Note:  For graduate application information, including instructions for domestic and foreign students, information on tuition and other expenses, and application forms, see the Graduate Admissions page on JHUniverse.  There is specific information on Admissions for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and an on-line application. See also Admission Information at the bottom of this page.

Information on the Inter-Departmental PhD in Classical Art and Archaeology

Graduate Degree Programs in the History of Art

The M.A. and Ph.D. programs are designed to give students a systematic knowledge of the history of European art and an understanding of the methods of art-historical research. The programs emphasize close working relationships among students and faculty in seminars and acquaintance with the outstanding art treasures in the Baltimore-Washington area.

Courses offered at the Hopkins-owned Villa Spelman in Florence are open to qualified graduate students in the department. Students also have access to such research facilities as the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (National Gallery) and Dumbarton Oaks.

Admission and Financial Aid

Applicants for the M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the history of art must complete the general University requirements and must also submit a recent paper, preferably in the area of their special interest. The department requires students to take the Graduate Record Examination. Applications must be completed before January 15. To maintain close student-faculty relationships and the greatest flexibility in developing individual curricula, the department strictly limits the number of students it admits each year.

Financial assistance is provided in the form of tuition grants, fellowships, teaching assistantships, and grants to the Villa Spelman. In addition, the department awards the Adolf Katzenellenbogen Prize each year to support a graduate student research project.

Requirements for the M.A. Degree

Students applying to the M.A. program are expected to have a basic knowledge of art history comparable to that provided by the undergraduate requirements of the department. Applicants must demonstrate their ability to read both French and German, and M.A. students must pass the departmental examination in one during their first term and in the other at the beginning of the second.

The M.A. curriculum is intended to introduce areas of European art the student has not studied before and to deepen the student's general background in the history of art. A minimum of six graduate courses is required. In addition, students are expected to familiarize themselves with the basic art-historical writings in all areas of European art and to become well acquainted with the major collections in the Baltimore-Washington area. The M.A. degree is awarded upon completion of the course and language requirements.

Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

A student who has received the M.A. degree from Johns Hopkins or another institution may apply for admission to the Ph.D. program. Acceptance requires the approval of the instructors in the areas chosen by the student as major and minor fields; in the case of transfer students, acceptance may be provisional. Unless they can present acceptable language certificates, students entering directly into the Ph.D. program will be required to pass language examinations in both German and French during the first term.

Students usually take one and one-half years beyond the M.A. to complete course requirements for the Ph.D., but may take up to five terms. In discussions with major and minor field advisers, the Ph.D. student develops areas of concentration and courses of study to suit his/her needs and interests. The art history faculty encourages students to take full advantage of offerings in other departments, and students may, if they choose, develop a minor field in another discipline. Every Ph.D. student is expected to gain classroom experience by serving as a teaching assistant for at least one term.

After they have completed their course work, students must pass an examination in their major and minor fields and must submit a dissertation proposal to be approved by the department. When a student has completed the dissertation, he or she is examined by a Graduate Board appointed by the dean.

For further information on graduate study, contact the Department of the History of Art.

Admission Information

For graduate application information, including instructions for domestic and foreign students, information on tuition and other expenses, and application forms, see the Graduate Admissions page on JHUniverse. There is specific information on Admissions for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and an on-line application.

Graduate Courses

For a complete listing of graduate courses in the History of Art, see the JHU On-line Catalog.

For a listing of the current semester course offerings see the schedule of classes.