Admission to the Graduate Program

Authority to admit students to the Graduate Program in the History of Art and Architecture rests with the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The Graduate Program acts in an advisory capacity by reviewing applications and making recommendations on admission.

An applicant’s standing is enhanced by knowledge of French, German, Italian, or other languages appropriate to the applicant’s fields of interest.

DEADLINE

Deadline for applicants for admission and fellowships is now December 7.
All support materials must be received by December 7. This includes GREs, letters of recommendation, and writing sample.

Deadline for applicants for admission who do not wish to be considered for fellowships is also December 7.

1. Application Form

Application forms may be obtained via the Internet: www.virginia.edu/artsandsciences/admissions.html. However if you do not have access, please write to the Graduate Admissions Office, P.O. Box 400775, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4775. Forms should be returned to the same address. Admission to the program cannot be considered until all transcripts, letters of recommendation, and Graduate Record Examination scores are received. Applicants are urged to complete their files as soon as possible. In many cases students apply during the fall semester of their final undergraduate year; their transcripts are thus complete only through the junior year. It is therefore necessary that grades for the fall semester of the senior year be received as soon as they are available.

2. Graduate Record Examination

Graduate School regulations require that candidates take the verbal and quantitative aptitude tests of the Graduate Record Examination. There is no achievement test in the history of art. Superior scores are required for admission to the Graduate School. Applicants with GRE scores more than five years old may be required to take the test again. Receipt of recent GRE scores is necessary before applications can be reviewed and fellowships awarded. Consequently applicants are urged to take the tests as early as possible in the fall.

3. Letters of Recommendation

Ideally, applicants should request letters of recommendation from at least two teachers in the history of art and architecture. Letters from teachers in other academic fields are also suitable. Letters from non-academic sources are of little use. All letters of recommendation must be received by December 7.

4. Other Materials

All applicants should submit a sample of their best written work. Students will not be considered for fellowship funding without a writing sample.

5. Notification of Decision

Although some of the applications that have been completed in the fall semester may be processed early, most notifications of decisions will be made after March 15.

6. Visit the University

All applicants are encouraged to learn as much as possible about the University, and the Program in Art and Architectural History. A visit to the University is the best way to evaluate our program. Applicants with a master’s degree who wish to enter the Ph.D. program may be asked to come for an interview with the Director of Graduate Studies and faculty in appropriate fields before admission is granted.