The Master of Arts in Art History degree at San Francisco State University is designed to provide professional training for the student preparing to enter a doctoral program or to work in jobs requiring a Master's level of work in art history. Those jobs can include art gallery work, museum, community and educational programs, neighborhood arts programs and secondary and community college teaching.
Applications for the Master of Arts in Art History program are accepted November 1 through January 15 for admission the following fall semester. All candidates must apply to both the University and the Department of Art Graduate Program. This is a separate but parallel process.
The Art department will be changing the application procedures for fall 2014 applicants with the use of an online application system. Please check back in August 2013 for updated procedures. All requirements and application materials will remain the same.
Admissions Requirements
Complete procedures and guidelines for admission to the Master of Arts in Art History are contained in the SF State Bulletin (Catalog).
An undergraduate degree, which includes at least 18 units of upper division courses in art history, or related fields, with a 3.5 grade point average in the major and a 3.0 overall average.
The division of graduate studies has a helpful FAQ section for domestic applicants and international applicants .
Areas of Concentration
Applicants must select one of the following areas of concentration when applying to the M.A. in Art History Program:
- Arts of Asia
- Renaissance/Baroque Art
- Arts of Spain
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Asian American Art
- New Media Art
- History of Prints
- Queer Art History
M.A. Program Description
Course Requirements
Fifty percent (50%) of all coursework must be taken at the 700 level or above.
- Art 700: Seminar In Art Theory 3 units
- Art 701: Art History - Images and Meaning 3 units (May be repeated once if topic varies)
- Art 702: Seminar - Methods in Art History 6 units
- Art 703: Seminar in Art History Research Application 3 units
- Art history courses by advisement (300 level or above) 12 units
- Art 898: Master's paper or project 3 units
Total: 30 units
Art history graduate students are expected to complete the following:
- Fifty percent (50%) of all coursework must be taken at the 700 level or above. The student will take 12 units of art history at the 300, 400, 500, 600, or 700 level taken in the area of focus, or in related areas with the adviser's permission. Courses with numbers of 300 to 399 may be counted for graduate credit with permission of the student’s primary adviser.
- Three units may be in another field, related to the area of concentration (or in art history).
- Foreign language exam demonstrating reading knowledge of one foreign language (written translation with dictionary). Exam must be taken before en-rolling in Art 898 and should normally be completed by week ten of the semester in which the student is enrolled in their second semester of ART 702.
- Recommended: Art 852 (Directed Experience in Art Education) or Art 853 (Directed Experience in Museum Education). May be taken as an elective. See adviser.
Suggested Two-Year Program
First Semester
- Art 700
- Art 702
- Elective or Art History
Second Semester
- Art 701
- Elective or Art History
- Elective or Art History
Third Semester
- Art 702
- Elective or Art History
Fourth Semester
- Art 703
- Art 898
Fifth Semester
Art 897 Available through Extended Education. This option is available if you do not complete your thesis during the forth semester.
Program Phases
First Year
Primary Adviser
At the time of admission, each student is assigned a primary adviser, who will initially supervise her/his graduate program. Students should consult with the adviser at the beginning of the first term and at regular intervals throughout the program of study. This adviser will assist students in the selection of a first reader for his/her thesis paper or project.
First Year Review
A Departmental Review of each student's progress is required after the end of the first year in the program or after 15 units have been completed -- whichever comes first. Continuation in the program is contingent upon approval of a majority of full time faculty including the student's primary adviser.
Second Year
Advancement to Candidacy
Formal advancement to candidacy must be completed by the end of the third semester. By that time each student must also have passed a foreign language exam and filed a ATC/GAP form. This exam must be completed prior to enrollment in Art 898. Any outstanding incompletes, requests for grade changes, etc. must be taken care of before enrolling in Art 898.
Master's Paper or Project
Candidates, who write a thesis paper, must submit three bound copies of the approved thesis paper in their area of concentration. This paper must conform to the University requirements for MA theses. MA thesis papers may not exceed fifty pages of text, except with the explicit permission of the thesis adviser. If there are more than ten basic errors of grammar, punctuation, or spelling on any consecutive three pages of the draft, the draft will not be read. Instead it will be returned to you for corrections (Note: your adviser will be happy to answer questions about style, etc., but does not have time to rewrite your thesis, or major sections of your thesis for you.) It is the Art Department requirement that students be enrolled during the semester in which they graduate. The art history faculty will not be available to read drafts of thesis papers unless the student is enrolled in the Art Department thesis course. It is a university requirement that students who drop out of the graduate program for more than one semester re-apply for admission to the M.A. program.
Candidates who choose to undertake a different type of project, such as a gallery exhibition, must submit three copies of a short paper (approximately 8 to 10 pages), documenting and analyzing this activity. This paper must conform to grammar guidelines and other criteria established by the graduate school for culminating projects.
Transfer of Credit for Previous Graduate Work
No more than six units of work taken in unclassified post-baccalaureate status at SF State may be transferred towards credit for the MA degree. All transfer of credit must be approved on a course-by-course basis by a Graduate Advisor, the Graduate Coordinator, and the Office of Graduate Studies. This transfer should be arranged before the first semester of graduate studies begins.
