The Master of Arts in Art History and Visual Culture offers a broad education in art history including preparation for a Ph.D. degree program. It also helps to prepare students for a graduate library degree with a specialization in art history as well as a variety of positions including community college professor, researcher, museum curator, art administrator, conservator, and visual resource librarian. Two tracks allow students to specialize in either Research or Applied Practice.

Additional information is available in the Department of Art and Art History  Office and on the department website: www.sjsu.edu/art.

University Admission Requirements

Applicants must submit a complete graduate application by applying through the CSU Cal State Apply system and meet all the university admission requirements .

Depending on their level of preparation, applicants can be admitted in either classified or conditionally classified standing.

Admission to Graduate Standing - Classified Standing

In addition to the university admission requirements , applicants must meet requirements for their area: 

• Research in Art History and Visual Culture: completion of 30 or more college-level semester units or equivalent in Art History courses with a minimum 3.0 GPA. At least 18 units should have been in upper-division Art History courses. Courses in related academic areas will be assessed in reviewing the qualifications of applicants. Reading knowledge of a foreign language related to the subject of the intended thesis research is strongly recommended.

• Art Criticism and Applied Practice: completion of 30 or more college-level semester units or equivalent in Art History courses with a minimum 3.0 GPA. At least 18 units should have been in upper-division Art History courses. Courses in related academic areas will be assessed in reviewing the qualifications of applicants.

Applicants from countries in which the native language is not English must achieve a minimum English-language proficiency test score as indicated on the Graduate Program Test Requirements webpage.

Admission to Graduate Standing - Conditionally Classified Standing

Applicants who meet minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate Division but do not meet all other (programmatic) requirements (i.e., lacking prerequisites or GPA) may be admitted to conditionally classified standing. They will be advanced to classified standing when the Art History graduate advisor certifies they have satisfied all appropriate requirements.

Advancement to Candidacy

The university requirements for advancement to candidacy  for the master’s degree are outlined in the Graduate Policies and Procedures  section. Students should seek advancement to candidacy as soon as possible for their given program and on the advice of their graduate program coordinator. Graduate students may submit a Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form to the Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations (GAPE) office after satisfying the following: achieved classified status; completed a minimum of nine letter-graded units with all grades “C” or higher; fulfilled the Campus Graduate Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (CGGWAR) requirement; achieved a minimum cumulative and program 3.0 GPA, and, graduate within the seven-year time limit for degree completion. Graduate students must submit their petition no later than one semester prior to graduating. Courses that satisfy the CGGWAR are listed in the course requirements for the program.

Candidacy denotes that the student is fully qualified to complete the final stages of the MA - Art and is thus eligible to enroll in ARTH 299 - Master’s Thesis  or  ART 297B - Master’s Project . 

Additional departmental requirements for candidacy include:

• Secure commitment of three faculty members of the university, two of whom must be members of the Art and Art History faculty, to serve as members of the student’s MA - Art project or thesis committee, with one regular Art faculty member agreeing to serve as chair. For candidates in Art History and Visual Culture, the chair of the committee and at least one other committee member must be art historians. This committee must approve the student’s proposed program for the MA - Art degree no later than one month prior to the end of the semester preceding the one in which enrollment in the final project or thesis course(s) is planned.

• Submission of a proposed curriculum program conforming to university and departmental requirements. The proposed program must be approved by the Art graduate committee before the student may be considered for the MA - Art. The proposed program must list a total of 30 semester units, of which at least 15 must be in courses at the 200 level. The proposed program must include the required seminars and ARTH 299 - Master’s Thesis  or ART 297B - Master’s Project . Electives to complete the 30 units may be drawn from approved 100 and 200-level courses.
• Passage of the first of two comprehensive exams and the language exam.

Program of Study Requirements

Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, GPA, and culminating experience requirements as outlined in the Graduation Requirements  section of the Graduate Policies and Procedures . Students must comply with all other graduate requirements contained in this catalog.

Course Requirements

• Core Course Requirements for Both Tracks: There are 3 foundation courses required for all MA Art History & Visual Culture candidates: ARTH 175 , ARTH 275 , ARTH 277 . 

• Additional course requirements in the two areas or tracks are as follows:​

  • Research in Art History and Visual Culture: 18 Units of Upper Division Courses focusing on research methods. Students following the track in Research in Art History and Visual Culture must demonstrate reading knowledge of a foreign language related to the subject of the intended thesis research. The student must also pass a two-part comprehensive written examination designed to test general competence in Art History and Visual Culture. The second part of the exam is based on the candidate’s thesis proposal once that has been approved by a pre-thesis committee. Attainment of candidacy and eligibility to enroll in ARTH 299 - Master’s Thesis  will be contingent upon satisfactory completion of all comprehensive and language examinations.

  • Art Criticism and Applied Practice: 18 Units of Upper Division Courses focusing on applied practice. Two of the upper-division courses may be taken in studio art or, with graduate advisor approval, outside of the department. The student must also pass a two-part comprehensive written examination designed to test general competence in Art History and Visual Culture. Attainment of candidacy and eligibility to enroll in ART 297B Master’s Project  will be contingent upon satisfactory completion of all comprehensive examinations. 

Culminating Experience

Thesis Requirements

• Research in Art History and Visual Culture:

  • Students following the track in Research in Art History and Visual Culture must develop a thesis proposal and enroll in ARTH 299 - Master’s Thesis .
    • The thesis must meet university requirements as stipulated in this catalog and in the SJSU Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines. It will be written under the guidance of the candidate’s thesis committee chair with the assistance of the thesis committee.
  • Thesis Examination: The candidate must successfully pass a final oral examination based on the Master’s Thesis.
• Art Criticism and Applied Practice:
  • Students following the track in Art Criticism and Applied Practice must develop a proposal for an applied research project and enroll in ART 297B Master’s Project .
  • Thesis Examination: The candidate must successfully pass a final oral examination based on the Master’s Project.