculty. Each student will register for ARH 699 for 6 semester hours of credit. Students must be registered for at least 3 hours of thesis credit (ARH 699) in the semester of graduation.
Plan II: Non-Thesis Track
Courses
Plan II students must complete 24 semester hours in art history. For breadth of knowledge, students must take at least one Western and one non-Western course, and take courses in both modern and pre-modern time periods. A maximum of 3 semester hours of independent study will be permitted. Each student must take ARH 680 Methods and Approaches to the History of Art,which should be taken in the first semester of enrollment in the M.A. program, as well as ARH 652 Advanced Research Seminar, which should be taken in the final semester of coursework. Each student must take at least 6 semester hours of coursework at the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa).
It is recommended that Plan II students take ARH 585 Special Topics: Museum Studies as one of their art history electives in the first 24 hours of coursework.
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Note: A maximum of 6 of the required hours in art history may be taken in a related field with the concurrence of the joint faculty. |
Foreign Language Requirement
By the completion of 15 hours of coursework towards the M.A., students should have met the language requirement of a reading knowledge of one foreign language relevant to the student’s area of study, approved by the Graduate Program Director and Faculty Advisor. Students may demonstrate language competency by passing a translation exam administered by the Department of Foreign Languages (French or German) or by attaining at minimum a B in a 200-level course (e.g. FR 201 or FR 202 or GN 201 or GN 202). For other languages, students must consult with the Graduate Program Director and Faculty Advisor and arrange an appropriate translation exam or course to fulfill the language requirement. Students may not sit for the M.A. exam until the language requirement is completed. A reading knowledge of a second foreign language is strongly recommended. Students may not advance to candidacy until the language requirement is completed.
Final Coursework and Capstone Presentation to Faculty
The final two courses (6 hours) are geared toward professional study:
3 hours: ARH 592 Museum/Gallery Internship or ARH 598 AEIVA Internship
3 hours: ARH 585 Special Topics Museum Studies* or ARH 698 Independent Studies or MPA 600 Administrative Ethics or MPA 602 Scope of Public Administration or MPA 671 Marketing and Fundraising or MPA 672 Nonprofit Management or MPA 684 Grants Management
The specific courses will be determined by the Graduate Program Director in consultation with the student.
Upon the successful completion of their coursework, Plan II students will make a capstone presentation to the faculty (summary and analysis of major project undertaken as part of internship or other professional or practicum-based class). This presentation should be completed by the last day of the classes in the student's final semester, before the start of final exam week.
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ARH 585 may be repeated once for credit. |
UAB Faculty:
Cummings, Cathleen
Dallow, Jessica
Turel, Noa
UA-Tuscaloosa Faculty:
Castenell, Wendy
Curzon, Lucy
Feltman, Jennifer
Jones, Tanja
Stephens, Rachel
Sung, Doris
Additional Information
| Deadline for Entry Term(s): | Fall or Spring Semester |
| Deadline for All Application Materials to be in the Graduate School Office: | April 1 for Fall, October 1 for Spring |
| Number of Evaluation Forms Required: | Three |
| Entrance Tests: | GRE (TOEFL and TWE also required for international applications whose native language is not English.) |
| Additional Requirements: | Students must provide a writing sample |
Contact Information
For detailed information, contact Dr. Noa Turel, Graduate Program Director, UAB Department of Art and Art History:
Telephone 205-934-8973; Fax (205) 996-6986.
E-mail nturel@uab.edu
Prospective students should use this checklist to obtain specific admissions requirements on how to apply to Graduate School.
