Admission Requirements

Applicants are considered on an individual basis. Details on applying to the Department of Art History can be found on the School of Art and Art History website. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

• Baccalaureate Field No restrictions.
• Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate study.
• Minimum English Competency Test Score
  • TOEFL iBT 95, with subscores of  Reading 24, Listening 24, Speaking 24, and Writing 22, OR,
  • IELTS Academic 7.0, with 6.5 in each of the four subscores, OR,
  • PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.
• Letters of Recommendation Three required from faculty members or others familiar with the applicant’s training, ability, and experience.
• Personal Statement Applicants must submit a short statement of purpose (1–2 pages).
• Writing Sample Applicants must submit a sample of their written work (approximately 15 pages).
• Curriculum Vitae Applicants must a submit a list of their academic and professional achievements (1-3 pages).
• Application Deadlines Application deadlines for this program are listed on the Graduate College website.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements:

• Minimum Semester Hours Required 36
• Coursework A minimum of 16 hours at the 500 level in art history courses, including AH 510 and AH 511, excluding AH 590 and AH 598. All students are required to take courses from at least four different tenured and tenure-track UIC Art History faculty members.

• Foreign Language Requirements Students must present evidence of advanced knowledge of a language other than English as it relates to their chosen area of research. Evidence of the ability to pursue research in additional languages may be necessary, depending on the availability of literature in the field selected. The selection of languages must be approved by the student’s advisor.
• Thesis, Project, or Coursework-Only Options Thesis or coursework only. No other options are available.
  • Thesis: Must take at least 5 hours in thesis research (AH 598). No more than 8 hours of AH 598 can be applied to the degree.
  • Coursework Only: Students who do not write a thesis must submit two substantial research papers written in conjunction with graduate courses taken in the Department of Art History. At least one of these qualifying papers should have been written in conjunction with a seminar. For each paper, students will work closely with a faculty member in the Department of Art History and have the final version approved by a second faculty reader. Each paper should ask critical questions, use primary sources, and be potentially useful for other scholars; each paper also should be at least equivalent in quantity and quality to an excellent seminar paper or a paper for an academic journal. Qualifying papers should be 25–30 pages in length, but longer or shorter versions are acceptable depending on topic and approach. No more than 4 hours of AH 590 may be applied to the degree.

Interdepartmental Concentrations

Students earning a graduate degree in this department may complement their courses by enrolling in select concentrations after consulting with their graduate advisor. Interdepartmental concentrations available for this degree include:

• Central and Eastern European Studies
• Gender and Women's Studies
• Latin American and Latino Studies
• Museum and Exhibition Studies
• Violence Studies