About PhD Program,
The PhD program in History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh trains new generations of thinkers and professionals. By developing skills in critical thinking, original research, public speaking, effective writing, interdisciplinary study, and transcultural learning, students advance our program’s fundamental goal, which is to produce new art historical knowledge that is rigorous, responsible, and engaged. The program’s diversified training prepares students for careers in research universities, teaching colleges, museums and galleries, nonprofit organizations, and related settings. We prioritize academic and professional opportunities that promote equity and inclusivity and allow our graduate students to gain experience in teaching, museum work, collaboration, mentorship, and community engagement. We also tailor graduate instruction and mentorship to individual needs and aspirations as we enable our students to find fulfilling post-graduate careers in the United States and elsewhere around the globe.
The Department of History of Art and Architecture emphasizes learning and innovative research through our Constellations framework, which fosters faculty-student collaboration in the classroom and beyond on themes that inform the discipline’s most adventurous and generative work. These themes are deliberately fluid and open to change, and we welcome new areas of inquiry to continue growing the intellectual and experiential scope of our program. Constellations collaborations between faculty and graduate students have resulted in exhibitions, digital humanities projects, symposia, seminars, publications, field trips, and community engagement efforts. Applicants to the program are therefore encouraged to consider how, given their interests, they might contribute to our Constellations and the many research and professionalization initiatives offered by our program. We also urge applicants to contact potential advisors before applying to discuss your interests and find out more specific information about how they can be accommodated. Our list of faculty, their email addresses, and information about their research and teaching may be found here on our website. You may also contact the Director of Graduate Studies who will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Students in our graduate program enjoy five years of fully funded, year-round support regardless of whether they enter with a BA or an MA degree. Because ours is solely a PhD program, we do not admit applicants seeking a terminal MA degree, nor do we offer advanced degrees in Architectural Practice or Design. Students entering without an MA in the discipline from another approved institution are expected to complete an MA degree in the second year of our program as a stepping-stone in their progress toward the PhD.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
3.0 is recommended GPA
Incoming students are admitted directly into the doctoral program. For students entering without an approved master’s degree, the MA is earned in the second year as a step toward the doctorate. Students entering with an MA in history of art and architecture from another institution may have this requirement waived pending approval from their advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.
All graduate coursework done before the MA counts toward PhD requirements. Students who have been admitted into the Film and Media Studies PhD with a concentration in History of Art and Architecture must satisfy degree requirements for both programs (for more information please visit the Film and Media Studies website). Requirements for the PhD include:
The PhD requires a total of 72 credits.
PhD Funding Coverage,
Normally all full-time students are fully supported with a multiyear package of support for up to five years. These packages consist of teaching assistantships or fellowships that pay tuition and fees plus a stipend for living expenses; aid is guaranteed for the duration of the package provided the student makes satisfactory progress toward the degree.
Two-term support during the academic year varies slightly according to how advanced students are in the program and what type of fellowship they hold, but the average two-term stipend for a TA or TF is currently around $25,000-$26,000 (including health insurance), to which we are now in a position to add a term of support in the summer. Most if not all of our incoming students receive a single-year fellowship in their first year free of work duties (such as teaching or serving as a research assistant). In some instances we are able to offer additional years of work-free fellowship support. Entering students are also eligible to compete for University fellowships, such as the one-year Provost’s Humanities Fellowship, the one- or two-year Leroy Irvis Fellowship (for underrepresented minorities), and the three-year Chancellor’s Chinese Fellowship (open to students in Chinese art history).
Continuing students also have many fellowship opportunities awarded by competition, including the one-year Mellon Fellowship, the Culture Studies Fellowship, and the University’s many Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) grants. In recent years, virtually all of our PhD students have won at least one full year of fellowship support from these sources. Generous summer travel research funds include the $3000 Graduate Dean’s Summer Research Travel grants, the Friends of the Frick Fine Arts Travel Grant, and the Dietrich Summer Research Fellowship; these are also available to continuing students. Summer monies can be used to travel to collections, improve language skills, or engage in any other professional enhancement necessary to furthering the student’s career goals.
Students are also actively mentored in the process of grant writing. Our students have had notable success in winning national and international fellowships, for example, from the Center for Advanced Study of Visual Arts in Washington, D.C., the Georgia O’Keeffe Center in Santa Fe, the College Art Association, the Kress Foundation, and the Berlin Program for Advanced German & European Studies.
Teaching assistantships are carefully controlled to require no more than 20 hours per week of the student’s time. Duties vary from grading only to teaching stand-alone courses. In some cases, TA/TF positions are used for curatorial work in the University Art Gallery or in the Visual Media Workshop (our center for digital humanities research), or for research assistant positions.
For more details on fellowships and teaching assistantships, see the Graduate Handbook.
Application Requirement,
- A Personal Statement.
- A Sample of Academic or Scholarly Work.
- Electronic Copies of Transcripts.
- Three Letters of Recommendation.
we do not use GRE (Graduate Record Exam) scores as criteria for admission. GRE scores submitted as part of the application will not be reviewed.
Application Deadline,
Dec 15, 2024
Application Fee,
Please refer official website
