Art History and Visual Culture

Overview and Highlights

The Art History and Visual Culture doctoral program is relatively small and allows graduate students to work closely with individual members of the faculty.

The PhD in Art History and Visual Culture is a four-year program of study. Program requirements include one year of full-time coursework and a dissertation. The first year focuses on the development of research skills in all aspects of the program, including graduate seminars, one-on-one supervision and funded graduate assistantships. Students write their comprehensive exams and dissertation proposal in the second year. It is expected that the dissertation research and writing process will take an additional two years.

This PhD offers a dynamic and flexible course of study. The program prepares its graduates for career choices in academia or the cultural sector by refining critical, scholarly and teaching skills. These objectives are achieved through a combination of formal course work, comprehensive exams, independent research (to be disseminated through a range of publication and exhibition activities), residencies, graduate assistantships and teaching opportunities.