Ph.D. Requirements

The Ph.D. in the History of Art and Architecture is an advanced degree for those whose goal is professional scholarship, teaching, and curatorial work. Because of physical and financial limitations and the demanding nature of doctoral course work, especially the writing of a dissertation, we accept into the Ph.D. program only those students who have demonstrated superior abilities in their previous course work.

1. Admission to the Ph.D. Program
Students with an M.A. from the University of Virginia’s program in Art and Architectural History must have the explicit approval of the faculty member who will serve as their dissertation director. They must also submit a letter to the Graduate Director requesting permission to proceed to the Ph.D. program. Ordinarily this letter is due by February 15th of their fourth semester of course work. The Graduate Committee reviews students’ applications and advises them of their standing as potential Ph.D. candidates. A majority of the faculty must approve admission to the Ph.D. program, and their approval is contingent on the completion of all requirements for the Master’s degree.

Students with an M.A. in Art History or Architectural History from another program may also be admitted to the Ph.D. program, and are welcome to apply. Incoming Ph.D. students should be prepared to make up any aspect of their graduate work that fails to meet the standards set by the Program’s own M.A. requirements. Deficiencies will be determined by the Graduate Admissions Committee and will be specified upon admission. A visit to the University prior to admission may be required.

Students with an M.A. from the Master’s Program in Architectural History from the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia follow the same procedure for admission to the Ph.D. program in the History of Art and Architecture as external applicants.

2. General Requirements
The Graduate School requires a minimum of 54 graded credits (the equivalent of 18 courses) at the 5000 level or above.

3. Course Requirements
Upon departmental recommendation a transfer student with an MA may be allowed credit for up to 24 graded credits toward the 54 needed for a PhD degree.

4. Language Requirements
For Ph.D. candidates, reading knowledge of at least one language in addition to the M.A. language is required. The language is to be appropriate to the dissertation field and is to be defined in consultation with the dissertation director and the Graduate Director. Students should demonstrate their knowledge of the language by passing an examination no later than the end of the first semester of Ph.D. course work; they will not be allowed to take their field examination without successful completion of this requirement. Students will satisfy the language requirement by passing a test administered by one of the language departments at the University or by the Graduate Program and consisting of the translation (with the aid of a dictionary) of a prose passage. Depending on their field of specialization and in consultation with their dissertation director, candidates may also be required to demonstrate a working knowledge of other languages. Funding may be available for study in additional languages. Students lacking a second language will not ordinarily be admitted to the Ph.D. program.

5. Field Examination
Ph.D. candidates ordinarily take the Ph.D. Field Examination in the early Fall of their fourth year, after the completion of their course work. This is an oral examination of the student's major field and two minor fields. The major field includes the art and architecture of that field. A committee of at least three members, including the student’s dissertation director and ordinarily comprising faculty from both the Department of Art and the Department of Architectural History, conducts the exam. One member of the committee can be from outside the two departments. The student’s dissertation director and the Graduate Director appoint the examining committee in consultation with the student. Field proposals must be approved by the Graduate Committee, usually in the spring of the third year.

Students choose the major and minor fields for the Ph.D. Examination from among the following: Greek, Roman, Western Medieval, Byzantine, Italian Renaissance, Northern 15th and 16th Centuries, Baroque, Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century, American, Twentieth Century, South Asian or East Asian; in special circumstances minor fields may also include: Theory and Criticism, and Historical or Disciplinary Topics (e.g. Book Illustration, Perspective, Iconoclasm, etc.). One minor may be in another field or department. At least one minor field must be substantially removed in time and place from the major field.

It is particularly important that students discuss the scope of the examination with their committee members. With the help of the committee and other appropriate instructors, they can draw up a reading list and determine the chronological or other limits of the material on which they will be examined.

6. Dissertation Proposal
The broad area and subject of the dissertation should to a considerable extent govern the choice of courses in the Ph.D. program, and in general students should begin to think about their dissertation topics as early in their graduate careers as possible. In developing a dissertation topic students should consult closely with the dissertation director. At least one Ph.D. reading course focused on developing the dissertation topic should be taken with that faculty member, as well as the dissertation proposal course (ARAH 8095).

In consultation with their dissertation director, doctoral students write a dissertation proposal of no more than ten pages excluding the bibliography that outlines the question and scope of the dissertation, discusses the state of research, and offers a summary of proposed chapters or overall organization. A research plan including travel requirements may be submitted separately. The proposal must be reviewed and approved by the dissertation director before it is submitted to the Graduate Committee for final approval. Students ordinarily submit their dissertation proposal to the Graduate Director and the Graduate Committee by the end of their third year. When the Committee has approved the proposal, it will be circulated among the faculty, who may offer comments or suggestions.

The dissertation committee must comprise at least four members: three faculty from the program in Art and Architectural History and one faculty member from another department in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, who serves as the representative of the Dean of Arts and Sciences at the dissertation defense. The dissertation director serves as the first reader and chairs the committee and the oral examination. The dissertation committee is formally appointed by the Department Chairs in consultation with the Graduate Committee, the candidate, and the dissertation director.

7. Dissertation and the Defense
In form the dissertation should follow accepted scholarly usage, as stipulated in the MLA Style Sheet, second edition, or standard up-to-date guides to usage (such as the Chicago Manual). The abbreviations should be those prescribed in the Art Bulletin or the American Journal of Archaeology. Other, more specific dissertation requirements, including those of format, are to be found in the Graduate Record of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Strict adherence to them is expected of the final copies submitted to the Graduate School.

After the acceptance of the dissertation by the first and second readers, an oral defense is scheduled. In order to avoid last-minute problems of revision, the defense should be scheduled well in advance of the final submission date of the semester in which the degree is to be conferred. All members of the Department are invited to the defense. Students may be invited at the candidate’s discretion. Five copies of the dissertation and abstract (one for each committee member and one for the Department) must be available not later than three weeks before the date of the examination.