Art History, MA
Contact
Wayne Franits, Chair
308 Bowne Hall
315-443-4184
Director of Graduate Studies
Samuel Johnson
308 Bowne Hall
315-443-4433
Director of Graduate Studies, Florence Program
Sally Cornelison
308 Bowne Hall
315-443-4184
Faculty
Molly Bourne (Florence), Brian Brege, Sally Cornelison, Clare Fitzgerald, Wayne Franits, Margaret Innes, Samuel Johnson, Jonathan Nelson (Florence), Matteo Duni (Florence), Sean Nelson (Florence), Romita Ray, Sascha Scott, Gleb Shtyrmer (Florence)
M.A. in Art History, Main Campus Program
The M.A. in art history requires 30 graduate credits (500 level or above), taken over four semesters, during which students plan individualized programs of study under the guidance of the faculty. Courses offered in art history cover a broad range of subject areas, providing opportunities for both breadth and specialization. Funding opportunities include Teaching Assistantships, which provide full tuition and a stipend, and full and partial tuition scholarships.
Students are required to fulfill a chronological distribution requirement by taking one course in each of the following periods: Ancient/Medieval (pre-1300), Early Modern (1300-1750), and Modern/Contemporary (post-1750). Each course can only count toward one of these chronological periods. Students are also required to fulfill a cultural distribution requirement by taking one course in Global Perspectives and/or Intercultural Perspectives (across or between cultures). These courses can also satisfy a chronological distribution requirement. No course can count for more than two requirements.
Also required are HOA 655 Proseminar in Graduate Research Methods and Scholarly Writing and HOA 656 Literature of Art Criticism. Colloquia and special lectures augment formal courses. With permission, a limited number of credits (up to 6) may be taken outside the department, in such disciplines as history, literature, aesthetics, museum studies, and art librarianship, when relevant to a student’s program of study. Courses in studio art do not count towards the degree program.
During the first semester of graduate study, students take an art history proficiency exam, which tests knowledge of major monuments and disciplinary vocabulary. The art history exam must be passed before students are allowed to enroll in their second semester of study. Students also take a language exam to assess reading proficiency in a second language. The language exam must be passed by the beginning of their second year of study. In their last semester, students participate in a seminar (HOA 757 Art History Symposium Project), for which they prepare a capstone research paper and present their findings at a public symposium.
Faculty specializations in the history of ancient Egypt and the ancient Mediterranean, medieval and early modern European, 18th-21st century, South Asian and Indigenous art and architecture are reflected in SU Libraries holdings that include extensive online databases and a comprehensive collection of print resources. The Syracuse University Art Museum and the nearby Everson Museum of Art have notable collections of paintings, photographs, prints, ceramics, and sculpture.
M.A. in Art History, Florence Program in Renaissance Art
The focus of this specialized M.A. in art history is early modern (ca. 1300-1650) Italian art and architecture. Florence graduate students learn to think broadly about the period and discipline of art history by exploring issues related to original audiences and historical settings and engaging in close readings of Renaissance-era documents and texts. They also gain hands-on experience with historical art techniques and conservation and study historiography and the literature of art criticism, the collection and display of art, the digital humanities, and the ways in which the visual culture of the period relates to Mediterranean and global historical and artistic contexts.
This degree requires 30 graduate credits (500 level and above), which are taken as a prescribed course of study over three semesters. Funding opportunities include Florence Fellowships (full tuition and a stipend) and Kress-Florence Legacy Fellowships (partial tuition and a stipend). Additional tuition scholarships are available.
Students enrolled in this program begin their coursework in the fall semester at the University's main campus in Syracuse with foundational seminars on early modern Italian art (HOA 623) and history (HST 735) and art historical theories and methods (HOA 656). During that semester, they must meet departmental art history proficiency requirements and have their Italian language skills assessed. If necessary, they audit Italian language classes to reach proficiency sufficient to conduct scholarly work.
Upon successful completion of the first semester, students register for two semesters of coursework at Syracuse Florence. In addition to taking a variety of graduate courses, during their year in Italy, students enroll in HOA 727 Florence Capstone Research Seminar, a two-semester seminar for which they complete capstone research projects and present the results of their research at a public symposium. The Florence graduate faculty is comprised of distinguished scholars and gifted educators who establish a close working relationship with each participant to create a dynamic and personalized intellectual experience. All graduate seminars in Florence are held either in smart classrooms or on site in museums, churches, palaces, archives, and restoration labs. In addition to SU Libraries’ extensive print and online resources, in Florence graduate students have access to some of the finest libraries in the world for the study of Italian Renaissance art and history.
The deadline for application to M.A. programs in art history is January 10.