Art History
MASTER OF ARTS
Situated in the heart of the culturally rich city of Washington, DC, the Master of Arts (MA) program in Art History at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design provides students with unique opportunities to study the arts. Students learn to apply visual and historical analyses to artworks, as well as incorporate relevant and current theoretical and methodological approaches to research. The program's proximity to DC’s many museums and galleries means that the permanent collections and exhibitions of some of the most important art institutions in the world often serve as the backbone of student coursework and study. The curriculum covers a wide swath of the history of art, but has specific areas of focus in Renaissance, Islamic, South Asian, American, and modern and contemporary art. We are committed to building and nurturing a diverse and inclusive scholarly community that is critical for innovation, insight, and progress. The rigorous and supportive scholarly program places special emphasis on developing individual students’ critical analysis, research, and writing skills.
For some students, the MA is a terminal degree in preparation for curatorial or education careers in galleries and museums; for others, it is preparation to enter a PhD program elsewhere.
INFORMATION SESSIONS & UPCOMING EVENTS
Date: Thursday, September 21, 2023
Time: 7:30-8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Online
Date: Thursday, December 7, 2023
Time: 7:30-8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Online
Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Time: 7:30-8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Online
PROGRAM OF STUDY
The program includes 36 credit hours of graduate coursework that covers a range of topics and geographic regions. During the first semester, students are required to complete the art historiography seminar (CAH 6258). Students have the option, though it is not required, of taking a language/reading comprehension examination in Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Latin, Persian, Portuguese, or Spanish. As many as 6 credits of graduate coursework may be completed outside the department with approval of the graduate advisor.
Qualifying Paper
A qualifying paper is the capstone of the final year of study. A first draft is submitted during the fall semester of the second year, or after completing 18 credits; the final draft is due the following spring semester. All qualifying papers are reviewed by a panel of full-time faculty members. Please view the CAH Graduate Student Handbook (PDF) for more information on guidelines.
Curatorial Studies Concentration
Master of Arts degree candidates have the option to concentrate in Museum Studies. Prerequisites and requirements are the same as those for the Master of Arts in Art History; students include in their course work 6 credits of CAH 6299 (Museum Internship), after completion of 18 credits of art history courses.
Banner and Program of Study photo credit: Heather Herbstritt
ADMISSIONS
To be considered for admission to the program, a bachelor’s degree is required in the humanities or other appropriate field, such as art history, fine arts, anthropology, archaeology, history, literature, museum studies, gender studies or religion. Applicants must also submit:
- Two (2) Letters of Recommendation;
- 250-500 word Statement of Purpose discussing research interests, academic objectives, and relevant professional experience;
- Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended;
- Curriculum Vitae
- Writing Sample between 15 and 25 pages in length.
MA Art History applications are accepted for fall entrance only.
COSTS & FUNDING
The Student Accounts Office provides up to date cost information on our program. The program has a number of support packages that it offers to select students, and students are automatically considered as part of the application process. Incoming MA Art History students are eligible for a number of scholarships, based on merit and need. You may also find fellowships through the Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships. The Office of Student Financial Assistance also has more information on aid opportunities.
There are many resources available to assist in funding an education. Each year, MA Art History students receive a total of over $200,000 in support through scholarships and fellowships. Assistantships and fellowships are also awarded annually to entering and continuing students. Master of Arts candidates are eligible for Graduate Teaching Assistantships, including tuition, salary and stipend. Additional departmental assistantships and awards range from approximately $3,000 to $15,000 per year.
2022 Art History Graduation Booklet
To see examples of the class of 2022's culminating projects and work, see our Graduation Booklet (designed by Samantha Carpenter). This booklet shows the diverse range of studies by our outstanding students in the Corcoran Art History program.
2022 GRADUATION BOOKLET
NEXT 2021
Every year, Corcoran hosts NEXT, a year-end celebration of art and scholarship. In 2021, Art History M.A. students like Paige Sellars researched art on a level far below the surface. Paige worked to uncover the importance of art for everyone: “I hope that museums and professional art historians continue to stress diversity in the field—both in terms of participants and scholarship.”
Work shown: John Singleton Copley, "Watson and the Shark," Oil on canvas, 1778"
ALUMNI PROFILES
Dr. Jordan Amirkhani (MA, Art History, 2010)
Dr. Amirkhani received her PhD in the History and Philosophy of Art from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom in 2015. She is currently working on a book based on her doctoral research on the Franco-Cuban painter and Dadaist Francis Picabia.
Sascha Scott, MA in Art History
Scott wrote a book, A Strange Mixture: The Art and Politics of Painting Pueblo Indians (University of Oklahoma Press, 2015), that received a Wyeth Foundation Publication Grant and the Historical Society of New Mexico’s Ralph Emerson Twitchel Award.
Brandon Ruud, MA in Art History
Ruud is the current Constance and Dudley J. Godfrey Jr. Curator of American Art and Decorative Arts, Milwaukee Art Museum. Previously, Ruud served as Curator of American Art at the Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska and as Assistant Research Curator of American Art at the Art Institute of Chicago. He has organized dozens of exhibitions, including Apostles of Beauty: Arts and Crafts from Britain to Chicago at the Art Institute (2009) and A Faithful and Vivid Picture: Karl Bodmer’s North American Prints at the Joslyn Art Museum (2002). His monograph, Karl Bodmer’s North American Prints, was awarded a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times in 2005.
Sarah Burns, MA in Art History
Burns' book, Transnational Frontiers: the American West in France (University of Oklahoma Press, 2018) analyzes appropriations of the American West in France in performance and visual and material culture.
Graduates of the Art History Program have gone on to work at:
- National Gallery of Art
- Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden
- The Phillips Collection
- Washington Project for the Arts
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- National Portrait Gallery
- Bonhams
- Sotheby's
- Nasher Museum at Duke University
- GW/Textile Museum
- Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
- Dumbarton Oaks
- Transformer DC, and many more archives, museums, galleries, auction houses, universities across the globe.
CONTACTS
Campus Address
Smith Hall of Art
801 22nd St, NW, Room 101
[email protected]
202-994-6085
Program Information
Program Administrator
Jacob Rangel
[email protected]
Program Head
Barbara von Barghahn
[email protected]
Advising
Director of Graduate Studies
Mika Natif
[email protected]
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Lisa Lipinski
[email protected]
Transfer Credit & Study Abroad Approval
Bibiana Obler
[email protected]
Undergraduate Advisor for Dual BA in Fine Arts and Art History
Michele Carlson
[email protected]