History of Art & Architecture
The Graduate Program
The Department of History of Art & Architecture offers programs of study leading to the MA and PhD degrees in art history, as well as a departmental certificate in museum studies.
Applicants may be admitted to the post-bachelor’s MA or MA/PhD programs or to the post-master’s PhD program. Applicants admitted to the MA/PhD program must later make an internal application to the PhD program upon completion of the MA degree requirements. Applicants may also be admitted as nondegree candidates seeking only a certificate in museum studies if they have a master’s degree elsewhere.
The art history faculty offers graduate courses in all areas of Western art as well as in Asian, African, and pre-Columbian art. Courses are also offered by adjunct and/or visiting faculty members. Some departmental courses are conducted at the Boston University Art Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts, and other area museums. Internships for academic credit (practica) may also be arranged. Cross-registration agreements exist with Boston College, Brandeis University, and Tufts University. All courses taken outside Boston University must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and must be taken for a letter grade.
Graduate study in art history at Boston University thus exposes the student not only to the faculty and facilities of the University itself, but also to the faculty, curators, and artistic treasures of the many universities, colleges, museums, and historical agencies in Boston and New England. Applicants should consult the descriptions of related programs within the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, such as the American & New England Studies Program and the Department of Archaeology, as several courses in these programs are open to qualified art history students.
Graduate students may enroll in four types of courses: colloquia, seminars, practica, and directed studies.
Each graduate colloquium, though a course in its own right, is related to an undergraduate lecture in the same subject. Graduate students enrolled in colloquia are required to audit the lectures in the related undergraduate courses. Graduate colloquia function as workshops and discussion groups. Students are introduced to the bibliographical and methodological tools of the subject so that they may address it on a professional level.
Graduate seminars investigate specific topics or problems in depth and from various points of view.
The practicum is an internship designed to enhance the student’s overall development and to provide direct experience with art historical work in a professional setting.
Directed studies may be taken as reading courses in areas in which no colloquia or seminars are being offered or as a means to work on research projects usually (but not necessarily) related to the student’s PhD dissertation. Admission to directed studies should be sought on the basis of well-founded, clearly formulated proposals submitted to the instructor with whom the student wishes to work.
Address all requests for admission applications and related materials, or general inquiries concerning the program, to the Administrative Secretary, Department of History of Art & Architecture, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 302, Boston, MA 02215; 617-353-2520; email: ahdept@bu.edu. All applicants are required to submit their scores from the Graduate Record Examination. Application deadlines are October 15 for January admission and January 15 for September admission. September admissions are preferred for program continuity.
MA candidates may receive transfer credit for up to two courses taken outside of Boston University provided that such courses have been taken at the graduate level. Applicable coursework for transfer must be reviewed formally by the Graduate Studies Committee. No transfer credit for courses taken outside of Boston University is granted to post-master’s PhD candidates.
Financial Aid
In addition to the University fellowships and other forms of financial aid described in the Financial Aid section at the front of this website, the Department of History of Art & Architecture annually awards a number of teaching fellowships and graduate assistantships (tuition assistantship in return for work per week). Graduate assistants are usually assigned to the Boston University Art Gallery, the Visual Resources Center, the Photographic Resource Center, or as assistants to departmental projects. During the past several years, research assistantships have also been available at area museums and art institutions. Successful completion of the PhD qualifying examination and approval of the dissertation proposal are normally prerequisites for the award of dissertation grants. In addition, small awards are available for graduate students to travel to conferences, workshops, archives, and collections through a fund set up by the History of Art & Architecture Graduate Alumni Association. Applications for funding for research, travel, and special projects may be submitted to the department’s Chair and/or Graduate Studies Committee at any time during the academic year.
Grants in the Field of American Art In spring 1997, the Henry R. Luce Foundation began making funds available for dissertation grants in the field of American art; in 1998, the Beaze and Harry Adelson Research Fellowship began supporting research travel for dissertations on American art.
History of Photography Grants A discretionary fund for the support and encouragement of doctoral studies in the History of Photography has been given to the department by Kate and Hall Peterson.
Fellowship in Asian Art History In 1998, Dr. Ralph C. Marcove established a fellowship for graduate students in the history of Asian art. The first grants were awarded in 1999.
Henry C. Luce Grant in Asian Art In the fall of 2000, the Henry Luce Foundation made a grant to the Art History Department (now the Department of History of Art & Architecture) to support students pursuing both a master’s degree in Asian Art History and a Certificate in Museum Studies.
Museum Internships
Several paid internships in area museums are usually available each year. For current information, contact the Director of Museum Studies.
