The M.A. in art requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate work. Students applying for the specializations in art history research or art history teaching must submit a sample of academic writing (e.g., a research paper for an academic course).
Check departmental information for any additional requirements.
Students who select the specialization in studio art must elect an area of study in studio (ARTS) and/or design (ARTD) courses and must pass a portfolio examination during the first academic year or prior to the completion of 15 graduate semester hours for continuance in their M.A. degree program.
Students who choose to change the field of study to which they have been admitted must do so prior to the portfolio examination and with the approval of the faculty in the new field.
Students must take 3 semester hours in this course.
Additional Requirements
Students must register for ART 699 during the term of the one person exhibition or presentation and documentation. Continuous enrollment in ART 699 is required until the work is completed.
Documentation of the one-person exhibition or presentation and documentation (the format of the show and one copy of the documentation as approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee) and the approval of documentation form must be returned to the graduate coordinator’s office by the end of the term.
Approval of the M.A. one-person exhibition or presentation and documentation is by a majority of the student’s graduate advisory committee consisting of at least three members. The majority of the committee members must be regular faculty members at NIU; a majority should be members of the graduate faculty in the School of Art and Design; and the chair should be a graduate faculty member in the School of Art and Design and an appropriate specialist in the specific discipline.
Specialization in Art History Research
The specialization in art history research offers preliminary study for the doctoral degree for students intending to be professional art historical researchers and educators. Applicants with little background in art history but who have done exceptionally well as undergraduates in other disciplines will also be considered. Students in the specialization in art history research must: complete a minimum of 30 semester-hours of graduate work; complete a thesis or master’s research project; pass a comprehensive exam; and demonstrate a reading knowledge of one modern foreign language (traditionally, French, German, or Italian is the language chosen by students interested in pursuing doctoral study; however, another language may be substituted with the approval of the student’s graduate advisory committee). Students who have not taken ARTH 486 as an undergraduate must take ARTH 586.
Continuous enrollment in ARTH 699A or ARTH 699B is required until the work is completed.
Specialization in Art History Teaching at the Two-Year College Level
The specialization in art history teaching at the two-year college level provides preparation for teaching at the two-year college level where the doctoral degree is not required. Applicants with little background in art history but who have done exceptionally well as undergraduates in other disciplines will also be considered. Students in the specialization in art history teaching at the two-year college level must: complete a minimum of 30 semester-hours of graduate work; complete two qualifying essays; pass a comprehensive exam; and demonstrate a reading knowledge of one modern foreign language. Students who have not taken ARTH 486 as an undergraduate must take ARTH 586.
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