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MA in Art History

Chapter 6 Graduate Program Requirements/Course Descriptions
College of Liberal and Fine Arts

Master of Arts Degree in Art History

The Master of Arts degree in Art History offers the opportunity for advanced study in art history, with an emphasis on Spanish, pre-Columbian, Latin American Colonial to Modern, and contemporary Hispanic art in the United States; contemporary United States art and criticism; and the cultural and artistic traditions of San Antonio’s immediate region. The degree is designed to prepare the student for a career as a teacher of art history at the junior-college level and other arts-related professions or to serve as a basis for entering doctoral studies elsewhere.

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Program Admission Requirements. In addition to the University-wide graduate admission requirements, applicants are expected to have completed an undergraduate major (24 hours) in art history or the equivalent in related fields that combine substantial studies in the humanities and visual arts. Students with no studio background will be required to take one undergraduate studio art course.

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Application Materials. Each applicant must provide at least one example of scholarly writing, a written statement of purpose, and three letters of recommendation from persons who can evaluate the applicant’s academic record, skills, motivation, and potential. In addition, the applicant must submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). These scores will be used as one element in the evaluation of the applicant. Contact the Department Office at (210) 458-4352 to receive an information packet and the necessary forms.

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Application Materials Deadlines. The writing example, statement, letters of recommendation, and GRE scores should be sent directly to the Graduate Advisor in the Department of Art and Art History by the University’s admission deadlines. Earlier application, however, will result in a more thorough evaluation.

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Degree Requirements. The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree, exclusive of coursework or other study required to remove admission deficiencies, is 36. In addition, students are required to pass a language examination demonstrating a reading knowledge of a foreign language. In most cases, this will be Spanish. The suitability of another language will be determined by the student’s advisor. This test should be completed before the student earns 18 hours of graduate work in this program. Courses in which a grade of "C" or lower is earned will not count toward the minimum 36 hours required for the Master of Arts degree in Art History.

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Candidates for the degree must complete the following:

A. 3 semester credit hours required:

AHC 5123 Seminar in Research Methods and Writing (must be taken in student’s first year)

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B. 21 semester credit hours of art history electives approved by the student’s advisor, distributed across the disciplines offered by the program:

AHC 5813 Topics in Art History
AHC 5823 Topics in Mesoamerican Pre-Columbian Art
AHC 5833 Topics in Spanish Art
AHC 5843 Topics in Latin American Colonial Art
AHC 5853 Topics in Contemporary Latin American Art
AHC 5863 Topics in Contemporary U.S. Art
AHC 6813 Practicum in Art History and Criticism
AHC 6833 Art Gallery and Museum Practices
AHC 6843 Project in Art History
AHC 6913 Seminar in Art History

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C. 6 semester credit hours of free electives. These are courses outside the discipline of art history in the supporting fields of Spanish, history, anthropology, or studio art (as approved by the Art History Advisor)

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D. 6 semester credit hours of AHC 6983 Master’s Thesis

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In addition to the semester-credit-hour requirements set forth above, all candidates for the degree are required to pass the Comprehensive Examination, a slide and essay examination designed to test students’ knowledge of the history of European art, art of the Americas, and areas of concentration. The Comprehensive Examination is normally taken during or immediately after the semester in which the student completes his or her coursework and before completion of the thesis.

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