U.C. Berkeley History of Art

The department offers a two-stage integrated master's and doctoral program (M.A./Ph.D.) in preparation for college teaching, writing, and specialized curatorial careers. Students are not admitted to work only for the M.A. degree, although it may be awarded to those pursuing work toward the Ph.D. after fulfillment of the Stage I requirements. Students who already hold an M.A. in the History of Art are admitted Post-MA, but are still required to complete breadth and language requirements as stated below in the Stage I program description below. Post-MA students usually apply to Stage II after one year of coursework. Students work closely with faculty in courses, seminars, and independent research projects to develop independent thought as well as a thorough knowledge of the field and its critical methods. Cross-disciplinary work in Berkeley's distinguished departments of languages and literature, history, philosophy, rhetoric, and the social sciences is strongly encouraged. In addition, students may opt for a more formal relationship with the departments of Film Studies and Women's Studies through their "Designated Emphasis" programs.

Students interested in MFA degrees in art should contact the Department of Art Practice; those interested in architecture and urban design should inquire about the programs in the College of Environmental Design.

Stage I of the MA/PhD Program
(leading to the Qualifying Paper or MA degree)

Stage I requires successful completion of:

Ten courses selected to meet breadth and course requirements
Two language exams or a series of acceptable language courses
Qualifying Paper
[NB: The MA degree is not required to begin Stage II or to receive a PhD degree, but many students do file for and receive the degree.]

Breadth Requirements. (May be satisfied by previous course work at the undergraduate level.)
1. Students of Western art: one upper division course or seminar in Asian art and in four of the following five areas: Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque (c.1600-1800), and Modern (c.1800-present).
2. Students of Asian art: one upper division course or seminar in each of the three Asian areas (Japan, China, and India/Southeast Asia), and at least two upper division courses or seminars in one or two of the areas of Western art listed above in (a).
Course Work. Ten 4-unit courses must be selected to fulfill the breadth requirements above (if necessary); at least five must be art history courses at the graduate level, including three graduate seminars (other than the proseminar) taught by department faculty. One course may be taken in connection with teaching (HA 300). The additional five courses may include upper division undergraduate courses; the proseminar designed especially for first year graduate students (HA 200); additional graduate seminars inside or outside the department; and individual study on selected topics (HA 299). Exceptional cases should be discussed in advance and approved by the Graduate Advisor. In general, students should consult with the Graduate Advisor about their schedules each semester until they are advanced to candidacy, to ensure that they are on track.
Languages. Two are required:
1. Students of Western art: German; and one other ancient or modern language as appropriate and determined by the Graduate Advisor. (Normally French, Italian, Dutch, Greek, Latin, Spanish, Russian, and Portugese)
2. Students of Asian art: one European language (normally French or German), and one major Asian language (normally Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, or Hindi); or two Asian languages (one from the previous list and one determined in consultation with the Graduate Advisor).
  
  These language requirements may be satisfied in any of three ways:
  1. By passing the departmental language examination;
  2. By passing with a grade of "B" or better an advanced literature course in the original language;
  3. For one of the two languages, by taking for credit two years of college-level courses in the language with grades of "B" or better; at least the last semester of this sequence must be taken at Berkeley.
3. Students of Ancient art: German (satisfied in one of the ways described above), Greek, and Latin. [N.B. German and either Greek or Latin are required to complete Stage I. The third language requirement, in addition to others as needed, must be mastered by the completion of the PhD.]
  The Greek and Latin language requirements may be satisfied in either of two ways:
  1. By passing the departmental language examination (three passages) in one or both languages;
  2. By passing with an average grade of B or better at least three years' coursework or equivalent in the first language, and at least two years' course work or equivalent in the second language. If the last semester of the sequence is not taken at Berkeley, the student must take and pass the departmental examination in that language.
The departmental language exams in German, French, and Italian are given three times a year: during the week before classes begin in the fall and spring semesters and during the last week of classes in the spring semester. No language exams are given during the summer. Each exam is two and a half hours long. The language exams consist of two passages, one of about 200 words which must be translated accurately and idiomatically into English, and another of about 600 words that must be summarized in an English paragraph of about 200 words. Examinations in other languages are arranged as necessary by the faculty member in charge in concert with the Graduate Student Affairs Officer (SAO). Sample exams are available in the department office.
During Orientation Week of the fall semester, all entering students are required to take the examinations in each of their two languages, unless they have already passed them, or are planning to pass one language under options (2) or (3) above. Students who do not pass a language exam are required to retake the exam each time it is offered until a passing score is acheived. Students of Western art who do not pass the German examination are expected to enroll in appropriate courses in German in their first semester of residence and continue to enroll until the departmental examination is passed. Normally, students in Western art should have satisfied both language requirements by the beginning of the third semester in residence.
Qualifying Paper or MA Thesis. At the appropriate moment, usually in the second or third year, students are required to produce a Qualifying Paper. This is normally a perfected version of a seminar paper or a paper evolving out of independent research. It is usually no longer than fifty pages, including footnotes and bibliography. It should demonstrate scholarly competence in the investigation of a limited problem. The Qualifying Paper is read and approved by three regular faculty members from within the department. Usually, the first two readers are actively involved in the preparation of the Qualifying Paper, with the third reader responding only after submission.
If you plan to receive an MA degree, the Qualifying Paper may also be submitted as an MA thesis. For this purpose, it must satisfy Graduate Division regulations. This means it must be approved by a committee of three readers, two of whom will normally be members of the Qualifying Paper committee, and one of whom must be from another Berkeley department. Applications for candidacy for the master's degree may be obtained from the Graduate SAO, and must be filed by the end of the fifth week of instruction in the semester that the degree is expected. All degrees are awarded in December or May.
Proceeding to Stage II.
1. Students enrolled in the MA/PhD program at Berkeley: The Qualifying Paper is submitted for discussion by the whole faculty as part of a general review of the student's work so far. For this review the student submits a petition, in the form of a letter, addressed to the graduate advisor outlining work accomplished in Stage I and plans for Stage II, including field of concentration, and requesting permission to begin Stage II. Petitions are accepted four times a year: September 15, November 15, February 1, and April 15.
2. Post-MA transfer students: Students must complete one year of course work, including at least two graduate seminars (other than the proseminar) with regular art history faculty. [N.B: All students, whether they are admitted as Post-MA or not, will have to fulfill the department's breadth requirements as described in Breadth Requirements, above] Post-MA students must petition to proceed by Sept. 15 of their second year. For this review the student submits a letter addressed to the graduate advisor outlining graduate work accomplished to date and plans for Stage II, including the field of concentration, and requesting permission to begin Stage II. The basis for this review will be the MA thesis (or equivalent), and two seminar papers submitted to department faculty in the prior year.
Length of Stage I. For students in Western art (other than Ancient), good progress means completion of Stage I in two years, or two years and a summer; for Asian or Ancient art, three years. (Although it is not required, students should expect to spend summers studying languages, working on the Qualifying Paper, or traveling to study works of art.)

Stage II of the M.A./Ph.D. Program
(leading to the Ph.D. degree)

Dissertation Prospectus/Colloquium. As the first part of Stage II, a student prepares a written proposal that defines the scope, approach, and rationale of the dissertation. This is the point at which a student formalizes the choice of dissertation advisor(s), who consult on the preparation of the prospectus and help the student devise a plan of study toward the PhD Qualifying Exam. The prospectus is presented to a faculty committee for review. Further discussions and suggestions take place at a colloquium which is scheduled to take place four to six months prior to the qualifying examination. This Colloquium Committee, nominated by the student and approved by the Graduate Advisor, consists of two or more faculty members from History of Art and one or more from an outside department (who must be a Berkeley Academic Senate member) for a total of four. At the colloquium, the precise scope of the examination is also reviewed and determined. This involves selection of a general field for the exams, special topics, and a related outside subject, which together provide the appropriate background for dissertation research. Be sure to speak to the Graduate SAO in advance of the colloquium so that all forms and requirements by Graduate Division are submitted at the appropriate intervals.
Registration Requirements. During Stage II students are expected to register for 12 units each semester. You may enroll for lecture courses or seminars inside or outside the department; language courses; HA 296 (dissertation research); HA 299 (special study); HA 300 (taken in conjunction with GSI appointments); and HA 602 (individual study for the qualifying exams). You may also formally withdraw from the university if you plan to be traveling while conducting research, although withdrawal will have a variety of consequences. See the Graduate SAO for advice prior to any major change in registration status.
Additional Languages. More than two languages are often necessary for research in a student's general field. These additional language requirements are determined by the graduate advisor in consultation with the student and the Colloquium Committee. For students of Medieval art, Latin or Greek is required.
Qualifying Examination. The examination is conducted by a 5-member committee nominated by the student and advisors, and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate Division on behalf of the Graduate Council. (This committee is normally the Colloquium Committee plus a chair, chosen by the student, from this department.) The exam consists of one 4-hour written part followed by an oral examination within a few days, and includes consideration of specific works of art, sources, and the state of scholarship in the field. The examination tests the student's basic knowledge of a general field, detailed knowledge of special topics within it, and the ability to integrate studies in an appropriate outside field with work in the History of Art. When the qualifying exam is passed and appropriate forms are filed at Graduate Division, the student is formally advanced to candidacy. The only further requirement is the dissertation. [N.B. All students must advance to candidacy by June 30 of their fourth year, or future funding options may be severely limited. This will usually entail scheduling exams to take place prior to the end of the spring semester.]
[N.B. Exceptions to any of the stated requirements concerning membership on a Colloquium, Qualifying Exam or Dissertation Committee must be discussed in advance with the Graduate SAO to ensure that all campus and department regulations are met.]
Dissertation. The dissertation is a book-length study of a problem in the history of art written under the supervision of a dissertation committee nominated by the graduate advisor following consultation with the student. The committee consists of three Academic Senate members from the Berkeley campus, one of whom must be from an outside department. Dissertation chapters should be submitted to the committee, together with appropriate illustrations, as they are written. Normally the committee must receive the entire dissertation, with illustrations, at least three months before the filing deadline.
Dissertation Writing Colloquium (HA 296). To break down the isolation of writing, establish dialogue among advanced graduate students, and encourage productivity, all students in residence who have passed their qualifying exams and have written at least a first chapter of the dissertation are expected to take part in this colloquium, which will meet at regular intervals under the direction of a member of the faculty. At each meeting one student will present a dissertation chapter which will have been circulated and read in advance by all colloquium members. The author will briefly outline the aims, methods, results, and significance of the chapter submitted and how it relates to the general plan of the dissertation. With an eye toward both encouragement and improvement it then will be discussed critically by the colloquium. Specific meeting information will be distributed each semester.
Annual Review of Ph.D. Candidates. All doctoral students at the dissertation stage must meet annually with at least two members of the dissertation committee to review and evaluate progress on the dissertation and to plan for the next year. Non-resident students may complete the process by mail.
Exchange Scholar Program. Doctoral students with superior academic records may study for a limited period at Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, or Yale, if the resources of these universities will enrich their programs. See the Graduate SAO for information.
Length of Stage II. Good progress means one year to the qualifying exam, plus three or four additional years for research and completion of the dissertation. (Total time for Stage I and Stage II is six to seven years—seven to eight for students in Asian or Ancient art.)