Art History Master of Arts (MA)

The mission of the graduate program in Art History at Wayne State University is to train the next generation of scholars, curators, and arts professionals. We are committed to providing an excellent public education that offers access to leading scholars in the field, small class sizes, rigorous requirements for research and writing, and the cultural resources of world-class arts institutions in Detroit. We uphold longstanding methods of art history, while encouraging students to develop new theoretical approaches based on first-hand examination of objects and informed analysis of critical texts and visual culture. At Wayne State University we believe that art history is most effectively taught in a diverse environment where students are exposed to different ways of seeing, writing, and speaking about art and visual culture.

The Art History graduate program includes courses that address a wide range of topics, from classical to contemporary, in the history and theory of the field and offers opportunities for engagement with world-class arts institutions such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, the fifth largest art museum in the nation, Cranbrook Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit,and other institutions that are part of the rich urban fabric of Detroit. Many of the program's students and alumni hold positions in galleries, museums, and arts organizations, or subsequently enter doctoral programs.

Degree overview, policies, procedures

An applicant must meet Graduate School requirements as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin plus departmental requirements to be considered for admission to the Art History graduate program.

Graduate Bulletin - Art History M.A. overview

Degree requirements

M.A. candidates may choose either of two plans to complete the degree requirements: Plan A (Thesis) or Plan B (Essay). 

Graduate Bulletin - Program requirements

International applicants must complete the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor's degree, including all state and external/internal examinations required for the degree. Some three-year general degrees (from Canada, India, Pakistan, France, Lebanon, etc.) may not be equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree. However, if you have completed an honors degree, additional undergraduate coursework beyond the three-year bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree, you may be considered for admission.

If you are applying to a master's program, your minimum undergraduate GPA must be 2.75 or its equivalent in upper division coursework. If you are applying to a doctoral program, your minimum undergraduate GPA must be 3.0 or its equivalent in upper division coursework.

Submit your transcript(s)

To begin the application review, upload unofficial copies of English-translated international transcripts from all post-secondary educational institutions from which you earned a bachelor's degree or higher, including Mark Sheets, if applicable. If you are admitted, you must submit an official course-by-course academic evaluation of your completed bachelor's degree.

Demonstrate English proficiency 

Non-native speakers of English must demonstrate English proficiency by meeting the minimum requirements. You are required to submit an official qualifying score meeting minimum Graduate School requirements. Send official test scores to Wayne State University Graduate Admissions, using the school code 1898.

To begin the application review, upload an unofficial copy of your English proficiency test score(s). Once admitted, an official test score must be submitted to Graduate Admissions.