BA-PhD Track Timetable | MA-PhD Track Timetable | Language Requirement | Study Plan Requirement | Course Work | Major and Minor Comprehensive Exams | Dissertation Committee Selection | Dissertation Prospectus and Approval | Advancement to Candidacy | Dissertation Research, Writing and Defense

The Department of the History of Art and Architecture offers fully funded PhD fellowships for competitive candidates.

Please contact the Director of Graduate Studies for further details.

PhD Requirements

Forms for current PhD students are available on the Current Students blog Departmental Forms page. Policies for current graduate students are available in the Graduate Student Handbook.

PhD students in the Department of the History of Art & Architecture (HA&A) are required to fulfill the following departmental requirements, as well as those of the UO Graduate School, to receive the doctoral degree in art history. HA&A faculty members are scholars and teachers, easily accessible to all students and dedicated to mentoring graduates from the first year of course work to post-PhD career guidance. The HA&A faculty holds an annual review to ensure students are making satisfactory progress toward the degree.

Projected Timetables for Completing the PhD

BA-PhD Track Timetable

MA-PhD Track Timetable

For students entering the program with an MA in art and/or architectural history

*The UO Graduate School imposes a limit of seven years for completion of the PhD degree. Projected timetables are mapped to years with departmental funding support.

Language Requirement

Students should acquire a research capability in two foreign languages appropriate to their area of study as soon as possible in their academic program, unless otherwise approved by the student’s major advisor. All chosen languages must be approved by the student’s major advisor in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies.

Language proficiency is typically demonstrated in one of several ways, by:

1. Passing a written language exam given by the department

2. Providing an official transcript from the UO or elsewhere that shows satisfactory completion of the second or third year of college-level coursework in the language (as determined by the student’s major advisor in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies) with a grade of B or better in the previous five years, or

3. Presenting evidence of having achieved equivalent results on a standardized foreign-language placement test in the previous five years

The foreign language requirement may be waived for a student who has earned a high school diploma or higher degree that employed the target language as the primary language of instruction.

Study Plan Requirement

PhD students must submit their completed Study Plan to the Director of Graduate Studies by week 5 of spring term each year.

The Study Plan is in two parts and must be signed by the major advisor and the student:

1. The PhD Study Plan Form with itemized completed and anticipated coursework.
    
2. A one-page status report of the student's accomplishments in the current academic year and an outline of immediate future plans.
    
   1. Reports for first-year students (only) should identify the student’s major and minor fields of specialization, indicate the faculty members who will supervise the major and minor exams, and give a rationale for the plan.
       
   2. Reports for students who will be advanced to candidacy (only) should indicate the academic year in which they hope to use their three independent research GE terms and give a rationale for the plan.

The Director of Graduate Studies evaluates the plan and consults with the student and advisor if there are any questions or suggestions. The approved plan of study is signed by the Director of Graduate Studies and filed in the department office. The student and advisor each receive a copy of the approved plan.

By the time PhD students begin their second year of work in the program, they should have a good working relationship with their major advisor and an approved study plan. PhD students may choose a new major advisor at any point if they identify a faculty member who is a better fit for their interests and professional needs and who agrees to advise the student. Once the new advisor has agreed to advise the student, the student must let the prior advisor know and must alert the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Coordinator of the change.

Students should consult their major advisor on all aspects of their careers: successful and helpful strategies for course work, examinations, foreign language requirements, degree progress, interdisciplinary opportunities, reading groups, conferences, publication, research, writing and oral communication skills, professionalism, and career planning. All students are also welcome to consult the Director of Graduate Studies at any time on any matter.

Course Work

BA-PhD Track Requirements | MA-PhD Track | Major and Minor Requirements | Qualifying Paper | US Residency Requirement

BA-PhD Track Course Requirements

To fulfill the HA&A course requirements for the PhD, students admitted on the BA-PhD track are expected to take a total of 81 credits of graduate-level work beyond the baccalaureate degree, over the course of at least three calendar years. Of the 81 graduate-level credits required, at least 36 graduate credits must be in art history and taken for a letter grade. Students must take a minimum of 12 credits in their major area and 8 credits in their minor area.

Among the 36 graduate credits required in art history, 12 graduate-level credits must be taken in the first-year seminar series: Graduate Studies in Art History (ARH 611, fall), Seminar: [Topic] (ARH 607, winter), Seminar: [Topic] (ARH 607, spring). An additional 12 graduate-level credits in art history must be taken in three of four historic areas: prehistoric-ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern-contemporary. All students are encouraged to take advantage of the global breadth of courses offered in the department and are highly encouraged to take courses outside of their time period and primary geographical area of specialization. Students may petition to apply a thematic or nonperiod-specific course toward one of the distribution requirements if a substantial part of the student’s work in the thematic or nonperiod-specific course engaged the appropriate historic area in question.

Students must complete all required coursework before taking their comprehensive exams. All PhD students must register for a minimum total of 18 credit hours in ARH 603 Dissertation. Credits in Reading 605 or Dissertation 603 cannot count toward the 36 credits required in art history.

MA-PhD Track Course Requirements

(for students entering program with an MA in art and/or architectural history)

Students admitted on the MA-PhD track are expected to take a total of 81 credits of graduate-level work beyond the baccalaureate degree, over the course of at least three calendar years.* Of the 81 graduate-level credits, at least 36 graduate credits must be in art history and taken for a letter grade. Of these 36 credits, a minimum of 12 must be in graduate seminars (600-level), including ARH 611 (Graduate Studies in Art History) or its equivalent. While not required, all students are encouraged to take advantage of the global breadth of courses offered in the department and are highly encouraged to take courses outside of their time period and primary geographical area of specialization. Students must complete all required coursework before taking their comprehensive exams and must register for a minimum total of 18 credit hours in ARH 603 Dissertation. Credits in Reading 605 or Dissertation 603 cannot count toward the 36 credits required in art history.

*Students on the MA-PhD track may petition to waive some course work requirements to more quickly progress through the program. A maximum of 36 transfer credits may be granted for equivalent graduate-level coursework taken outside of the UO. Regardless of the number of transfer credits granted, however, all PhD students are required to take a minimum of 12 credits in their major area and 8 credits in their minor area after matriculating into the UO’s HA&A graduate program.

Major and Minor Requirements

Students are expected to declare major and minor fields of study and to identify the faculty members who will administer their comprehensive exams by the spring term of their first year. Students are required to take a minimum of 12 credits in their major field and at least 8 credits in their minor field at the graduate level (500- or 600-level) prior to taking their comprehensive exams.

The major field must be in HA&A; the minor field is typically in HA&A. With permission of the major advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies, the minor field may be in another discipline (e.g., classics, history, comparative literature, or environmental studies).

Qualifying Paper

The qualifying paper is a revised seminar paper that demonstrates the student’s ability to conduct independent research on a topic in her/his major field. It should show the student’s command of pertinent bibliographical and reference materials as well as her/his ability to critically evaluate and synthesize the current state of research on the subject. The qualifying paper must be approved by the student’s major advisor and a secondary HA&A faculty reader.

Students must submit the approved qualifying paper by the end of the term in which they complete their coursework requirements. Students may suggest potential secondary readers; however, the Director of Graduate Studies will balance requests against equity of faculty workload.

In the unusual case that the qualifying paper fails to satisfy the standards of the readers, the student will not be recommended to proceed in the doctoral program. In consultation with his/her major advisor, a student who is not recommended to proceed in the doctoral program may receive a terminal MA degree by revising and submitting his/her qualifying paper in accordance with the Graduate School’s standards for an MA thesis and by completing all departmental requirements for the terminal MA degree.

Visit the Current Students blog for additional information about the Qualifying Paper.

UO Residency Requirement

At least one full-time academic year—the residency year—must be completed at the UO. This year of residency will occur after the student has been admitted into the doctoral program. During this year of residency, the student is expected to make progress toward the degree by completing course credits and satisfying doctoral degree requirements. The residency year consists of three consecutive terms of full-time UO coursework toward the degree, with a minimum of 9 completed graduate credits a term. Courses in Research (601), Reading and Conference (605), and other individualized study options may be a part of the 9 credits, but the majority of the year of residency is expected to consist of regular graduate course work.

Major and Minor Comprehensive Exams

Students are required to complete all required coursework before taking their comprehensive exams. With approval of your advisor, you may sign up for Reading (ARH 605) credits to prepare for the comprehensive exams. You are required to complete two written comprehensive exams: one in your major field in HA&A and one in a minor field in HA&A (or another discipline with permission of the major advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies). The major comprehensive examiner must be your major advisor in HA&A. The minor comprehensive examiner must be another faculty member in HA&A (or in an outside department with permission of the major advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies).

The major and minor exams both consist of written exams and must occur within one week of each other within the same term. An oral exam will be held with the major and minor examiner within one week after the final written exam is completed and submitted.

Upon successful completion of the major and minor comprehensive exams, the faculty examiners will submit the signed PhD Exam Approval Form, along with a copy of each completed exam, to the Graduate Coordinator for archiving. Students who do not pass the oral examination must retake it the following term. Students who do not pass their oral exam on their second attempt may receive a terminal MA degree by completing all requirements for the terminal MA degree.

Visit the Current Students blog for additional information about Comprehensive Exams.

Dissertation Committee Selection

The student selects the dissertation committee in consultation with her/his major advisor. The committee is subject to approval by the Director of Graduate Studies and must follow the UO Graduate School’s Dissertation Committee Policy.

The dissertation committee typically consists of four members: the major advisor, two core members who are regular members of the department, and one institutional representative from a UO department other than HA&A.

The student should choose the dissertation committee and submit the names of its members to the department’s Graduate Coordinator, who will officially file the committee with the Graduate School once the student has advanced to candidacy.

Dissertation Prospectus and Approval

In consultation with her/his major advisor, the student is required to write and present a dissertation prospectus in a meeting with all dissertation committee members. With approval of the major advisor, a student may sign up for Research (ARH 601) credits to prepare the dissertation prospectus. The student, in consultation with all committee members, should set a date, time, and location for the meeting, and submit her/his dissertation prospectus to all committee members at least two weeks prior to the meeting. In the meeting, the student will deliver an oral presentation (20–25 minutes) introducing the prospectus, which will be followed by comments, questions, and discussion.

The student must bring the Dissertation Prospectus Approval Form to the meeting. The prospectus approval form must be signed by all committee members at the end of the prospectus meeting, and the student must return the completed form, along with a copy of the approved dissertation prospectus, to the Graduate Coordinator for archiving.

Within two weeks of receiving/submitting the approved dissertation prospectus and Dissertation Prospectus Approval Form, the home department and the student must submit a report to the Graduate School recommending advancement to candidacy, by following the sequential steps outlined in the “Dissertation Prospectus, Prospectus Approval, and Advancement to Candidacy” section of the Graduate Student Handbook.

Advancement to Candidacy

The student is responsible for ensuring with the Graduate Coordinator and her/his major advisor that all necessary paperwork is completed for advancement to candidacy. The student must be registered for at least three credits at UO in the term in which she/he advances.

Once the student is officially advanced to candidacy, her/his GE status (if applicable) will be raised to a GE III level. In the event that the GE level III stipend exceeds the GE's current stipend, there will be an increase in stipend as well. As soon as a doctoral student GE is advanced to candidacy, the Graduate Coordinator should work with the GE Coordinator to submit a PRF (payroll request form) to the Graduate School specifying that the student is advancing to GE III with the accompanying increase in stipend (if relevant).

Dissertation Research, Writing, and Defense

Once the prospectus is approved by all dissertation committee members, the student will be authorized to register for ARH 603 Dissertation credits with their major advisor. Students working toward a PhD must register for a minimum total of 18 credit hours in ARH 603 Dissertation.

During this time, students focus on dissertation research and writing. Students are expected to make regular appointments with their major advisor to report progress and ensure expectations are being met.

The student is required to defend her/his completed dissertation in an oral defense with all dissertation committee members. The student, in consultation with all committee members, should set a date, time, and location for the defense after the dissertation has been completed to the satisfaction of her/his major advisor and committee members. In the defense, the student will deliver an oral presentation introducing the dissertation, which will be followed by comments, questions, and discussion.

The student must bring the Dissertation Approval Form to the meeting. The dissertation approval form must be signed by all committee members following the completion of the defense. The student should return the signed dissertation approval form to the Graduate Coordinator for archiving.

The format of the final version of the PhD dissertation must follow the UO Graduate School guidelines.

The UO Graduate School imposes a limit of seven years from the time of matriculation at UO for completion of the PhD degree.

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