Requirements for the master’s degree in art history include eight courses (32 credits), proficiency in one foreign language, and an 8-credit thesis. A minimum 3.0 (B) cumulative GPA must be earned at Purchase College. The total 40 credit requirement can be completed on a full-time two-year program or part-time three-year program.

MA Required Courses:

  • ARH 5101/Proseminar: Method and Theory in Art History
  • ARH 5325/Master’s Colloquium I
  • ARH 5326/Master’s Colloquium II
  • ARH 5—/One course dealing with art before 1950
  • Four elective courses in art history
  • ARH 5990/Master’s Thesis I: 4 credits
  • ARH 5991/Master’s Thesis II: 4 credits

*Foreign Language proficiency is not a prerequisite and can be completed at Purchase College.

Museum + Curatorial Studies (M+) Option

The Museum + Curatorial (M+) track engages students in object-based research and the study of critical histories of museums and museum practices with an underlying commitment to cultivating more inclusive and accessible institutions and notions of exhibition-making. Building on the required courses for the MA degree in art history, required courses for M+ students include, in the first year, Museology (fall semester) and Critical Curatorial Studies (spring semester). In the second year, students’ coursework will be augmented by workshops, on- and off-campus internships, and the development of an exhibition series based in the Neuberger Museum.

M+ Required Courses:

  • ARH 5101/Proseminar: Method and Theory in Art History
  • ARH 5325/Master’s Colloquium I
  • ARH 5326/Master’s Colloquium II
  • ARH 5—/One course dealing with art before 1950
  • ARH5035/Museology
  • ARH5037/ Critical Curatorial Studies
  • ARH 5025—/Exhibition I*
  • ARH5026—/Exhibition II*
  • ARH 5990/Master’s Thesis I
  • ARH 5991/Master’s Thesis II

*Note: For Academic Year 23-24, students can substitute ARH5065/Curatorial Writing Intensive and ARH5066/Curatorial Digital Literacy for Exhibition I and II.

MA/MFA Academic Requirements

In most cases, obtaining both an MA in Art History (through the School of Humanities) and an MFA in visual arts (through the School of Art & Design) at Purchase College requires three years of in-residence study with a total course load of 98 credits. For successful progress through the program, a 3.0 (B) GPA must be maintained.

First Year: 32 credits

Second Year: 34 credits

Third Year: 32 credits

Notes:

Students must take VIS 5760/Graduate Critical Topics two times.