About PhD Program,
The Ph.D. Program in Art History at the Graduate Center, established in 1971, aims to be the most progressive and public-facing department for the study of art history and visual culture in North America. Our graduates go on to do impactful work in academia, museums, education, and publishing.
The Program’s main strength is the study of Modern and Contemporary art, including Latin American, Latinx, and Art of the Americas. For a list of other cluster areas, see here.
Our distinctiveness lies in a shared set of beliefs and attitudes:
- No ivory tower: the Graduate Center Ph.D. Program in Art History promotes public-facing research for and from the City of New York and globally.
- No pre-existing canon: students frame their own major and minor in tandem with faculty expertise.
- No passive learning: seminars are high-level incubators for faculty and student research.
- No competitive ethos: research is understood as shared and collaborative, for the greater public good.
- No teaching assistantships: students devise and teach their own courses–often advanced-level classes– at one of the CUNY colleges, serving and learning from a diverse body of undergraduates.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
Most applicants have majored in art history as undergraduates. If you have not majored in art history, then we need to see at least 12 credits in art history on your transcript(s), and with excellent grades.
To earn a Ph.D. in Art History, students are admitted with either a B.A. or M.A. degree. In general, the requirements for the degree include the following:
In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the Art History program, students can choose to complete a Certificate Program. The Graduate Center’s Interdisciplinary Certificate Programs include: Africana Studies, American Studies, Demography, Film Studies, Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, Medieval Studies, Renaissance Studies, and Women’s Studies. Students who fulfill the requirements of a certificate program have this noted on their transcripts when they graduate.
PhD Funding Coverage,
Our standalone Ph.D. Program in Art History is fully-funded for five (5) years of study. We only accept applications for the fall semester and do not offer spring admission. While providing an exact acceptance rate is difficult due to the complex nature of doctoral applications, admission to the program is generally highly competitive. Between 2021 and 2023, we received an average of 115 applications per cycle for an entering class of 8. We offer generous funding packages to all entering students, which include in-state tuition remission and fees, an annual stipend, and eligibility low-cost individual or family NYSHIP health insurance.
For 2023-2024 academic year, the Graduate Center Fellowship stipend amount for entering students was $29,374. Each student admitted with GCF is expected to serve as research assistant to one of the faculty members in their first year, and to teach one course per semester at one of the CUNY colleges between years two to five. Students from traditionally underrepresented groups who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents may also be offered the Provost’s Enhancement Fellowship, in the amount of $39,374 (in addition to in-state tuition remission) for the most recent academic year. Additionally, each year we also offer tuition fellowships to students pursuing full-time careers, which cover the entire cost of attendance, but do not include a stipend.
Application Requirement,
- A completed application form
- Three letters of recommendation, preferably from a professor of art history or related fields, rather than from employers (even if these are museum curators or magazine editors, and more recent)
- Transcripts from previous colleges or universities
- A writing sample, not more than 15 pages in length (including notes, bibliography, and images)
- A 1-2 page applicant statement discussing your past education and experience, academic and professional plans, and reasons for wishing to undertake graduate work
Please do not send these items to the Ph.D Program in Art History directly. They are processed by the Office of Admissions.
Application Deadline,
Jan 01, 2025
Application Fee,
Application fee (both doctoral and master’s) $75
