ABOUT THE GRADUATE PROGRAM

The graduate program prepares students for careers as college-level teachers, writers, and museum curators. It is designed to encourage the critical discussion of a variety of approaches to art history, and encourages close interaction with faculty. Although the Department offers both the Masters of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Art History, the M.A. is awarded in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. The department does not admit students who wish to work solely towards the master's degree.

The Department of Art History considers applications for entrance to the Fall Quarter only. The deadline for filing the graduate application is November 30th each year. The on-line application is available through the University's Graduate Division Web site.

Financial Support

Standards and Procedures for Admission, Progress, and Examinations in Graduate Programs

Admission Requirements

Transfer or Credit

Master of Arts (M.A.) in Art History

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Application Checklist

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

A number of Edward A. Dickson History of Art Fellowships (approximately $16,000 per year, plus registration fees/tuition) may be awarded annually for resident study. Additional Dickson fellowships may be available for students advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. who are engaged in research outside the Los Angeles area. Each year 12 outstanding graduate students are awarded Teaching Assistantships. While Teaching Assistantships are normally awarded to advanced graduate students, exceptionally qualified first year students may also be considered.

Download the Dickson Fellowship application in .doc or .pdf format.

STANDARDS & PROCEDURES FOR ADMISSION, PROGRESS, AND EXAMINATIONS IN GRADUATE PROGRAMS

The Department of Art History considers applications for Fall Quarter admission only.

Students interested in applying for fellowships, teaching assistantships, and other merit based support, are advised to start the application process well in advance of the deadline, with particular attention to the requesting of transcripts, letters of recommendation, and the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The on-line application with fee must be submitted to the UCLA Graduate Divsion Website by November 30th. ALL supporting materials must be received in the dept. office by November 30th. Late/incomplete applications will not be considered. Supporting materials that cannot be matched to an application filed by Nov. 30 will not be processed.

Send materials to:

Dept. of Art History
P.O. Box 951417
Los Angeles, CA 90095.

Admission Requirements

1) The student's application must include a statement of purpose approximately 400 words in length.

2) In addition to the University minimum requirements, the student must have completed six courses in the history of art (with grade of B or better - and not including studio art courses), with at least two courses from Field A and one course from Field B noted below. Specific areas (numbered) may not be offered in satisfaction of more than one requirement.

Applicants demonstrating exceptional promise who lack some or all of the six required courses may, at the discretion of the Graduate Review Committee (GRC), be admitted on condition that they make up those courses. Deficiencies must be made up during the first two quarters of residence and will not count toward the minimum course requirements for either the M.A. or Ph.D. degree.

Instead of taking a course, the student may elect to substitute a competency examination in the deficient area. Such examinations, equivalent in content to an upper division UCLA art history course, are offered by arrangement with the professors involved and the Department Counselor. If the examination is not passed an appropriate UCLA art history course must be taken.

3) Applicants are expected to already possess reading fluency in at least one of the two languages for which they will be responsible (see Foreign Language Requirement). Entering students shall sit for at least one language exam on their arrival at UCLA. Details may be worked out with the Department Counselor after notification of admission.

4) Three letters of recommendation are required, preferably from art historians.

5) Two research papers are required (approximately 10 pages each). If necessary, one 20-page paper may be submitted instead. Applicants for the Ph.D submit a copy of their M.A. thesis.

6) The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is required. Although no minimum score has been established for admission, successful applicants in recent years have scored on average between 600 and 700 minimum (verbal & analytical, reported separately). To meet the application deadline, the GRE should be taken before filing your application for admission. Waiting until December can delay the review process.

For questions about the admissions process, please contact Verlena Johnson at 310-825-3992.

Transfer or Credit

The policy for transferring credit for courses completed in graduate status is outlined in the "Standards and Procedures" of the Graduate Division of UCLA: "Through petition, courses completed in graduate status on other UC campuses may apply to master's programs at UCLA, provided they were not used toward a previous degree. Such courses may fulfill up to one-half of the total course requirement, one-half of the graduate course requirement, and one-third of the academic residence requirement."

"A maximum of two courses completed with a minimum grade of B in graduate status at institutions other than UC may apply to UCLA master's programs. Two courses would be the equivalent of eight quarter units or five semester units. They may not fulfill the minimum five-graduate-course requirement or the academic residence requirement. The approval of the Graduate Division and the student's major department is required on a petition for transfer of credit."

"Courses taken for any other degree previously awarded at UCLA or another institution, and courses taken before the award of the bachelor's degree may not be applied toward a graduate degree at UCLA."

"Correspondence courses are not applicable to graduate degrees."

Foreign Languages

The completion of a Ph.D. requires reading knowledge of a minimum of two foreign languages relevant to research area. Further details can be found at the Graduate Art History Foreign Language Guidelines.

The Master of Arts (M.A.) in Art History

For a description of the M.A. program and its requirements click here.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

For a description of the Ph.D. Program and its requirements click here.

Rev. 8/02

APPLICATION CHECKLIST
(for applicant use only, do not submit)
POSTMARK DEADLINE: November 30

HAVE YOU SUBMITTED THE FOLLOWING TO THE UCLA GRADUATE ADMISSIONS OFFICE?

• The on-line application for graduate admission available at www.gdnet.ucla.edu
• Application fee (credit card payment preferred, checks will cause delay)

HAVE YOU SUBMITTED THE FOLLOWING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ART HISTORY?

• Two Sets of Official College or University Transcripts for each degree program completed/in progress
• Supplementary Information Sheet (Part B of application)
• Statement of Purpose (Part C of the application)
• Three Letters of Recommendation, preferably from art historians. One letter must be from your Master's advisor if applying to the Ph.D. program.
• GRE Scores
• TOEFL Scores (foreign applicants only)
• Language Survey (download from UCLA Art History website)
• Two 10 p. or one 20 p. Research Papers, or M.A. thesis if applying for the Ph.D.
• Curriculum Vitae
• Confidential Financial Statement (foreign applicants only)

ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO:

UCLA ART HISTORY ADMISSIONS

ATTENTION: STUDENT AFFAIRS OFFICER

100 DODD HALL

LOS ANGELES, CA  90095-1417

**Application material becomes a permanent part of the applicant's file and will not be returned nor forwarded elsewhere.**

Rev. 1/07