M.A.
Academic Preparation
Students who complete the M.A. degree in Art History at the College of Visual Arts and Design prepare for doctoral study by developing an enhanced understanding of past and contemporary visual art forms, in-depth knowledge of art history methodologies, and advanced skills in art history research. Graduates critically analyze and apply different theories and methods in their investigation of artworks, images from visual culture, or other related materials. They furthermore design, implement, and defend original research of relevance to the area of specialization.
Coursework for the M.A. in Art History consists of 30 semester credit hours and is completed in two years. The program includes 15-21 hours in graduate art history seminars, an optional 6 credit-hour minor, a seminar in research methods, and a 6 credit-hour original research project. Students additionally complete a Research Project Colloquium presentation of the proposed original research and demonstrate proficiency in foreign language sufficient to engage in primary source investigation.
Students may pursue graduate study in the following areas:
- visual and material culture of the late antique and medieval periods in Europe, the Islamic world, and South Asia
- visual and material culture in the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas from the 16th to the 21st Century
- historiography, methodology and theory of art and visual and material culture since 1900
Within these areas, students work with an array of faculty whose interests and expertise intersect on such issues as colonialism, postcolonialism, geography, ritual and spatial analysis, race, gender, and sexuality.
Recent capstone research projects include:
- Isabel Lee-Rosson, 2017, "American and Lebanese Cultural Diplomacy: Foregrounding Paul Guiragossian's Exhibitions in the United States, ca. 1970"
- Tiffany Tuley Grassmuck, 2017, "Moving Downtown: Nullifying Past Negative Perception with the Dallas Arts District as Postmodern City Image"
- Rachel Hiser-Remmes, 2017, "A New Sensation: Abbot Desiderius' Employment of the Tactile in the Reformation of the Northeastern Corner of Sant'Angelo in Formis"
- Megan Lynn Wanttie, 2017, "Scent and Identity: Self-fashioning, private pleasure, class, and health in Charles Gouyn's 1755 Dressing Set"
2019-20 Art History Seminars
The focus for our 2019-2020 seminars will address the theme of "Identity."
Fall 2019
AEAH 5813 - Critical Approaches to Studying the Collector, Curator, and Gallerist
AEAH 5824 - The Portrait in South Asian Art
AEAH 5845 - History of Design: Methods and Approaches to Decorative Arts and Material Culture, 1400-2000
Spring 2020
AEAH 5809 - 18th-century Fashion
AEAH 5818 - Diego and Frida
More Info
Contact Associate Professor of Art History and Art History Program Coordinator, Lisa.Owen@unt.edu.
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Alumni accomplishments
Lauren LaRocca at O'Donnell Institute, DMA
Lauren LaRocca (MA, Art History 2009) is the Coordinator of Special Programs with The O’Donnell Institute. She oversees collaborations between the Dallas Museum of Art and the O’Donnell Institute. She coordinates scholars’ access to collections, arranges class visits, plans the logistics of jointly-sponsored programs, and oversees both day-to-day operations and special events at the research center.
Student accomplishments
Kate Wurtzel
Kate Wurtzel, Ph.D. student, presented at the 2018 Texas Art Education Association Conference.
