Art History and Archaeology, MA

Master's Candidacy

To earn a master’s degree at Washington University, a student must complete all courses required by their department; maintain satisfactory academic progress; fulfill all academic and residence requirements; and apply to graduate via Workday Student. For the details of master’s degree general requirements in Arts & Sciences, including an explanation of Satisfactory Academic Progress, students should review the Master’s Degree Academic Information page of the Arts & Sciences Bulletin.

Program Requirements

  • Total Units Required: Minimum 36 units
  • Degree Length: 4 semesters / 2 years
    • Note: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status. As students complete their coursework, if enrolled in fewer than 9 graduate credits, they must enroll in a specific Arts & Sciences graduate course that will show 0 units but does count as full-time status. Students should connect with their department to ensure proper enrollment prior to Add/Drop.
  • Grade Requirement: Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Applicants for admission to the graduate program are normally expected to have completed 18 units of undergraduate study in art history. However, the department welcomes applications from students with less background in art history who show strong preparation in such fields as classics, history, philosophy, literature, anthropology, and Asian studies.

Requirements for the Masters degree in Art History and Archaeology are 36 minimum units of graduate-level courses, normally taken as three courses per semester over four semesters, including ARTARCH 5002 and ARTARCH 6150, which serves as a capstone course in the fourth semester in which the candidate revises two seminar papers for presentation to the faculty as qualifying papers. In addition, students must demonstrate competency in a foreign language. For students in Asian art, this language should be an Asian language. Students in ancient art may be required to demonstrate reading knowledge in an ancient language.

Required Courses

ARTARCH 5002Graduate Seminar: Methods in Art History3
ARTARCH 6150Qualifying Papers for the MA Degree3
Total Units6

Qualifying Examinations

No comprehensive examinations are required for the degree. Every student fulfilling the requirements of the MA degree in the Department of Art History and Archaeology will prepare two Qualifying Papers (QP). Together the QPs will constitute the capstone experience of the MA degree, and the demonstration of potential for more advanced graduate study. A student fulfilling MA requirements will receive credit for one 3-hour course, ARTARCH 6150 Qualifying Papers for the MA degree, in the fourth semester of study.

Visit the Art History and Archaeology page
for additional information about this program.

Contact Info

Phone:314-935-5270
Website:https://arthistory.wustl.edu/