Department of Art and Art History (GRAD)

For those considering professional careers as art historians (teaching and research), critics, or museum and gallery professionals, the Department of Art and Art History offers graduate work leading to the degrees of master of arts and doctor of philosophy. Those who aim to become professional artists should take the degree of master of fine arts in studio art.

The department houses many resources that are vital to our programs. The Hanes Art Center provides exhibition galleries, an art library, a visual resources library, offices, study areas, classrooms, digital, photography, and printmaking laboratories, one of several BeAM makerspaces, and artist studios. Additional studios and the metal, ceramic, and wood shops are located in the Art Laboratory building on Airport Drive, one mile from campus.

The Joseph C. Sloane Art Library has a collection of over 100,000 print volumes and is supplemented by the University Libraries, with holdings of more than 6,000,000 volumes. The Sloane Art Library provides quiet study spaces and access to specialized art resources; it also houses the reserve holdings for art department courses. Graduate students have access to the Visual Resources Library and can use different types of scanning equipment (flatbed scanners, slide, and film scanners) to digitize images for research. The VRL has current holdings of 250,000 slides, 60,000 digital images, and 20,000 photographs.

Admission

Deadlines for applications are in December for art history and in January for studio art. The Graduate School application is submitted via the online application for admission. See both the Department of Art and Art History's website and The Graduate School's website for detailed information and deadlines. Individuals who are unable to utilize the online application may request a paper application from gradinfo@unc.edu or by phoning (919) 966-2612. Individuals applying to the studio art program will want to load their images in Slide Room as instructed.

Admission Requirements for M.F.A.

We seek applications from individuals committed to their development as professional artists. While the majority of applicants hold a bachelor's degree in art, we also welcome applications from students who hold undergraduate degrees in other fields and can present a strong art portfolio. Students who do not have a bachelor's degree in art should have at least one basic-level and one intermediate-level course in art history in preparation for the graduate-level coursework in art history required of M.F.A. students. Applicants to the M.F.A. program are not required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

Applicants are admitted for the fall semester only.

All applications must be submitted by posted deadlines and must include the following:

Graduate School Application
Undergraduate Transcript
Three Letters of Recommendation
Application Fee

Supplemental materials specific to the M.F.A. admission application include the following:

Statement of Purpose
Slides of Art Work for Portfolio Review submitted on Slideroom
List of Images Submitted for Portfolio Review

See the Department of Art and Art History's website for specific instructions.

For more information, contact the director of graduate studies for studio art.

Master of Arts (M.A.) and the Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Art History

In addition to completing an application to The Graduate School, candidates for admission to the graduate programs in art history must submit an example of their written work. The writing sample should be no more than 15 pages. Applicants with a B.A. in art history (or related field) may apply to the M.A. program, the dual M.A./M.S.L.S., or directly to the Ph.D. program. Those who already have an M.A. in art history may apply to the Ph.D. program. An undergraduate major in art history is not required for admission to the graduate program; however, entering candidates must have taken a minimum of 24 credit hours in art history, archaeology, cultural anthropology, or aesthetics.

There are no spring semester admissions in art history. See the Department of Art and Art History's website for more detailed instructions.

Financial Aid for Studio Art Students

All applicants for admission to the M.F.A. program are automatically considered for nomination for merit awards offered by The Graduate School. All accepted MFA students receive full tuition funding and stipends through Teaching Assistantships and/or specially designated awards administered directly by the department. Students are awarded teaching fellowships for their second year of study after they have completed the teaching practicum course.¹ Students desiring financial aid should consult as early as possible the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid for information about work-study jobs and loans.

¹: Students with demonstrable teaching experience at the college level are exempt from this course.

Financial Aid for Art History Students

All applicants for admission who have completed their applications by the deadline are automatically considered by the department for nomination for Graduate School awards. Applicants and students in residence are also eligible for teaching and research assistantships, which are awarded by the department. Students desiring financial aid should consult as early as possible the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid for information about work-study jobs and loans.

Courses

Numbered 400-999:

The content of these courses varies slightly from year to year in accordance with the needs of the students and the special competence of the instructor.

In the seminars listed, the topics for study change from year to year depending upon the professor conducting the course. Architecture, sculpture, painting, or a combination of these may be the subject. Consult the department schedule for details on specific courses in any given semester.

Master of Fine Arts Degree

The master of fine arts degree at UNC–Chapel Hill is a two-year, 60-hour program. Credits are earned through studio practice, formal critique, professional development, and academic electives. Additionally, a teaching foundation and professional development course that supports the practical aspects of an art career (grant writing, professional presentation, studio visits, relationships with galleries and museums, etc.) is available for students who wish to prepare for an academic career. While this class is optional, it is required for students who wish to apply for teaching fellowships in the M.F.A. program. Because the majority of our funding is offered through teaching fellowships we strongly urge students to take advantage of this opportunity.

Credits for studio practice constitute the majority of credits. These are earned through independent study and critique. All M.F.A. students have individual studio space to support their creative research. With the department's interdisciplinary approach, students need not choose a particular medium for specialization. They may use different media to express a variety of aesthetic and conceptual goals. This, however, does not preclude a media focus but does mean that media choices are integral to students' intellectual and aesthetic explorations.

The structure for feedback in the program is through weekly critiques when students interact with the studio faculty over the course of the semester. A formal review brings the entire faculty together to evaluate each student's progress at the end of the first semester, and the student's committee members evaluate that progress at the end of the second and fourth semester. The academic component of the M.F.A. program is designed to complement the art-making process. The program strongly believes that the decision to pursue the making of fine art in an academic context carries an attendant responsibility to develop the verbal and written articulation of the visual. To help achieve this goal, students participate in two graduate seminars (three credit hours each). Other academic credits are satisfied by a requisite six hours of additional coursework in art history. Usually, students are urged to take one of these courses in the area of contemporary art history. Students also take six hours in electives in which the students are able to take advantage of upper-division and graduate-level courses in fields related to their studio practice or studio courses that help them advance or expand their technical and material skills. Students select these courses depending on the focus of their studio explorations, thus stretching the capacity of their creative work.

The remaining academic credits are earned through the master's thesis. This includes mounting a group exhibition of the thesis work, curated by and at the Ackland Art Museums, as well as a solo show in the Department of Art's Allcott Gallery; writing a thesis statement to accompany the thesis work; and presenting a visual lecture as the M.F.A. thesis defense that is then submitted to the Carolina Digital Repository.

In addition to the core curriculum, the UNC–Chapel Hill master of fine arts program supports students by bringing artists and critics to UNC–Chapel Hill throughout the year. For the Hanes Visiting Artist Lecture Series, artists are typically invited to campus for a two-day visit, during which time they give a public lecture and provide private critiques for the department's graduate students. This program has proved to be a vital conduit for graduate students to see the work of, and interact with, a large and diverse number of professional artists. Additionally, the Visiting Arts Professionals Program brings visiting critics, gallerists, curators, or other art professionals to campus 4–5 times per year to further introduce students to the professional art world, furthering knowledge and fostering mutually beneficial practical and professional connections and relationships. These guests participate in a moderated, informal conversation with students and also conduct studio visits.

Master of Arts Degree

The master of arts degree generally follows the requirements of The Graduate School as described in the section on graduate degree requirements in The Graduate School Handbook. Students will acquire a broad knowledge of world art while sampling the diverse theory and methods employed by our faculty in the discipline of art history. The master's program in art history is designed to be completed in four semesters.

Course Work

Total of 12 courses, 36 credits distributed as follows:

Three required courses: Methods in Art Historical Research (ARTH 850) in the first semester; Writing Seminar (ARTH 991)in the second year, and Master's Thesis (ARTH 993) in the fourth semester
Nine courses, five of which should be graduate research seminars (700-level or above) taken within the department (ARTH course designation).
Students are strongly encouraged to take courses in a range of art-historical fields.
Two courses may be taken in other departments as electives for supplementary and complementary studies.

Language Requirement

By the end of the third semester, all M.A. students are required to have met the language requirement of one language other than English, appropriate to the area of study. The language will be determined in consultation with the student's advisor and the director of graduate studies. The student can demonstrate competency by obtaining a passing grade on the UNC–Chapel Hill reading competency exam, or earning a B (or a graduate P) or better in a fourth semester or higher language course, or earning a B (or a graduate P) in a literature course in that language at UNC–Chapel Hill. No credit toward the M.A. coursework requirement is given for language courses.

Master's Thesis

The M.A. thesis is completed by the end of the fourth semester of enrollment. The completed thesis must be signed by the members of the thesis committee and submitted to The Graduate School in time for May graduation.

Master's Thesis Defense and Oral Exam

Students will present their M.A. thesis at an oral examination prior to the formal submission deadline for M.A. theses. The examining committee will comprise the student’s thesis committee. The oral examination will include questions about larger issues raised in the Methods and Writing seminars and thus will constitute a comprehensive examination of the student’s work toward the M.A. degree as well as of the thesis itself. Students who fail the thesis examination may repeat it prior to the end of classes and if successful may apply for the next graduation date.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The degree of doctor of philosophy generally follows the requirements of The Graduate School as described in the section on graduate degree requirements in The Graduate School Handbook. Additionally, specific departmental guidelines governing movement through the program, such as the formation of the dissertation committee and scheduling of committee meetings can be found on the department website.

Course Work

Ph.D. students entering with an M.A. in art history or closely related field take a total of nine courses, at least four of which are research seminars (700-level or above) taken within the department (ARTH course designation). The final course is ARTH 994 (Doctoral Dissertation). Two of the nine courses may be taken in other departments as electives for supplementary and complementary studies.

Ph.D. students entering without an M.A. take a total of 15 courses, plus a final course, ARTH 994 (Doctoral Dissertation). The required courses normally include ARTH 850 (Methods in Art Historical Research) and the Writing Seminar (ARTH 991), with a Professional Development Course (ARTH 852) strongly recommended. Of the remaining courses, at least six must be research seminars (700-level or above) taken within the department (ARTH course designation).

Three courses may be taken in other departments as electives for supplementary and complementary studies. Up to three additional courses outside the department may be taken as part of an external minor with the approval of the student’s advisor and the DGS.

Electing to Pursue an External Minor

Ph.D. students may choose to complete a formal external minor, which consists of at least five additional courses in a field related to his or her area of specialized study (such as communication studies, women's studies, history, or medieval studies). The student must secure prior approval of the department offering the minor, and a copy of the proposed courses to be taken must be signed by both departments and entered in the student's permanent record in the Department of Art and Art History and the UNC–Chapel Hill Graduate School.

Language Requirement

Ph.D. students are required to demonstrate proficiency in two languages other than English. The first language will be the language that fulfilled the M.A. language requirement. The second language should be appropriate to the area of study and will be determined in consultation with the student's advisor and the director of graduate studies for art history. Some fields require additional languages and students should study these languages as necessary. Competency in the second language will be determined following the same guidelines as those for the M.A. language requirement.

Preliminary Doctoral Exams

Ph.D. students take both the written and the oral preliminary exams during the semester after the Ph.D. coursework is completed. Most Ph.D. students will take the preliminary exams during the spring semester of their second year in the Ph.D. program. Those students pursuing an external minor will take the preliminary exams during the fall semester of their third year.

Written Exams. Students take the written exams over the course of a one-week period. Students who fail the written exams may repeat them only once. These exams are taken in three parts: first major field of study (six hours), second major field of study (six hours), methodological/thematic area of study (six hours).
Preliminary Oral Exam. An oral exam will take place within two weeks of the written exam. The oral will be on the content of the written exams and may also include a defense of the dissertation prospectus. The examining committee will consist of at least three members who must be full-time active graduate faculty members or adjunct teaching faculty members in art history.
Dissertation Prospectus. Ph.D. students defend their dissertation prospectus orally. If the dissertation prospectus is not defended at the oral exam, this defense should take place within four months of the written exams. At least two weeks before the prospectus defense, the student submits a dissertation prospectus to his or her dissertation committee, which should consist of five faculty members, three of whom must be permanent members of the UNC–Chapel Hill art history faculty.

Dissertation and Final Oral Exam

After passing the preliminary doctoral exams, the student begins work on the dissertation. Once the dissertation is completed and approved by the advisor and dissertation committee, the student defends the finished dissertation.

For further information, the applicant should write to the Director of Graduate Studies for art history.

Professors

Christoph Brachmann, European Art, 1400–1700
S. Elizabeth Grabowski, Printmaking, Painting, Drawing
James Hirschfield, Sculpture
Annette Lawrence, Painting
Cary Levine, Contemporary Art
Carol Magee, African Photography and Contemporary Art
Yun-Dong Nam, Ceramic Sculpture
Victoria L. Rovine, African Art
Daniel J. Sherman, European Art, 1850–1960, Cultural History, Museums
Hong-An Truong, Digital Art

Associate Professors

John P. Bowles, African American Art
Maggie Cao, American Art
Eduardo Douglas, Latin American Art
Mario Marzán, Painting, Drawing, Latin American Art
Roxana Pérez-Méndez, Sculpture
Tania String, European Art, 1400–1700
Lien Truong, Painting, Drawing
Lyneise Williams, Latin American and African Diaspora Art

Assistant Professors

Sholeh Asgary, Performance and New Media
Sherrill Roland, Sculpture
Andrew Turner, Mesoamerican art
Martín Wannam, Photography
Meng Zhao, Asian Art

Teaching Assistant Professor

Jennifer J. Bauer, Modern Art
Adrian Martinez Chavez, Photography

Ackland Art Museum

Carolyn Allmendinger, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Director of Academic Programs
Dana Cowen, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Peck Curator of European and American Art before 1950
Elizabeth Manekin, Adjunct Assistant Professor of the Practice, Head of University Programs and Academic Projects