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FACULTY UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM GRADUATE PROGRAM COURSES
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GRADUATE PROGRAM: M.A. MASTER'S PROGRAM IN ART HISTORY Coursework Besides observing the general requirements of the Graduate School regarding residency, pass-differentiated credit hours and thesis, and cognizant of the 7-year time limit, each M.A. student must complete at least 57 credit hours in courses approved by the student's advisor for graduate credit, with a minimum of 48 graduate credit hours of course work and nine credit hours of Thesis (ArH 503). Twelve credits must be in graduate seminars and four graded hours must be in ArH 611 (Graduate Studies in Art History). Students with a concentration in Western art are expected to take at least four graduate credits in the four main areas: ancient, medieval, Renaissance/Baroque, modern (including American). Students are strongly encouraged to take work in a non-Western area. Students with a concentration in Asian art should plan courses in consultation with their advisor. Language Requirements Each new student in Western Art history must demonstrate reading competency in either French or German at the beginning of the first fall term by either (1) passing the language examination given by the department, or (2) by presenting, before the beginning of fall term, satisfactory passing results (above the 50th percentile) on the standardized, national Graduate School Foreign Language Test (GSFLT). M.A. students in Asian art history (Chinese or Japanese) are expected to complete the third year of the appropriate language, or to demonstrate the ability to work at that level or above. In addition, students are strongly encouraged to take at least one year of classical Chinese or Japanese. Students considering continuing on to a Ph.D. in either area are also urged to begin the study of the second language (Chinese or Japanese). Graduate students in areas requiring languages other than French, German, Chinese or Japanese are urged to consult with their advisors in order to pursue the wisest course in language training. Proficiency in a language is crucial for the student's academic program. In the event that a student has not met the initial language requirement, then he or she is expected to undertake coursework or other appropriate study in that language and to pass either the department's language examination or the GSFLT examination by the end of spring term in the first year. Students who have not passed one of these examinations by the end of the first year are not allowed to register for art history courses, nor are they eligible for a GTF award until the requirement is met. Thesis A thesis should present independent research which makes a contribution to the current body of knowledge in the field. The author may conduct an original investigation or present a response to existing scholarly literature on a given topic. The entire thesis must be typed to conform to Graduate School specifications. There is no required length for a thesis but 50-75 pages of text (double spaced) is recommended. 1. Committee Selection: The thesis committee shall be selected by the student in consultation with his or her advisor. It shall consist of three members. Two of the committee members, including the committee Chair, must be selected from the faculty members of the Art History faculty. The third committee member, often identified with the aid of the committee Chair, may come from another department of the University and is chosen for the perspective that such a member can bring to the thesis topic from another discipline. 2. Thesis Proposal: Before work on the thesis can commence, the student must submit a proposal which must be approved by the thesis committee. The proposal is an initial statement of intentions and forms the basis for further development of the thesis. In the proposal the student states the goals of the thesis, the proposed methodology, the anticipated schedule, and his or her preparedness for the study. The student cannot register for thesis credits until the proposal has been approved. 3. Form of the Proposal: The proposal shall be between three and six pages in length (plus the Approval Form), and shall follow this format exactly, including all of the headings listed below: a. Cover Sheet with the following information: Art History Thesis Proposal, Thesis Title, Student's Name, Date Submitted for Approval, Names of Committee Members. b. Introductory Statement: One paragraph describing the topic in general terms. c. Major Goals & Objectives of the Thesis: What issues in the current body of knowledge related to the topic will the thesis consider? What are the key questions to be asked and answered? d. Reason for Engaging this Particular Topic: Describe why the proposed project is appropriate for you (the personal reason). e. Scope and Limits of the Topic: The most frequent criticism of a proposal is that the proposed scope is too large or too ill defined. What are the topic's parameters, its limitations and exclusions, as well as inclusions? f. Students' Current Level of Preparation for this Topic: Are you prepared to begin immediately, or is additional coursework, travel, etc. required? g. Available Resources & Selected: Preliminary Bibliography: What references and studies related to your topic have you already consulted? What resources do you anticipate using? h. General Description of the Method to be Employed: Describe the conceptual approach, phases of the study, and specific tasks. i. Time Schedule for Completion of the Work: List approximate dates for completing the major phases of the thesis, including the public presentation, and final delivery to the Graduate School. Do not underestimate the time necessary for final editing and production. A minimum of two full weeks must be allowed for secondary readers to review the draft submitted prior to the public presentation. j. Thesis Proposal Approval Form: This form is available from the Art History Department Office and is to be prepared by the student and attached to the file copy of the proposal only. 4. Approval of the Proposal: This meeting is scheduled after the proposal has been reviewed by the committee. At least a week before the meeting, the student shall make copies of the proposal available in the department office for review by other students and faculty, who are encouraged to attend the meeting. At the meeting the student will make a brief presentation (five to ten minutes in length) to emphasize major aspects of the proposal and discussion will follow. The meeting is intended to be a working session at which the student may be offered a variety of suggestions. Four outcomes of this meeting are possible: a. Approval - If all members of the committee agree that the proposal is satisfactory as submitted. b. Approved as Modified - If the student making the proposal and committee members agree on modifications to the proposal, the proposal is approved as modified. These modifications will be written by the Chair of the student's committee on the file copy of the Thesis Proposal Approval form, or on a copy of the proposal, which is attached to this form. c. Approved with Instructions to the Student's Committee - If the student making the proposal and the committee members agree that problems with the proposal are not fully resolved at the conclusion of the meeting but can be satisfactorily resolved by the student's committee at a subsequent meeting, the proposal is approved, subject to general instructions to the committee about this resolution. These instructions will be written by the Chair of the committee on the file copy of the Thesis Proposal Approval form, or on a record copy of the proposal which is attached to this form. d. Resubmit - If major problems are discovered in the proposal, it must be resubmitted and the meeting repeated. At the conclusion of the meeting, all members of the committee will indicate their support for the approved proposal, plus any modifications or instructions, by signing the file copy of the Thesis Proposal Approval form. This file copy will be kept in the department office. The student cannot register for thesis credits until the proposal has been approved. 5. Development of the Thesis: The committee Chair has primary responsibility for directing the thesis after the proposal has been approved. If major adjustments are made to the approved proposal, or if special expertise is required, other members of the committee should be consulted. The student should arrange for regular meetings with the Chair and comments on draft materials should be returned within two weeks or earlier to the student. Students are also encouraged to make informal progress reports to other
members of the committee and art history graduate students. Students
must be enrolled to receive help on the thesis and are responsible for
requesting leaves of absence from the Graduate School should they not
be able to maintain continuous enrollment. 6. Final Presentation and Submittal: When the committee Chair feels that the thesis has reached a final draft, copies of the thesis, including references and illustrations, shall be given to the other members of the committee. They must read it and provide the student with comments and suggested changes, normally within two weeks. The chair, in consultation with other readers, will determine if the thesis is suitable for presentation. If so, the presentation should take place at least three weeks before the date for submittal of the final copy to the Graduate School; preferably, the presentation should be made early in the term of graduation. Normally, the final presentation cannot be made during the summer term. The Chair and at least one other member of the committee must approve the final thesis. It is normally expected that some changes will be made in the final draft, incorporating the suggestions of the other committee members. |
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