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yale art history phd language requirements

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Slavic Languages and Literatures

The combined ph.d. program in history of art and slavic languages and literatures.

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures offers, in conjunction with the Department of the History of Art, a combined Ph.D. in History of Art and Slavic Languages and Literatures. The requirements are designed to emphasize the interdisciplinarity of the combined degree program. In many cases, they focus on the intersections of Russian art and literature, but can also be designed to accommodate students’ interests in other (non-Russian) Slavic, East European, or Eurasian traditions. For more information about the combined program and how to apply, contact the program adviser, Professor Molly Brunson.

Film and Media Studies Program

Combined doctoral program in film and media studies and history of art, program of courses.

15 courses will be the norm

A.  Requirements in Film and Media Studies: 6 courses. 

• FILM 601 (Films and their Study, offered every other Fall term)
• At least four additional seminars in FMS, two of which may carry a HSAR crosslist.

B.  Requirements in History of Art: 9 courses.These include the HSAR 500-First Year Colloquium. They may also include Film and Media courses that have a HSAR graduate course number. It may still be expected that students take at least one course in HSAR outside of their core areas. Students receive one course credit as Teaching Fellows within the HSAR department. See below for further teaching requirements.

C.  Other courses: upon consultation with the DGS of both units, two courses may be taken in other departments when relevant to the student’s special interests, reducing the required number in HSAR.

Students must pass examinations in: German (for students of western art), French, and if necessary, another language pertinent to their dissertation.  If “other” language is required in the aspect of history of art, ie. Greek, Russian, Asian, (other than German and French), the student must demonstrate proficiency in the language by taking a Yale language course for grade.  Immediately upon completion, the student will request the instructor to email the grade to both the DGS and Department Registrar for credit.

Graduate Teaching

During the second and third years a student will teach one section per term in the following lectures: one of the introductory survey lectures in HSAR, a second introductory survey in HSAR or other art history lecture (this may in some cases be substituted by a museum research assistantship), Introduction to Film and Media Studies, and one of the lectures in Film Theory or in World Cinema.

Qualifying Paper

History of Art requires a qualifying paper in the spring term of the second year. The paper must demonstrate original research, a logical conceptual structure, stylistic lucidity, and the ability to successfully complete a Ph.D. dissertation. The qualifying paper will be evaluated by two professors from History of Art.

Qualifying Examination

The prospectus colloquium.

See the History of Art department registrar to arrange the oral and written examination. The one-hour film oral is arranged only by the Film and Media Studies department registrar.

Written exams

  The written exam addressing a question or questions having to do with a broad state-of-the-field or historiographic topic.  Three hours, closed book, written by hand or on a non-networked computer

HIistory of Art Oral Exam

An oral exam in four broad topics, two of which must be given by a member of the Film and Media Studies Graduate Committee. The other two topics must be given by a History of Art Faculty member. Each section in the exam will be twenty-five minutes long.

Film and Media Studies Oral Exam

 Joint History of Art and Film and Media Studies Ph.D. students will also need to take and pass a one-hour film oral, covering a standardized list of films and texts, at some point before receiving the degree. One-hour film oral, given by two members of the Film and Media Studies Graduate Committee, covering a standardized list of films and texts.

Following History of Art rules, a prospectus must be submitted and approved in a colloquium by the end of the student’s sixth term. Of the four faculty members in the colloquium two should be members of the Film and Media Studies Graduate Committee.

First Chapter Reading

Students will participate in a first chapter reading (also known as a first chapter conference) normally within a year of advancing to candidacy (spring term of year four).  The dissertation committee, including faculty members from both programs, will discuss the progress of the student’s work in a seminar-style format.

Provisional Admission to Candidacy

Following the History of Art rules, students must be in good standing, fulfill language requirements, and submit a qualifying paper to the HSAR department by the end of their second year of full-time study at Yale.

The Defense of Method

    A 60-90 minute oral is taken the semester before submission of the dissertation. The committee consists of one DGS and the three readers chosen to eventually assess the submitted dissertation, at least one from each unit. See the “Defense of Method” section on the page “ Applying to and Going through the FMS Program .”

Disertation Defense

The hour-long defense is a serious intellectual conversation between the student and the committee.  Present at the defense will be the student’s advisers, committee, and the directors of graduate studies in both English and History of Art; others may be invited to comment after the committee’s questions is completed. (See information under Provisional Admission to Candidacy)

Dissertation

The dissertation will give evidence of methods and materials important to both disciplines. At least one member of the dissertation panel should come from FMS and one from HSAR (who is not a member of the FMS committee). (See information under Provisional Admission to Candidacy)

This website exists as an ongoing collaborative experiment in digital publishing and information sharing. Because this website functions as a wiki, all members of the School of Art community—graduate students, faculty, staff, and alums—have the ability to add new content and pages, and to edit most of the site’s existing content.

Content is the property of its various authors. When you contribute to this site, you agree to abide by Yale University academic and network use policy, and to act as a responsible member of our community.

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YALE SCHOOL OF ART ­ADMISSION

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ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

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Admission GUIDELINES

Students are admitted to Yale’s MFA for the Fall semester of each year only. Applicants are notified of the admission committee’s decisions on preliminary selections in February, and final decisions in early March. No information about decisions will be given over the phone or advance of the batch written release to all finalists.

To apply for more than one area of concentration, separate applications and supporting documentation must be submitted. The work submitted should be representative of the applicant’s experience in that particular field. Applying to more than one program does not increase an applicant’s chances of selection.

Please note: Yale School of Art does not practice admission deferment; An offer of admission is valid only for enrollment for that year regardless of the in-residence conditions of the Yale campus at that time. Applicants who are offered admission but choose not to enroll are welcome to reapply to the School in a future cycle.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Online applications for programs beginning in the 2025–2026 academic year will open in October 2024.

Please expect that when many applicants are uploading simultaneously near the deadline, longer processing times will be experienced. To avoid this, please consider submitting prior to the deadline.

Admission Procedures for Preliminary Selection

Instructions for All Applicants

An application to the School of Art requires forethought and planning. It is important to read all of the application instructions carefully. Following these instructions will ensure that your application is viewed to best advantage.

The Yale School of Art application for the 2024–2025 academic year will be available October 2023. The information that follows will assist you in filing the application online. For an explanation of specific requirements for each area of study, please refer to the departmental sections that follow.

Application materials:

The following materials are required for consideration of your application for admission:

• Submit the online application . The application portal opens in early October 2024 and may be worked on until early January 2025. As it generally takes several weeks to complete an application, it is strongly recommended that applicants prepare their materials early to ensure completion by the deadline.

Please note that the School of Art is NOT part of the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and it is not possible to apply by using application materials found on the Graduate School’s Web site.

• Nonrefundable application fee of $100 . Please follow payment instructions at https://apply.art.yale.edu/apply/ . Forms of payment include credit card and checking account.

Yale School of Art practices “need blind admission,” meaning that candidate financial need or ability is never disclosed to the admission committee during review of MFA applications. For this reason, and because the processing and careful review of each individual application demands great time, human resources graduate fee waivers are not available.

**Beginning in January 2022, the application fee may be waived only for applicants with primary citizenship in those countries with the lowest US exchange rates: Venezuela, Iran, Vietnam, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Sierra Leone, Laos, Guinea, Paraguay, and Cambodia

• A one-page statement that addresses influences, interests, current work direction, brief life history (as it relates to art/design practice), and reasons for applying to graduate school at this time. Statements should be limited to one page or no more than 500 words.

Applicants to the Painting/Printmaking program should make reference in their statements to the “representative work” in the portfolio; this is not critical for the other programs.

• References from three persons, either practicing/teaching in the field in which application is made, or who knows the applicant’s practice well and can attest to their ability, competency, potential, etc. in Yale’s MFA program.

NOTE: The admissions committee reviews applications shortly after the deadline. While it is not uncommon for letters of recommendation to come in past the deadline, please impress upon on those who will be writing on your behalf that late submission of supporting documentation may risk exclusion from the review. Applicants can always view the receipt status of reference requests on the application status page.

Transcripts of academic record for the bachelor’s degree and/or professional art schools attended. Student/unofficial copies may be uploaded to the application for the preliminary jury. Official transcripts will ONLY be required for applicants invited to interview. If invited to interview, official transcripts should be mailed to: Yale School of Art Admissions, POB 208339, New Haven, CT 06520-8339. Neither junior college transcripts nor Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required.

Portfolio of work. Applicants who fail to upload a portfolio as outlined by the stated deadline will NOT be considered. The portfolio should represent images of your best work, indicate your current direction, and demonstrate your ability. At least half of the images should represent work done within the last twelve months, and all should be from within the last three years. Chronological order of year is embedded in our system, and you will not be able to override it. Yale School of Art uses an application system that requires you to designate one image from the portfolio as a “representative work.” This selection is simply the default image for the cover page of each application file. As such, applicants have historically selected the piece which most strongly represents ideas central to their current body of work.

Do not include more than one image on the screen, nor embed other pages of a publication or video within the images you place in your portfolio. Do not include detail photos of work in your portfolio unless you consider them absolutely necessary. Under no circumstances should more than two detail shots be included. Portfolio requirements differ depending upon area of concentration; be sure to follow the instructions for the area to which you are applying. We strongly recommend that you review your images on a Mac OS to be certain that they are accurately represented.

NOTE: All supporting documents that are submitted as a requirement for admission become a part of the official file and cannot be returned to the applicant or forwarded to another institution either in copy or original form.

FIND THE PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AREA OF STUDY YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HERE >>

The SoA wiki admission pages provide extensive information about applying to Yale’s MFA program. Use this as your resource while preparing an application.

Applicants SHOULD NOT CONTACT Yale School of Art faculty and/or current students seeking program information, application and/or portfolio advisement. Please respect the personal/private spaces (such as email, social media, direct message, etc.) and time of our community by utilizing the wiki and, when necessary, directing your inquiries appropriately to those whose job it is to assist you.

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INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

International students MUST use their passport name on all application materials.

English Proficiency Requirements In order to undertake graduate study, all international students and others for whom English is not their first language must present evidence of competence in the use of the English language. Although we have no official score cut-off, you will have difficulty in an intensive program such as ours without a level of language proficiency appropriate for graduate study.

Yale School of Art accepts the following English Proficiency exams to fulfill this requirement. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT), The International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and The Duolingo English Test.

TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT), which is administered by the Educational Testing Service, www.ets.org . The TOEFL code number for the Yale School of Art is 3982 . Candidates for admission generally achieve a composite Internet-based test score of at least 100, or a computer-based score of at least 250, with speaking and listening scores of at least 28.

If the TOEFL iBT is not available in your area, you are required to complete the TOEFL that is available plus you are required to take the Test of Spoken English (TSE). A minimum TOEFL score of 550 is generally achieved for the pbt.

IELTS IELTS test scores may be accepted with a minimum score of 7. Your ability to listen, read, write and speak in English will be assessed during the test. IELTS is graded on a scale of 1-9. www.ielts.org IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English.

Duolingo English Test The Duolingo English Test is an online English proficiency test that can be taken online, on-demand, in under an hour. The test is taken via a computer with a camera and includes a proficiency score, video interview, and writing sample which are shared with [institution name] when you send your results. Certified results are available within 48 hours of the test session. Students generally receive a score of 120. englishtest.duolingo.com/applicants

* The English Proficiency test may be waived if the undergraduate degree has been obtained from a four-year, English-speaking institution. When completing your application please submit without confirming your scores. Our faculty reviewers know to verify your language proficiency via transcripts. *

Visa Information: In order to receive visa documentation, admitted international students must submit proof that income from all sources will be sufficient to meet expenses for two years of study. The full cost of attendance expenses for the current academic year, 2020-21 (including tuition) is $64,297 for a single student. Evidence of funds may come from the following sources:

Affidavit from a bank; Copy of an award letter stating that financial assistance has been offered; Certification by parents of their ability and intention to provide the necessary funds; Certification by employer of anticipated income.

All international students who wish to be appointed as teaching assistants during their second year must obtain a United States Social Security number in order to be paid.

Next Steps After Applying

Once an application has been submitted applicants should familiarize themselves with their Yale admission status page (accessed by logging into the application system). This portal allows applicants to track the status of their application and the receipt of required supporting materials (such as recommendations) online. Applicants are encouraged to check the status of their application materials and follow up as necessary. Receipt of items submitted by digital upload is updated in real time on the application status page checklist. Due to the high volume of incoming applications and processing steps our office is unable to provide application status checks or confirm the receipt of items by phone or by email.

References and supporting documents: While references and English language test scores (if applicable) may continue to be received after the deadline, review of applications begins soon thereafter. Applicants are thus urged to impress upon those writing reference letters, or submitting items on their behalf, that the timely submission of such documents is critical to guarantee inclusion in the admission committee’s review.

The non-refundable fee to apply is $100. Please note that Yale School or Art practices need-blind admission.

Admission Decision Notification: First-round admission decisions, which include interview invitations as well as denials, will be sent in early February.

Final Selection Applicants who have passed the Preliminary Selection Jury will be notified in early February. At this time, applicants invited to interview are required to submit official transcripts to the School. Candidates are asked to prepare supplemental portfolio materials to be presented digitally during interview. Detailed instructions will be included in the invitation to interview. Individual interviews will be scheduled for mid-late February, depending on the program. The interview is an important component of the final selection process.

GUIDELINES FOR INTERVIEW

Applicants in Graphic Design should prepare a portfolio of their work in any or all of these areas: graphic design print work, environmental design, broadcast/video graphics, letterform design, interactive media, and other related projects in the visual arts. Applicants are encouraged to present bodies of work that demonstrate special areas of interest. Academic or research papers may also be submitted in support of the application. For two year program applicants at least 12 examples of work and for the preliminary program at least 10 examples of work will be presented at interview. Detailed instructions will be included in the invitation to interview.

Applicants in Painting/Printmaking should submit no more than four artworks and four drawings, studies, graphic works, or videos (these are not required to be pieces that were in your application portfolio). For 2023 applicants should prepare a PDF of these works and provide them to the admissions committee. Detailed instructions will be included in the invitation to interview.

Applicants in Photography prepare a portfolio of no more than 20 images to present and discuss during the interview. Detailed instructions will be included in the invitation to interview.

Applicants in Sculpture prepare digital files that document the individual’s latest work as well as additional images representing earlier work. Additional documentation to the work in your preliminary portfolio may be presented during your interview. Detailed instructions will be included in the invitation to interview.

All Applicants For the 2024 admissions cycle no physical work is to be sent to the School.

Final notification of admission will be e-mailed in early March. Offers of admission are good only for the year in which they are made. We do not practice deferred admission. The Financial Aid Award letter will be e-mailed shortly after notification of admission. No decisions will be given in person or over the telephone.

An individual’s acceptance of admission to the School of Art must be received by April 15 . All matriculating students must submit a transcript that certifies their undergraduate degree. Admission is not binding unless this certification is received.

YALE UNIVERSITY’S NONDISCRIMINATION/TITLE IX STATEMENTS

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Department of the History of Art

You are here, frequently asked questions.

What is the HSAR ‘grid’? Each student in the HSAR major has a personal ‘grid’ that is used, in consultation with the DUS, to keep track of progress toward fulfillment of the upper-level distributional requirements for the major. 

Each course offered in the HSAR department numbered above 200 is assigned to a geographical area and chronological segment. This information is listed under each relevant course on Yale Course Search.

Geographical areas: Africa and the Pacific; the Americas; Asia and the Near East; Europe; and transregional

Chronological segments: earliest times to 800; 800–1500; 1500–1800; 1800 to the present; and transchronological

A single course can fulfill both a geographical and a chronological requirement on a student’s grid. Sometimes a single course is also listed under multiple geographical/chronological areas (for instance, if it significantly addresses works of art in both Europe and the Americas). In such cases, there is flexibility in terms of where the course is recorded on a student’s grid, and again, the determination of where a given course falls is made in consultation with the DUS.

As stated in the program of study ( http://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/subjects-of-instruction/history-of-art/ ), the six upper-level courses that each student takes toward the major must together cover four different geographical and chronological requirements. Two of those six courses must be 400-level seminars.

If I took AP Art History in high school, does it count toward the HSAR major? A student who received a “5” on the exam for AP Art History may take a 200-, 300-, or 400-level course in lieu of one out of the two required introductory courses at the 100-level. Any student applying AP acceleration credit, however, must still take the full 12 course credits in order to complete the major.

Do HSAR freshman seminars count toward the HSAR major? One freshman seminar, if taught by a faculty member or affiliate of the HSAR department, may be used to count at the 200/300-level toward the requirements for the major. 

I wish to arrange an independent study in the HSAR department. How do I proceed? Any student interested in pursuing an independent study course will first need to consult with the DUS and will then need to approach an individual professor in the HSAR department (or an approved Yale faculty member/curator closely affiliated with the department) about their willingness to supervise over the course of a given semester. If the professor agrees, the student must prepare a syllabus to submit to the DUS in consultation with the chosen supervisor. The syllabus must receive approval from the DUS prior to the date that a student’s schedule is due in order for the independent study to go forward.

If I a student wishes to take the independent study course (HSAR 498) for a letter grade, they must also work with the DUS well in advance to prepare a special petition to the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing. The petition must also be submitted by the date that the student’s schedule is due in the semester when the study is to be undertaken.

For further details see: http://catalog.yale.edu/dus/dus-department/tutorial-courses-independent-research/

Do independent study courses (HSAR 498) count toward the major? One independent study (HSAR 498) undertaken with a faculty member or affiliate of the History of Art department may be counted toward the major, but only if taken for a letter grade. Whether the independent study counts at the 200/300 or 400 level is subject to DUS review and approval.

Do study abroad courses count toward the HSAR major? Up to two courses in the History of Art undertaken on a study abroad program may be counted as electives toward the major, upon approval of the DUS. The only exceptions made are for courses taken on a Yale-run study abroad program, some of which may, upon DUS approval, be counted toward a student’s upper-level distributional requirements for the major.

It is always advised to consult with the DUS well in advance of planning to study abroad if the student is looking to count courses from outside Yale toward the major. Upon completion of the study abroad program, final approval is only given once the DUS has reviewed both the course syllabus and the final graded work that the student submitted for the course. It is the responsibility of the student to provide these materials for review.

What are the requirements of the senior essay in the HSAR department? The standard requirement in the HSAR department is for a one-semester senior essay of approximately 25-30 double-spaced pages at 12pt font, with a maximum length of 30 pages. The essay may be written in the fall or spring term, though the student must have completed the required methods seminar HSAR 401 (“Critical Approaches to Art History”) prior to undertaking the senior essay. HSAR 401 is, for this reason, strongly recommended to be taken in the junior year.

The senior essay must be advised by an individual professor in the HSAR department (or an approved faculty member/curator closely affiliated with the department). By the end of the spring term of junior year, each student should have spoken to a potential advisor about their planned topic for the senior essay. The DUS holds a meeting for all majors in the spring term of junior year that will address questions such as how to choose a successful topic and an appropriate advisor.

As part of the senior essay course (HSAR 499), students meet with the DUS in a series of workshops during the semester that the essay is written. The workshops are comprised of peer-review sessions and a final senior essay colloquium, when each student presents their research to fellow senior majors and members of the faculty.

I am interested in writing a yearlong (two-term) senior essay in the HSAR department. How do I proceed? Most majors in the HSAR department write one-semester senior essays, but there are occasional cases when a student is permitted to pursue the yearlong option. Doing so requires that the student petition the DUS, and receive approval, prior to the end of the spring term of junior year. No student may undertake a two-term senior essay who has not received approval by this deadline.

Two-term senior essays are required to be approximately 50–75 double-spaced pages at 12pt font, with a maximum length of 75 pages. A student writing a yearlong senior essay will enroll in HSAR 499 both semesters of senior year, participate in the DUS-led workshops during the fall term, and present their research in both the fall and spring senior essay colloquia.

Fields include ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern Europe (including Britain, Russia, and Eastern Europe), United States, Latin America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa, Jewish history; and diplomatic, environmental, ethnic, intellectual, labor, military, political, religious, social, and women’s history, as well as the history of science and medicine (see also the program page for History of Science and Medicine).

• Programs of Study
• PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
• Combined PhD
• MA - Master of Arts
• Department of History

Lauren Benton

Director of Graduate Studies

• [email protected]

Marcy Kaufman

Departmental Registrar

• [email protected]
• 203-432-1361

Admission Requirements

Standardized testing requirements.

GRE is not accepted.

Program-Specific Application Requirements

A writing sample and a book review are required by this program. 

English Language Requirement

TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic is required of most applicants whose native language is not English.

You may be exempt from this requirement if you have received (or will receive) an undergraduate degree from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction, and if you have studied in residence at that institution for at least three years.

Combined Degree Program Application Deadline

*The deadline to submit an application to a combined program is always the earlier deadline of the two individual programs, or December 15, whichever comes first.

Academic Information

Combined phd information.

History offers a combined PhD in conjunction with African American Studies and Classics .

Program Advising Guidelines

GSAS Advising Guidelines

Academic Resources

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Yale College Programs of Study 2024–2025

• Yale University Publications /
• Yale College Programs of Study /
• Subjects of Instruction /

History of Art

Current edition: ycps archive . click to change..

• Summary of Requirements

Director of undergraduate studies:   Craig Buckley ;  arthistory.yale.edu

Art history is the study of all forms of art, architecture, and visual culture in their social and historical contexts. The History of Art major can serve either as a general program in the humanities or as the groundwork for more specialized training. Unless otherwise indicated, all courses in History of Art are open to all students in Yale College.

Course Numbering

100-level courses are broad introductory lecture courses that address basic art history from a number of thematic perspectives. Prospective majors are encouraged, but not required, to take these courses as early in their course of study as possible. Under certain circumstances, students who have taken the Advanced Placement test in art history may earn acceleration credit and, in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies (DUS), may substitute an upper-level class for one required 100-level course.

Intermediate and advanced courses, numbered above 200, encompass more specialized surveys and themes in art history. 

Requirements of the Major

Twelve term courses are required to complete the major: two introductory courses at the 100 level; four intermediate and advanced courses at the 200 and 300 levels; two seminars at the 350-498 level; a methods seminar, HSAR 401 ; two electives; and the senior essay, HSAR 499 .

The major requires that the six intermediate and advanced courses must satisfy both a geographical and a chronological distribution requirement. These courses must be chosen from four geographical areas and four time periods. The geographical requirement is divided into five areas: Africa and the Pacific; the Americas; Asia and the Near East; Europe; and transregional. The chronological requirement is similarly divided into five segments: earliest times to 800; 800–1500; 1500–1800; 1800 to the present; and transchronological. A single course can fulfill both a geographical and a chronological requirement. Only classes originating in the History of Art department can fulfill the distribution requirements. 

Junior seminar The methods seminar  HSAR 401 , Critical Approaches to Art History, is a wide-ranging introduction to the practices of the art historian and the history of the discipline. It is to be taken during the fall or spring term of the junior year.

Credit/D/Fail courses Courses taken Credit/D/Fail may not be counted toward the requirements of the major.

Searchable attributes YC HSAR: Pre-800 ; YC HSAR: 800-1500 ; YC HSAR:1500-1880 ; YC HSAR: Post 1800 ; YC HSAR: Africa & Pacific; YC HSAR: Asia & Near East ; YC HSAR: Europe ; YC HSAR: The Americas ; YC HSAR: Transchron ; YC HSAR: Transregional

Senior Requirement

The senior essay is a research paper written usually in one term in HSAR 499 . Students choose their own topics, which may derive from research done in an earlier course. The essay is planned during the previous term in consultation with a qualified instructor and/or with the DUS. It is also possible to write a two-term senior essay, however students wishing to do so must submit a petition to the DUS and the prospective adviser, normally by the first week after spring break of the junior year.

Electives may include courses from other departments if they have direct relevance to the major program of study. Approval of the DUS is required.

History of Art majors are urged to study foreign languages. Students considering graduate work should discuss with their advisers the appropriate language training for their field of interest.

Graduate courses Courses in the Graduate School are open to undergraduates with permission of the instructor and of the director of graduate studies. Course descriptions are available in the History of Art office in the Jeffrey H. Loria Center, 190 York St.

SUMMARY OF MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

Prerequisites None

Number of courses 12 term courses (incl senior req)

Specific courses required  HSAR 401

Distribution of courses 2 courses at 100 level; 6 courses numbered above 200, 2 of which must be 350-498 level seminars, fulfilling distribution requirements in 4 geographical and 4 chronological categories; 2 electives

Substitution permitted With DUS permission, electives from related depts

Senior requirement Senior essay ( HSAR 499 )

Requirements

12 courses (12 credits), including the senior requirement 

• 2 courses at 100 level
• 6 courses numbered above 200, 2 of which must be  350-498 level  seminars, fulfilling distribution requirements in 4 geographical and 4 chronological categories
• 2 electives

Art history is the study of all forms of art, architecture, and visual culture. The History of Art major can serve either as a general program in the humanities or as the groundwork for more specialized training.

Courses in the department are organized into three levels. Courses at the 100 level are broad introductory lecture courses that cover basic art history from several thematic perspectives. Majors are required to take two introductory courses and should consider taking them as early as possible. Courses at the 100 level are normally not prerequisites for higher-level courses in the department. Intermediate courses are numbered 200–349. Courses numbered 350-498 are limited enrollment seminars.

Students with AP credit should consult the director of undergraduate studies (DUS).

Representative 100-level courses include:

• HSAR 110 , Introduction to the History of Art: Global Decorative Arts
• HSAR 176 , Introduction to the History of Art: The Politics of Representation

Representative 200- and 300-level courses include:

• HSAR 247 , Art and Myth in Greek Antiquity
• HSAR 266 , Introduction to Islamic Architecture
• HSAR 293 , Baroque Rome: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture
• HSAR 347 , Feminism and Contemporary Art

Representative 400-level course:

• HSAR 459 , Contested Monuments

FACULTY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY OF ART

Professors  Carol Armstrong, Tim Barringer, Marisa Bass, Edward S. Cooke, Jr., Milette Gaifman, Jacqueline Jung, Pamela Lee, Kishwar Rizvi, Nicola Suthor, Mimi Yiengpruksawan

Associate Professors  Molly Brunson ( Slavic Languages and Literatures ), Craig Buckley, Jennifer Raab

Assistant Professors  Nana Adusei-Poku, Allison Caplan, Alexander Ekserdjian, Joanna Fiduccia, Morgan Ng, Quincy Ngan, Catalina Ospina

See the  visual roadmap of the requirements.

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Program in the History of Science and Medicine

You are here, graduate requirements, requirements for the ph.d..

Students will ordinarily take fourteen courses by the end of the third year. In their first two years, all students will normally take the three core Problems seminars: Problems in the History of Medicine and Public Health ( HSHM 701 or HSHM 703 ), Problems in the History of Science ( HSHM 702 ), and Problems in Science Studies ( HSHM 710 ). These courses are committed to exploring histories of medicine and science alongside the cultural, political, and social forces that shape them. Issues of race, gender, sexuality, disability, class, and religion are integrated into discussions of medical and scientific knowledge production and praxis in Western and non-Western contexts. In addition, students are expected to take the HSHM Program Seminar ( HSHM 790 a half-credit course that may be repeated for credit) during their third through sixth semesters. These courses meet every other week and teach skills related to research and professional development that includes careers in and beyond academia.

Students are also required to take four additional graduate seminars with an HSHM course number. The remaining seven courses can be taken in HSHM, history, or any other field of demonstrated relevance to the student’s scholarly objectives. Of the fourteen total courses, at least three must be seminars that result in an original research paper; at least two of these papers must be written in HSHM seminars. Students may ordinarily use up to two independent reading, independent research, or pedigogical seminars towards their course requirements. The use of additional independent credits requires approval.

Graduate school grading at Yale follows a qualitative rubric of Honors, High Pass, or Pass. During the first two years of study, students must achieve Honors in at least two courses in the first year and Honors in at least four courses by the end of the second year, with a High Pass average overall. At the end of each term, the director of graduate studies (DGS) will ask faculty members whether they have serious concerns about the academic progress of any first- or second-year students in the Ph.D. program. Faculty members who have such concerns will provide written feedback to the DGS at the DGS’s request. The DGS will use discretion in ensuring that feedback is provided in a clear and effective manner to any students about whom there are concerns.

Students who enter having previously completed graduate work may obtain up to three course credits toward the completion of the total course requirement, the number being contingent on the extent and nature of the previous work and its fit with intended course of study at Yale.

All students must show proficiency in two languages relevant to the student’s research interests and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). Over the years, our graduate students have demonstrated proficiency in a wide range of languages, including American Sign Language, Bulgarian, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. 

Students may fulfill the requirement in a variety of ways, including demonstrated command of a native language other than English, graduation from an approved foreign university where teaching is conducted in a language other than English, passing an approved language course for credit, or passing a language test administered by the faculty or by one of Yale’s language departments. Language tests are administered by their respective departments (such as German , Italian , French , East Asian Languages ). Students should consult the DGS for additional details and options for uncommon languages.

Yale offers classes in a variety of languages, from introductory to advanced levels, as well as special summer courses for targeted reading proficiency. There are also opportunities to study languages outside of Yale’s curriculum, including funding for summer language study, and Directed Independent Language Study (DILS) for individuals who wish to study a language not offered by Yale. For more information on these programs and foreign language tutoring at Yale, please visit the Center for Language Study’s website.

Students may petition to substitute a specific research skill for one of their languages. Proposals require discussion of how the skill will be used in the student’s research and a plan for positive demonstration of proficiency.

Second-Year Review

At the end of the academic year, the HSHM faculty will hold a special meeting to review each first- and second-year student in the program. The purpose of the meeting is to assess students’ academic progress. In order for second years to proceed to the third year, they must demonstrate through written work, classroom performance, and participation in departmental activities that they have the ability to: (a) speak and write clearly; (b) conduct independent research at a high level; and (c) develop coherent scholarly arguments. A faculty vote will be taken at the conclusion of the review meeting to decide whether each second-year student may continue in the program. If a majority of faculty present and voting determine that a student may not continue, the student will be informed in writing and withdrawn from the program. 

Qualifying Examination

Prior to beginning work on the dissertation, all students are expected to develop a broad general knowledge of the discipline. This knowledge will be acquired through a combination of course work, regular participation in HSHM colloquia and workshops, and dedicated preparation for the qualifying oral examination.

The qualifying examination has two main goals. First, it is a preparatory step toward the dissertation. Students will master the analytical vocabulary of the discipline and engage critically with key historiographic and theoretical questions. This will prepare them to select a research topic of scholarly significance and to articulate its import effectively. Second, the qualifying examination will prepare students for teaching. Students will learn to communicate a set of historical themes and narratives confidently and fluently.

Students will normally spend the summer following their second year preparing for the oral qualifying examination, which will be taken in the third year, preferably during the first half.

The qualifying examination will normally consist of four fields, each of which will be examined by a different faculty member: two fields in the history of science and/or history of medicine; one field in an area of history outside of medicine and/or science; and one field of special interest, the content and boundaries of which will be established in consultation with the student’s adviser.

Possibilities for the field of special interest include a second field in history outside of history of science or medicine, a field with a scientific or medical focus (such as bioethics, health policy, public health, medical anthropology, or medical sociology), or a field at the intersection of science, medicine, and other subjects (such as law, national security, religion, culture, biotechnology, gender, race, literature, the environment, and so on).

The examination itself will be an oral exam, with each field examined for thirty minutes. Ahead of the exam students will also submit, for each field, a written syllabus for an undergraduate course. With approval, students may submit other written materials instead of a syllabus; examples could include a teaching statement, the text of a 50-minute undergraduate lecture, a review essay, or an exhibit proposal. In rare cases students may also propose alternatives  to the oral component, given sufficiently compelling intellectual or career factors.

In preparation for the qualifying examination, the program’s faculty work closely with students to facilitate the successful passage of the exam. A student who does fail the qualifying examination will be permitted to retake it. A student who fails a second time will be asked to withdraw from the program.

During their first term in the Program, all students will be advised by the DGS. During the second term and thereafter, each student will be advised by a faculty member of the student’s choosing. The advisor will provide guidance in selecting courses and preparing for the qualifying examination. The advisor may also offer help with the development of ideas for the dissertation, but students are free to choose someone else as the dissertation supervisor when the time comes to do so. Students are encouraged to discuss their interests and program of study with other members of the faculty.

Dissertation Prospectus

Students are encouraged to begin thinking about their dissertation topics during the second year. They are required to prepare a Dissertation Prospectus as soon as possible following the Qualifying Examination and to defend the Prospectus orally before being admitted to full candidacy for the doctoral degree. The prospectus colloquium is typically held in the second term of the third year, with advancement to candidacy before the start of the fourth year.

Download: Guide to the Prospectus and Prospectus Colloquium (PDF) .

Committee Constitution Requirement

Each Ph.D. student must have a dissertation committee, satisfactory to the student’s department and in accordance with Graduate School requirements, in order to register for the fourth year of study. Students without an approved committee will normally be withdrawn from their program.

Teaching is an important part of the professional preparation of doctoral students in the History of Science and Medicine. Students are encouraged to participate in programs to develop their teaching skills, including the Certificate for College Teaching Preparation , which is a comprehensive training program designed to enhance proficiency in classroom instruction.

Typically, during the third and fourth years of study, students will work as teaching fellows, which usually means that they will lead small-group discussion sections for undergraduate courses and grade their students’ exams and papers. On occasion, however, students may work as teaching fellows in the second term of the second year, particularly if they have received course credit for previous graduate studies, or if they choose to defer the completion of their required coursework to the first semester of the third year. Students usually work as teaching fellows for courses in the History of Science and Medicine, but they may also have the opportunity to be teaching fellows in History or other departments.

At least two terms of teaching are required for doctoral students to graduate from the Program in the History of Science and Medicine; four terms are required for students on Yale-supported fellowships, although students may elect to substitute one or two of these terms with research assistantships at the Yale Center for British Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, or other sites across campus. For more information, please contact the Office of Financial Aid .

Chapter Conference and Dissertation Completion

In the fourth or fifth year, and preferably no later than the fall term of the fifth year, students are required to submit one chapter of the dissertation (not necessarily the first chapter) to the dissertation committee. The committee will then meet as a group with the student to discuss the chapter and the student’s progress on the dissertation more generally. This conference is meant to be an extension of the conversation begun in the prospectus colloquium, with the aim of providing feedback on the student’s research, argument, and style at this early stage of the dissertation writing process. No less than one month before students plan to submit their dissertations, a relatively polished full draft of the dissertation should be discussed with the student by the dissertation committee in a dissertation defense of one to two hours. This will give the students additional advice and counsel on completing the dissertation or on turning it into a book, as appropriate. Students are required to submit the draft to their committee in sufficient time for the committee to be able to read it. This defense is designed to give students advice on the overall arguments and the final shape of the dissertation or book and to leave time for adjustments coming out of the discussion.

Please also see GSAS Policies and Regulations , and the Special HSHM Requirements for the Ph.D. degree . 

M.D./Ph.D. and J.D./Ph.D. Joint-Degree Programs

Students may pursue a doctorate in History of Science and Medicine jointly with a degree in Medicine or Law. Standard graduate financial support is provided for the doctoral phase of work toward such a joint degree. Candidates for the joint degree in Law must apply for admission to both the Law School and the Graduate School. Information about the joint-degree program with Medicine can be obtained from the website of the Yale School of Medicine ( http://medicine.yale.edu/mdphd ) and from the website of the Section of the History of Medicine ( http://medicine.yale.edu/histmed ).

Master’s Degrees

M.phil. and m.a. en route to the ph.d..

Master’s degrees are normally awarded to PhD students as part of their advancement to candidacy. See the Graduate School programs and policies.

Terminal M.A.

M.A. in History of Science and Medicine (terminal).  For the terminal master’s degree students must pass seven term courses, four of which must be in HSHM.  Course work will normally include at least two “Problems” graduate seminars and two additional graduate seminar in the History of Science and Medicine.  The remaining courses are to be chosen in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies or a faculty advisor.  Honors grades are required in two courses, with a High Pass average overall.  Financial Aid is not available for this M.A. program.

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Requirements, ph.d. requirements.

In order to fulfill the basic requirements for the program, a student must:

1. Complete twelve courses—six courses with at least one grade of Honors and a maximum of one grade of Pass by July 15 following the first year; at least twelve courses with grades of Honors in at least four of these courses and not more than one Pass by July 15 following the second year. One of these twelve courses must be The Teaching of English (ENGL 990). Courses selected must include one course in at least three out of four designated historical periods: medieval, early-modern, eighteenth- and/or nineteenth-century, twentieth- and/or twenty-first-century. Students are also encouraged to take at least one seminar that adds geographic, linguistic, cultural, and/or methodological breadth to their course of study. Two courses out of twelve may be taken outside of the department. 

2.  Satisfy the language requirement by the end of the second year. Two languages appropriate to the student’s field of specialization, each to be demonstrated by (a) passing a translation exam administered by a Yale language department, at the conclusion of a GSAS Summer Language for Reading course, or (for languages not tested elsewhere at Yale) by the English department; (b) passing an advanced literature course at Yale (graduate or upper-level undergraduate, with director of graduate studies [DGS] approval); or (c) passing both ENGL 500 and ENGL 501 .

3. Pass the oral examination before or as early as possible in the fifth term of residence. The exam consists of questions on four topics, developed by the student in consultation with examiners and subject to approval by the DGS. (At least two topics will comprise works chosen from distinct, broadly defined periods of literary history. The other two topics may be organized around a genre, a mode, a theme, or a field of theory.)

4. Submit a dissertation prospectus, normally by January 15 of the third year.

5. Teach a minimum of two terms, since the English department considers teaching an integral part of graduate education. In practice, most students teach between four and six terms.

6. Submit a dissertation.

Upon completion of all predissertation requirements, including the prospectus, students are admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. Admission to candidacy must take place by the end of the third year of study.

M.Phil. Requirements

Students who complete their doctoral coursework and oral examinations may opt in Year Three to pursue an M.Phil degree instead of the Ph.D. In place of the dissertation prospectus, students submit a proposal for a semester-long capstone research project of roughly fifty pages. Proposals are due at the end of the first or second semester of Year Three. Once proposals are approved, students are eligible for one semester of research fellowship, to be taken no later than the seventh semester, at the end of which they will submit their capstone projects and graduate from the program.

M.A. Requirements

M.A. (en route to the Ph.D.) Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program may receive the M.A. upon completion of seven courses with at least one grade of Honors and a maximum of one grade of Pass, and the passing of one foreign language , as described under  Ph.D. Requirements , above .

Terminal Master’s Degree Program Students enrolled in the master’s degree program must complete either seven term courses or six term courses and a special project within the English department (one or two of these courses may be taken in other departments with approval of the DGS). There must be at least one grade of Honors, and there may not be more than one grade of Pass. Students must also demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language, as described under Ph.D. Requirements , above. Full-time students normally complete the program in one year.

Directed Reading Proposal Form (pdf)

Dissertation Chapter Conference Printable Form  (pdf)

Dissertation Chapter Conference Webform

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• Art History
• Graduate Programs

Art History PhD Degree Requirements

Language requirements.

Across different fields of art historical specialization, languages are recognized as important research tools, offering access to sources and objects and enabling cultural and cross-cultural study, collaboration, and dialogue more broadly.

All degree candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency in two languages; for fulfillment of the language requirement, we accept ancient, Indigenous, and modern languages.

The specific languages required for your course of study will be determined at the start of the program in consultation with your faculty supervisor and the Graduate Program Coordinator. In some cases, English may be an appropriate choice. In keeping with the aims and ideals of a globalizing discipline, a student’s first language is not a factor in determining the languages relevant to the course of study.

The language requirement may be satisfied by passing departmental examinations, by completing the third quarter of the second year of the language as a graduate student at UW with a minimum grade of 3.0, or by taking graduate-level coursework conducted in the target language with a minimum grade of 3.0

For Indigenous languages, the method of instruction and assessment will be worked out on an individual basis depending on the availability of university or other institutional coursework and/or community-centered learning.

To ensure timely progress and to facilitate preparation for the General Examination, students are strongly encouraged to demonstrate proficiency in one of the two languages during their first year in the program and to fulfill the requirement for the second language by the end of their second year.

Course Requirements

The program for the PhD degree in art history requires a minimum of 90 credits. This includes a minimum of 60 credits of graduate level coursework beyond the master's degree. Of these, at least 30 must be in graduate-level art history or approved non-art history seminars. A maximum of 20 credits in numerically graded upper division non-art history courses may be approved. At least 10 credits must be taken in areas outside those to be tested by the General Examination. Additionally, a student must take at least 30 credits of ART H 800 (Dissertation) in at least three different quarters.

Scholarship + Satisfactory Progress Requirements

To be eligible for a degree in the Graduate School, a student must have an average of B (3.0) in numerically graded courses numbered 400 and above and comply with other Graduate School performance guidelines. Read the complete list of Graduate School doctoral degree requirements . Students will engage in quarterly progress reviews with their advisor and will receive an annual evaluation of satisfactory progress by the art history faculty.

Admission to the Graduate School allows students to continue graduate study and research at the University of Washington only as long as they maintain satisfactory performance and progress toward completion of their degree program. For more information, read Memo 16: Unsatisfactory Performance and Progress .

Residency, Registration + Time Limitation

To maintain graduate status, a student must either be enrolled full or part time or be in an official on-leave status until completion of the Final Examination/dissertation and awarding of the degree. The student must be registered the quarter the degree is conferred. Of the 90 credits required for the PhD degree, 60 must be completed at the University of Washington. All work for the doctoral degree, including the dissertation itself, must be completed within ten years. This includes quarters spent on leave as well as applicable work from a UW master's degree. A doctoral student must petition the Graduate School for additional time that exceeds the ten-year rule.

Supervisory Committee + General Examination

A General Examination, written and oral, will be taken when students are deemed ready by their Supervisory Committee. The fields to be covered will be determined in accordance with the student’s research areas and the faculty’s supervisory capabilities.

As soon as appropriate, but not later than four months prior to the time the oral defense component of the General Examination is scheduled with the Graduate School, the student and the student’s faculty advisor will organize and appoint a Supervisory Committee to assume general sponsorship of the graduate student. The Supervisory Committee is comprised of a minimum of four members, who must include two current members of the Art History graduate faculty (including the faculty advisor) and a representative of the Graduate School. A warrant for the General Examination must be presented to the Graduate School at least three weeks prior to the oral examination. This examination will cover three areas, defined by the student and committee in consultation. One of these can relate broadly to the student’s area of interest for the dissertation and another to the student’s more general field of study. The third should be based in another field, adjacent to or separate from the student’s field of specialization as determined most useful by the student and committee. The format of the examination will be determined by the Supervisory Committee in consultation with the student. The Chair of the Supervisory Committee shall keep written records concerning any formal agreements or stipulations regarding the student’s program of study and General Examination. The chair of the Supervisory Committee will supervise both the General Examination and the dissertation. Read Graduate School policies regarding supervisory committees .

General Examination: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Performance

In accordance with the Graduate School’s doctoral dissertation policies, a student must satisfactorily pass all qualifying examination questions in order to proceed to the next level of the PhD program. The Supervisory Committee may allow minor deficiencies to be corrected and decide what course of action to recommend to the Dean in case of poor performance. If a student fails one or more of these exams, they will be placed on probation, but will be permitted the opportunity to constitute a new committee and take a new set of exams. These would occur after an appropriate time for additional study, as agreed upon by the student’s advisor and committee in consultation with the Graduate Program Coordinator and the chair of Art History. The student would be bound by the schedule and terms stipulated by the Supervisory Committee and would ordinarily be expected to complete the new exams during the next quarter of enrollment. Specific dates and conditions for completion would be issued once the enrollment period is confirmed. Students are only permitted to retake exams one time. If a student fails these new exams, they will not be allowed to continue in the Art History program. Read Graduate School policies for general examinations and memo about academic performance and progress .

Following successful completion of the General Examination, and after all Graduate School requirements for the degree except the dissertation and Final Examination have been satisfied, the student will be admitted to formal candidacy for the doctoral degree.