Department of Art History

Architectural History

The Architectural History track takes advantage of Virginia's rich tradition of colonial and modern architecture to prepare students for careers as architectural historians, design consultants, and preservationists. While concentrating in architectural history, students also complete courses in art history as well as museum studies and/or urban studies and planning. The thesis is the capstone of the program and allows students to demonstrate their art-historical knowledge through an independent research project.

Program Requirements

Students typically completed this 39-credit program in two and half or three years full time.

Courses

1. ARTH 690: Historiography and Methodology or ARTH 502: Historic Preservation and Architectural History (3 credits), to be taken in the first semester
2. 4 courses in architectural history (12 credits)
3. 3 courses of graduate-level art history (9 credits)
4. 3 courses in Museum Studies and/or Urban Planning (9 credits)
5. 6 credits of thesis

Exams

1. The foreign language exam (French, Italian, Spanish, or German) is taken in the first semester.
2. Slide exam covering general art historical knowledge is taken in the second semester.
3. Essay exam covering the student's primary area of study is taken in the third semester.
4. All exams and coursework must be completed before advancing to candidacy and writing the thesis.

Admissions Requirements

1. B.A. or B.F.A in art history or a related field with a minimum of 21 credits of art history.
2. GPA of 3.2 or higher on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework
3. GRE scores: 1000 combined Verbal and Quantitative, 4.5 or better on the Analytic Writing portion
4. 3 letters of reference from college instructors who can assess the applicant's academic preparation and promise
5. Statement of purpose outlining the applicant's reasons for seeking a graduate degree, area of intended specialization in art history, and professional goals. The statement of purpose may also include professional experience relevant to the pursuit of a graduate degree in art history.
6. Writing Sample: undergraduate research paper in art history
7. There is no language requirement for admission, although students should have some language background to prepare them to pass the department language exam. The department does not provide language instruction.

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