Fine Arts, Ph.D. with a Track in Art

About the Fine Arts, Ph.D.: Art Concentration

The School of Art participates with the faculties in interdisciplinary Arts, music, theatre & dance, and philosophy in an interdisciplinary program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Fine Arts. Students engage a core curriculum of 15 hours that emphasizes interdisciplinarity among the arts: four required courses include a colloquium that explores disciplinary formation and types of interdisciplinary engagement; arts histories; arts research methods in a contemporary context; and philosophical aesthetics. An additional approved special topics or aesthetics course completes a student’s core program.

Within the disciplinary track (Art) are offered three concentrations: Applied Art History, Art Education, and Practice-Based Research. All concentrations require at least 12 hours of methodological core coursework, 12 hours of dissertation, and 21 hours in the major field, as specified in the curricular tables available on the Fine Arts, Ph.D. website.

For acceptance into the Art Track, applicants must have a master’s degree, or its equivalent, with an emphasis in a visual arts area recommended but not required. Every effort is made to select candidates who show strong scholarship and professional competence. Art doctoral faculty will also evaluate each applicant’s professional goals and evidence of progress toward these goals. Acceptance is also contingent upon meeting the admission requirements of the Graduate School.