The Ph.D. program emphasizes research, theory and philosophical development, and applications of new knowledge in art and visual culture. The Ph.D. prepares students to be researchers, scholars, and leaders in the field of art education, including education in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, museums and community art centers, and other cultural institutions.
Check departmental information for any additional requirements.
A student seeking admission to the Ph.D. program in art and design education in the School of Art and Design must meet all requirements for admission to the Graduate School and have satisfied the requirements (or equivalent) for the M.S., M.A., or M.F.A. degree in Art at NIU. The student must also submit acceptable scores for the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations and show evidence of writing and English-language proficiency as defined by NIU Graduate School criteria.
Course Requirements
Completion of this degree requires a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate course work at NIU beyond the graduate credits earned toward the student’s master’s degree.
All students are required to complete a cognate of 12-15 semester hours in art or related fields such as education, anthropology, museum studies, visual culture, computer imaging, women’s studies, or statistical analysis, at or above the 600 level. These must be in addition to the core and tool courses. The student’s graduate committee in the School of Art and Design must approve the area(s) and the courses chosen to meet this cognate requirement in each case.
Elective Course Work (12-15)
Graduate course work may be taken in art and related areas of studies. The courses chosen to meet this requirement are subject to the approval of the student’s graduate committee.
A student must receive approval from their graduate committee to take the candidacy examination. The candidacy examination is a written examination based on the core courses and other graduate courses and may consist of cases, queries, or research problems. The examination is to be taken within one year of completion of the core courses. The assessment criteria and procedures are outlined below. Upon satisfactory completion of the candidacy examination the student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. A student who fails the candidacy examination may be granted the opportunity to take a second examination. Failure on the second examination denies the student admission to candidacy.
Dissertation Committee
Upon successful completion of the candidacy examination, a dissertation committee for the student will be nominated by the Art and Design Education Division of the School of Art and Design in consultation with the student, and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. This committee will consist of three to five graduate faculty members, one of whom will be designated as the dissertation director, and will meet the specifications of the Graduate School.
Oral Dissertation Defense
A final oral examination related to the dissertation is required and is conducted in accordance with the general requirements of the Graduate School.
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