Art and Art History

Description

For a brief description of the program, application requirements and contact information, view the graduate program summary .

Department Chair: Peter Pinnell, M.F.A.

Graduate Committee: Associate Professors Ingraham (Chair), Bolland, Fritz

The department offers graduate instruction leading to the degrees of Master of Arts (M.A.) in art history, and Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in studio art. Candidates may pursue the MFA in the following areas of emphasis: ceramics, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, new genres, or a combination of several of these disciplines.

Undergraduate Requirements

Candidates for the M.F.A. must have obtained the bachelors degree from an institution of recognized standing and preferably have completed undergraduate preparation substantially the equivalent of that required for the bachelor of fine arts degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Applicants for the M.A. in art history will ordinarily have a bachelor’s degree with an art history major or minor. However, we recognize that M.A. applicants may come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and we are willing to tailor the program to meet the individual needs of the applicant. Those without a demonstrated background in art history may be advised to take undergraduate courses in the department prior to admission to the program or concurrent with their M.A. studies (these classes will not count toward M.A. program requirements). Regardless of an applicant’s undergraduate major, admission to the M.A. program assumes a minimum of a B average in undergraduate work.

Master of Arts in Art History Requirements

The M.A. program requires a minimum of 30 hours of advanced study, balanced between coursework designed to promote coverage of the field, cross-disciplinary explorations, and focused research. M.A. candidates must pass a minimum of 30 credit hours, pass a written comprehensive exam, and write a thesis, on which there will be an oral exam. Competency in a modern foreign language is also required. Applicants for the M.A. must apply for special permission t pursue a non-thesis option.

Master of Fine Arts Requirements

The M.F.A. candidate must: a) complete 60 credit hours of approved course work; b) present an original body of creative work, known as a “thesis exhibition,” in a gallery space on campus; c) write a brief essay on the thesis work; d) pass an oral examination. The program requires a minimum of 26 hours of work in the area(s) of emphasis and a minimum of 9 hours in regularly scheduled art history courses. An additional 9 hours may be taken in approved academic courses. Additional studio course work brings the total to the 60 credit hour minimum.

Faculty

For faculty list, research interests and department contact information, view the graduate program summary.