Master of Arts in Art

Application Deadline: January 15, 2010, 12:00 pm. Please view application delivery notes below. -- The Master of Arts in Art degree with an emphasis in Art History 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.

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:

1. 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 advisor's permission. Courses with numbers of 300 to 399 may be counted for graduate credit with permission of the student’s primary advisor.
2. Three units may be in another field, related to the area of concentration (or in art history).
3. Foreign language exam demonstrating reading knowledge of one foreign lan-guage (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 702.
4. Recommended: Art 852 (Directed Experience in Art Education) or Art 853 (Directed Experience in Museum Education). May be taken as an elective. See advisor.

Suggested Two-Year Program

First Semester

1. Art 700
2. Art 702
3. Elective or Art History

Second Semester

1. Art 701
2. Elective or Art History
3. Elective or Art History

Third Semester

1. Art 702
2. Elective or Art History

Fourth Semester

1. Art 703
2. Art 898

Fifth Semester

1. 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 Advisor

At the time of admission, each student is assigned a primary advisor, who will initially supervise her/his graduate program. Students should consult with the advisor at the beginning of the first term and at regular intervals throughout the program of study. This advisor 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 advisor.

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 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 advisor. 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 advisor 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 an Art Department 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 MA 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 8-10 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
Normally, no more than six units of work taken in unclassified post-baccalaureate status at this University may be transferred towards credit for the MA degree. All transfer of credit is done on a course-by-course basis by a Graduate Advisor and through Office of Graduate Studies authorization. This transfer should be arranged before the first semester of graduate studies begins.

Admission to the M.A. Program

Applications for classified status in the M.A. program are accepted beginning November 1, 2009 for admission the following fall. Applicants are required to file two separate applications, one to the University, and one to the Art Department. Applicants not completing both requirements cannot be considered for admission. Admission to classified status requires acceptance by both the University’s Graduate Studies Division and the Art Department Mailed applications must be postmarked by January 15, 2010, and hand-delivered applications must be received by noon on January 15, 2010. Please note that January 15 is a furlough day, and the office will not be open for staff to receive hand-delivered applications. Hand delivered applications and those with a postmark of January 16th or later will not be accepted after January 15, 2010. Also, the Art Department Office will be on a reduced schedule during January, so please plan accordingly. The furlough schedule is at the following URL: http://www.sfsu.edu/~news/announce/115.html.

To be admitted to the M.A. program, a student is required to have completed at least 18 units of upper division art history, or 18 units of upper division classes in related fields, and achieved a 3.5 average in the major and a 3.0 overall GPA. Admission to the program is highly competitive and it is not possible to admit all fully qualified individuals.

Please address or hand deliver applications to:

Art Department Graduate Secretary
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue
FA 265
San Francisco, CA 94132

I. University Application

A graduate admissions application is obtained by visiting the CSU mentor website at: http://www.csumentor.edu/AdmissionApp/. The University Admissions Office must receive the formal application for admission by January 15, 2010, 12:00 pm. The University Admissions Application requires 1 official copy of transcripts from all institutions of higher learning at-tended by the applicant.

II. Art Department Application

The Art Department's M.A. admission application requirements are listed below. All application materials must be submitted to the art department as a single package.

1. An undergraduate degree, which includes at least 18 units of upper division courses in art history, or related fields, with a 3.5 GPA.
2. A 3.5 grade point average in the major and a 3.0 overall average.
3. A completed Art Department MA Admissions Application form - DOC.
4. Transcripts (official or unofficial) from all institutions of higher learning at-tended must be submitted with the application. (The Art Department transcript requirements are in addition to the official transcripts required in the application to the University.) Applicants should note that transcripts will not be forwarded to the Art Department from the Admissions Office.
5. A two-page double-spaced Statement of Purpose describing the applicant's interests and background in art history, reasons for pursuing the MA degree, and reasons for seeking to attend San Francisco State University.
6. Three letters of recommendation from individuals qualified to testify to the applicant's capabilities and readiness to enter graduate study in art. The three letters should be signed, sealed and included with all other application materials.
7. A sample of the applicant's art history writing (a previous term paper may be submitted, exam answers may not be submitted for consideration).
8. Graduate Record Exams (GRE) General Test scores are required and will be evaluated in conjunction with applicant’s other qualifications (http://www.ets.org). The S.F. State ETS code is 4684; the art history major code is 2301. Additionally, an unofficial photocopy of the GRE score report should be included in the department application package in order to expedite application review.

III. International Applicants

If you are an international applicant the letters of recommendation, the statement of purpose and any other supplemental written documents must be translated into English. The Division of Graduate Studies requires the TOEFL exam for English language assessment, which has to have been completed in the past two calendar years.

Complete applications, as described above, must be received by January 15, 2010, 12:00 pm, in order to be reviewed by the Graduate Selection Committee for admission in the fall. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

We welcome your inquiry and wish you success in the event you apply. A strictly limited number of applicants can be admitted to the M.A. program and the process is highly competitive. Please be assured, however, that your materials will be carefully reviewed. Applicants will be informed of the status of their applications for fall 2010 admission around April 1, 2010.

Please view our FAQ section for frequently asked questions regarding the M.A. program and application requirements.

Contact Information:
Art Department Graduate Secretary
415-338-2177
artgrad@sfsu.edu