M.A. Degree Requirements
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» Masters Exam in Art History and Filing the Program of Study
» Final Examination
» M.A. Thesis
» Thesis Hours
» Time Limit to Complete Requirements
Within their primary Concentration, students must select an Emphasis from the following options:
I. Arts of the Americas Emphases:
a. Native American Art History
b. Pre-Columbian Art History
c. Spanish Colonial Art History
II. Arts of the Modern World Emphases:
a. History of Architecture
b. History of Graphic Arts
c. History of Photography
d. Modern American and European Art History
e. Modern Latin American Art History
| Art History 500, Seminar in Philosophy and Methods | 3 |
| Art History graduate courses in chosen emphasis | 9 |
| Art History graduate courses in another emphasis within your Primary Concentration | 3 |
| Art History graduate courses in the secondary Concentration | 9 |
| Art History 599 Thesis | 6 |
| Total Hours | 30 |
For example, if you select an emphasis in Pre-Columbian Art History, you would need to take
9 hours of coursework in Pre-Columbian Art History
3 hours of coursework chosen from either Native American Art History or Spanish Colonial Art History
and 9 hours of coursework in Arts of the Modern World (from any emphasis).
The M.A. degree in Art History is only offered under Plan I (requiring thesis). Plan I requirements are:
- A minimum of 24 hours of coursework
- A minimum of 6 hours of 500-level coursework
- A maximum of 6 hours of problems courses
- At least 50% of required coursework must be completed after admission to the program
- If a minor is declared, a minimum of 14 hours in the major and 7 hours in the minor
If you are seeking a M.A. degree you must master the general history of art in addition to your chosen area of concentration. If approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, you may elect to pursue a minor outside art history, usually in museum studies, anthropology, history, or literature (minors in studio are allowed only in special circumstances). In those rare cases, the minimum course requirements are 9 hours in the major field and 9 hours of credit in art history outside the major (including Art 500), and 6 hours in the minor. Required course work outside the Department of Art and Art History will be determined by your particular needs with the advice and approval of the student’s Committee on Studies. No more than 4 courses (or 12 hours, exclusive of thesis) may be taken with a single professor.
The Director of Graduate Studies must approve substitution of required coursework before you register for the substituted course. A petition form is available in the Department Graduate Office.
You may transfer a maximum of 12 hours of graduate work from another institution, from non-degree status or from a previous master’s degree to the M.A. Program. Courses taken as extension credit at other universities are not accepted for graduate credit at the University of New Mexico.
Transfer credits are not automatic with admission. Your Committee on Studies will determine if any credits are allowable for transfer. With the exception of the 12-hour limit, all conditions of transfer noted in the doctoral description of the University Catalog apply equally to the MFA.
If you wish to transfer credits, consult with your Committee Chair, and if approved, this coursework can be added to your course listing on your Program of Studies form. This process should be completed early in your program of studies so as to allow adequate planning. When submitting the Program of Studies form, you should verify with OGS that the official transcript from the institution from which you are requesting transfer credit is on file. Transfer credit is considered in determining the time limit for completion of all requirements.
The M.A. degree requires at least 24 hours of coursework completed at UNM, of which at least 18 hours (exclusive of thesis credits) must be taken after admission to the M.A. program.
In your second semester, you are required to participate in a Spring Graduate Review, an oral presentation given to faculty and peers of a research work in progress. This event is conducted by a committee composed of the Art History faculty and one Art Studio faculty member. Written evaluations will be available from this committee regarding content and presentation. Your committee will be concerned with the clarity of your ideas as well as the coordination of your text with your slides. You will have a twenty-minute limit for your presentation.
You will provide a one-page synopsis and a bibliography to each member of your appointed Review committee and the Department Graduate Office two weeks prior to the date of your review. Bibliographies should use the form detailed in The Chicago Manual of Style.
Before you submit your Program of Study form, you must:
- Pass Art History 500 (Philosophy and Methods of Art History).
- Participate in the Spring Review. You will present your research work in progress to peers and faculty during the first spring semester of your program.
- You must provide evidence of proficiency in one foreign language appropriate to your area of concentration. The Language Requirement form is available in the Department Graduate Office.
The Program of Studies form must be filed with the Dept. Graduate Office any time after you complete 12 graduate credits. You must file by the following deadlines: Oct 1 for Spring graduation, May 1 for Summer graduation, July 1 for Fall graduation. This form, and complete directions on how to fill it out, can be obtained from the Department Graduate Office. Approval of the Program of Studies in no way implies successful completion of the M.A. degree.
Your thesis must be approved by your Committee on Studies and should demonstrate evidence of your ability to do sound research. It is your responsibility to provide each member of your committee with a complete draft of your thesis and when you schedule your final thesis defense, to leave yourself ample time for committee review before your graduation deadline. Three copies of your thesis need to be submitted. Two copies of the unbound thesis, each with an abstract of under 350 words, must be submitted by the graduation deadlines. One copy, unbound, must be submitted to the Department Graduate Office. Your thesis will be delivered to the Fine Arts Library for cataloging. Guidelines regarding the format for your thesis are available from the Manuscript Coordinator, Office of Graduate Studies and online. Please refer to the following Master's Thesis/Graduation Checklist to familiarize yourself with the necessary forms. All forms can be found either at the Office of Graduate Studies or the Department Graduate Office.
Once you have registered for thesis (599) credits, you must maintain continuous enrollment (exclusive of summer session, unless you graduate in summer) until your thesis is accepted by the following: Committee on Studies Chair, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Dean of OGS.
Time Limit to Complete Requirements
Students have five years to complete all degree requirements. From the semester in which you took your first class toward your M.A. program including transfer hours, to the final semester of thesis, every student has five years to complete all requirements.
Under extenuating circumstances, you may request an extension of this time limit in writing. This must be done prior to the end of the time limit. Student should contact the Department of Graduate Office on the proper procedure for requesting an extension request. The request must be supported in writing by your Committee on Studies Chair.
Note: Also see the Masters Degree general requirements described in the UNM Catalog, Plan I.