MA
MASTER OF ART IN ART HISTORY
General information regarding completion of graduate work at the University of Miami is given in the Graduate Bulletin which is circulated annually by the Graduate School. The following information is supplementary to the Bulletin, giving additional details on Art Department requirements.
Admission to the Master of Arts (MA) program requires a minimum of eighteen semester hours of prior study in Art History. Any candidate wishing to apply to the program who has less than 18 credits in art history at the undergraduate level must complete the required number of credits before applying for admission to full standing in the MA program. Applicants for admission to the Master of Arts program are required to submit an example of a research paper they have done in addition to the general requirements of transcripts, GRE scores and letters of recommendation.
A maximum of six semester hours of graduate credit may be transferred from another institution, or from graduate work taken at the University of Miami prior to admission to the degree program, providing that the credits have been taken within six years prior to matriculation at the University of Miami and have been passed with a grade of "B" or higher.
The requirements for the MA degree must be completed within six years after matriculation, including leaves of absence (except for military service). The thesis must be completed within two years after completion of course work.
Course requirements:
500 Level: The 21 credits of Art History at 500 level or above must be lecture courses or seminars from at least four out of the six following areas:
• Non-Western
• Ancient
• Midieval
• Renaissance
• Baroque
• Modern & Contemporary
Art History courses above the survey level are taken as 505, 506, 605,
606 ( Individual Problems in Art History).
Electives:
Not restricted to courses in Art; nine credits may be taken from 300 level or above courses outside the Art area with the approval of the Graduate Advisor. - 9 credits
G710 Thesis - 6 credits
Min Total - 36 credits
G720 Research in Residence - 1 credit
Candidacy:
(Also see Graduate School Bulletin)
When a student has been admitted to graduate study, he/she is not yet a candidate for the degree. Soon after the admission to graduate study, each new student will meet with the Art History faculty as a group to discuss requirements, program plan, and talk about objectives.
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY should be made in the Art Department Office after one year of graduate work in residence or upon completion of eighteen credit hours. Application must be made in advance of the stude~nt's enrolling for the final session of work, or granting of the degree will be delayed. NO STUDENT MAY RECEIVE THE DEGREE IN THE SAME SEMESTER IN WHICH HE/SHE IS ADMITTED TO CANDIDACY. One should apply for candidacy before fulfilling the necessary requirements; admission of the student to candidacy will be granted upon successful completion of the requirements.
In order to be admitted to candidacy, the student must have:
1. removed all deficiencies;
2. completed language requirements by having taken a reading knowledge examination of one foreign language;
3. Passed the comprehensive examination (see below);
4. chosen a thesis committee of three faculty members after completion of candidacy exams; at least one member of the thesis committee must be on the Graduate Faculty (see Graduate School Bulletin for list), and one member must be from outside the Art Department. THESIS COMMITTEE SELECTION MUST BE APPROVED BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE ART DEPARTMENT.
5. an average of B (3.0) in all work undertaken as a graduate student.
Graduate Examinations: The student must pass two examinations.
1. The Slide Examination
2. The Comprehensive Examination
Students eligible to take either exam will be notified of the date scheduled for the exam period at the beginning of each semester. It is the student's responsibility to sign up for the applicable exam.
The Slide Examination is required after the completion of 12 to 18 credits. This examination will consist of sixty slides selected from a slide list prepared by the faculty. Students who have not taken Art History Survey courses comparable to University of Miami 131 (Paleolithic to Medieval) and 132 (Renaissance to Modern) in the past five years are expected to attend these lectures in preparation for this exam.
The Comprehensive Examination is required after the completion of 24 to 30 credits. Students' assimilation and understanding of the major ideas of art historical periods will be tested with essay questions and the identification of unfamiliar works of art, including attributions and their defense. Students will be provided with a list 6f readings intended as a guide to key ideas which may be covered on the comprehensive exam.
The exam consists of two parts: 1) The identification of 15 unknown works of art, with supporting arguments concerning style, attribution, iconography and historical context. 2) Three 45 minute essays on general concepts of specific historical periods in the history of western and non-western art. When the examination is administered, the student will choose three essays from six possible questions.
It is advisable that the distribution requirements be satisfied before the Comprehensive Exam is taken. Any part of the exam which is failed must be repeated before the next regularly scheduled exam date. Two opportunities to pass each part are allowed; failure to pass will result in automatic dismissal without appeal from the graduate program.
Successful completion of both examinations is prerequisite to enrolling for the last six hours of thesis credit.
Upon completion of those requirements stated above and the
Thesis
Upon completion of those requirements stated above and the admission to candidacy, the student chooses a thesis topic and presents a written proposal to his or her thesis committee for approval. One member of the thesis committee will be chosen by the student as a primary advisor who will advise and consult with the student on research and will review the student's progress. The entire committee will be available for consultation and will read completed draft of the thesis. An oral defense of the thesis is required and will be arranged by the Chairperson of the thesis committee.
The thesis must be completed within two years of the completion of course work.
The final thesis cannot be submitted to the committee until the draft has been approved by all committee members. Upon such approval, the student will submit the thesis in final form to all members of the committee for official confirmation. (For official standardized form, obtain,"Instructions for Preparing Thesis" from the Graduate School Dissertation Secretary.)
Two copies of an application for "Certificate of Approval of Master's Thesis" must be submitted to the Graduate School Office at least two weeks before the end of the last semester before graduation. (The exact date each semester is listed in the calendar of the current Graduate School Bulletin.) At this time, three typewritten unbound copies of the thesis in approved form conforming in style to the standards of the Graduate School must be submitted to the office of the Chairperson of the Thesis Committee affirming the work in proper form and style and is acceptable for microfilming (see Graduate School Bulletin.)
Application for graduation must be made on the proper form and submitted to the Registrar's Office at least one month after registration for the term preceding graduation. (The date is listed on the calendar of the current Graduate School Bulletin.)
For Part Time Students Only:
Part-time students must maintain continuous enrollment of six credits per semester and must take the proper sequence of comprehensive exams at intervals equivalent to a semester (nine credit hours.) If part one is not passed, it must be taken at the next opportunity, i.e., in the next calendar semester, Spring or Fall, not at a semester's equivalent interval.
Revised October, 1995.
