Art History (PhD)

History of Art & Architecture faculty members are scholars and teachers, easily accessible to all students and dedicated to mentoring graduates from the first year of course work to post-PhD career guidance. The HA&A faculty holds an annual review to ensure students are making satisfactory progress toward the degree.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

  • Disciplinary Knowledge: Demonstrate mastery of the principal works, texts, methods, discussions and problems in a chosen field or fields of study within art and/or architectural history.
  • Disciplinary Knowledge: Demonstrate ability to analyze and critique discourse in a chosen field or fields of study within art and/or architectural history.
  • Disciplinary Knowledge: Demonstrate proficiency in at least one language beyond English, selected to facilitate advanced research and analysis in a chosen field or fields of study.
  • Disciplinary Knowledge: Demonstrate ability to develop and realize a comprehensive program of independent research as a means of establishing oneself as a part of a professional community.
  • Career Preparedness: Demonstrate awareness of relevant career options, job search networks, cover letter and CV preparation, interview techniques, and other relevant skills.
  • Career Preparedness: Demonstrate readiness to assume professional roles in the academy, the museum, and related institutions via conference and workshop presentations, publications, graduate certificates, and other relevant professional activities.
  • Engagement: Demonstrate knowledge, ethics, and skills to produce and disseminate scholarship representing diverse perspectives in a responsible and equitable manner.
  • Engagement: Demonstrate ability to convey the relevance of art and architectural works, histories, and methods (e.g., critical visual analysis) to diverse publics, within and beyond academia.

Doctor of Philosophy Requirements

HA&A Course Requirements for BA–PhD Track

To fulfill the HA&A course requirements for the PhD, students admitted on the BA–PhD track are expected to take a total of 81 credits of graduate-level work beyond the baccalaureate degree, over the course of at least 3 calendar years. Of the 81 graduate-level credits required, at least 36 graduate credits must be in art history and taken for a letter grade. Students must take a minimum of 12 credits in their major area and 8 credits in their minor area. A maximum of 4 credits of Research: [Topic] (ARH 601) and Special Problems: [Topic] (ARH 605)eading 605 can be applied to the 20 credits in the student’s major and minor fields, if those credits are taken with the major or minor field examiner and if they
are taken for a letter grade.

Of these 36 credits, a minimum of 12 must be in graduate seminars (600-level), including Graduate Studies in Art History (ARH 611)* or its equivalent. An additional 12 graduate–level credits in art history must be taken in three of four historic areas: prehistoric–ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern–contemporary. All students are encouraged to take advantage of the global breadth of courses offered in the department and are highly encouraged to take courses outside of their time period and primary geographical area of specialization. Students may petition to apply a thematic or nonperiod-specific course toward one of the distribution requirements by demonstrating substantial course work if a substantial part of the student’s work in the thematic or nonperiod-specific course engaged in the appropriate historic area in question.

Students must complete all required coursework before taking their comprehensive exams. All PhD students must register for a minimum total of 18 credit hours in ARH 603 Dissertation. Dissertation 603 cannot count towards the 36 credits required in art history. A maximum of 4 credits of Research 601 or Reading 605 can be applied to the 36 graded credits required in art history and only if those credits are taken with the major or minor field examiner.

In some years, ARH 559 Critical Approaches to Art History Study or ARH 507 Methods may be offered in place of ARH 611. The expectation is that students who took Graduate Studies in Art History at a 500-level will take one more graduate seminar at the 600-level.

HA&A Course Requirements for MA–PhD Track
(for students entering program with an MA in art and/or architectural history)
Students admitted on the MA–PhD track are expected to take a total of 81 credits of graduate–level work beyond the baccalaureate degree, over the course of at least 3 calendar years*. Of the 81 graduate-level credits, at least 36 graduate credits must be in art history and taken for a letter grade. Of these 36 credits, a minimum of 12 must be in graduate seminars (600-level), which may include Graduate Studies in Art History (ARH 611) if it is taken in our department. While not required, all students are encouraged to take advantage of the global breadth of courses offered in the department and are highly encouraged to take courses outside of their time period and primary geographical area of specialization. Students must complete all required coursework before taking their comprehensive exams and must register for a minimum total of 18 credit hours in ARH 603 Dissertation. Dissertation 603 cannot count towards the 36 credits required in art history. A maximum of 4 credits of Research: [Topic] (ARH 601) or Special Problems: [Topic] (ARH 605) can be applied to the 36 graded credits required in art history and only if those credits are taken with the major or minor field examiner.

*Students on the MA–PhD track may petition to waive some coursework requirements to more quickly progress through the program. A maximum of 36 transfer credits may be granted for equivalent graduate-level coursework taken outside of UO; regardless of the number of transfer credits granted, however, all PhD students are required to take a minimum of 12 credits in their major area and 8 credits in their minor area after matriculating into UO’s HA&A graduate program. After accepting an offer of admission, the DGS and advisor will calculate transfer credits using the PhD Transfer Credit for Graduate Coursework form.

Major and Minor Requirements
Students are expected to declare major and minor fields of study and to identify the faculty members who will administer their comprehensive exams by the spring quarter of their first year. Students are required to take a minimum of 12 credits in their major field and at least 8 credits in their minor field at the graduate level (500- or 600-level) prior to taking their comprehensive exams. PhD students are encouraged to take as many 600-level courses as feasible beyond the required 12 credits.

The major field must be in HA&A; the minor field is typically in HA&A. With permission of the major advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies, the minor field may be in another discipline (e.g. classics, history, comparative literature, environmental studies, etc.).

To fulfill the requirements for the PhD, students are expected to take a total of 81 credits, selected in consultation with the student’s advisor. Of the 81 credits, at least 36 credits must be in ARH courses and taken for a letter grade. Of the 36 graduate credits required, a minimum of 12 must be in graduate seminars (600 level), including Graduate Studies in Art History (ARH 611). Students are required to complete all required course work before taking their field exams. A maximum of 4 credits of ARH 601 Research: [Topic] or Special Problems: [Topic] (ARH 605) can be applied to the 20 credits in the student's major and minor fields, if those credits are taken with the major or minor field examiner and if they are taken for a letter grade.

Students are expected to declare a major field of study by spring term of their first year. Students are required to take a minimum of 12 credits in their major field and at least 8 credits in their minor field at the graduate level (500 or 600 level) prior to taking their field exams.

Students entering the PhD program with an MA in hand may petition to waive some course work requirements to more quickly progress through the program. The University residency requirement specifies that at least 27 credits—the equivalent of one full-time academic year—must be completed following admission into the doctoral program. Courses in Research: [Topic] (ARH 601), Special Problems: [Topic] (ARH 605), and other individualized study options may be a part of the 9 credits, but the majority of the residency requirement is expected to consist of regular graduate course work.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students should acquire a research capability in two foreign languages appropriate to the student’s area of study as soon as possible in their academic program, unless otherwise approved by the student's advisor.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are required to complete all required course work before taking their field exams. Students are officially advanced to candidacy in the PhD program upon completion of two written field exams: one in a major field in art and architectural history and one in a minor field in art and architectural history or another discipline with departmental approval. The department offers field examinations in the following categories:

  • Greek
  • Roman
  • Latin American (minor only)
  • North American
  • Medieval
  • Modern
  • Contemporary
  • Chinese
  • Japanese
  • Renaissance (minor only)
  • Baroque (minor only)

Additional information regarding the PhD is available from the Department of the History of Art and Architecture office or on the website.