ARTH Grad Program Current

 

Rules And Regulations (Revised and approved May 21, 2003): The University of Delaware’s Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogue contains the basic rules and regulations governing graduate work throughout the University, especially under the heading Academic Regulations for Graduate Students. These rules are available in the catalogue printed each year, and also online at:

http://udcatalog.udel.edu/general/grad.html.

The following provisions explain the particular features of the Department of Art History’s graduate programs, based upon and consistent with the University Catalogue.

I. Admission and Financial Support

Admission to the M.A. Program

Those seeking admission to the Master of Arts program in Art History must hold, or be a candidate for, the bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, and must give evidence to the Graduate Office of the University and to the Department of having completed that degree prior to enrollment. Students will normally have completed an undergraduate major in art history, or at least show extensive preparation across a wide range of areas within the field. To be considered, an application form must be presented, along with a brief personal essay discussing the applicant’s reasons for pursuing graduate work in art history, plans, and special interests within art history, letters of recommendation from three persons familiar with the applicant’s academic work, the Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), official transcripts from all institutions attended, and a writing sample. The writing sample will normally be an academic essay bearing upon the history of art or a related field. The writing sample should be what the applicant considers his or her best work in art history, demonstrating his or her ability to write cogently, to conduct art historical research, and to present a critical reading or interpretation. Applicants should also have a reading knowledge of either French, German, or Italian adequate to read art historical scholarship (see language requirements). The application must be postmarked by January 1 for admission during the next academic year, beginning the following September. Students are admitted only in the fall academic term.

Admission to the Ph.D. Program (revised March 2006; subject to approval in fall 2006 by A&S Senate)

Applicants to the Ph.D. program in Art History must have completed, or be in the process of completing, a Master’s degree. Usually this Master’s degree will be in Art History, although students with degrees in other fields, such as in History, American Studies, or Art may be considered, but must show extensive academic preparation in art history.

Those whose M.A. degree is from another institution must submit an application form, along with a brief personal essay discussing the applicant’s reasons for pursuing graduate work in art history, long-term goals, special interests within art history, letters of recommendation from three persons familiar with the applicant’s academic work, the Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), official transcripts from all institutions attended, and a writing sample. The writing sample will normally be an academic essay bearing upon the history of art or a related field. The writing sample is particularly important. Although it is not a requirement that the writing sample deal with material related to the applicant’s proposed area of specialization, it is essential that it demonstrate the candidate’s ability to write well and pursue art historical research at a high level. Applicants should also have a reading knowledge of German and either French or Italian adequate to read art historical scholarship (see language requirements). The application must be postmarked by January 1 for admission during the next academic year, beginning the following September. Students are admitted only in the fall academic term.

Applicants to the Ph.D. program who are currently completing requirements for the M.A. degree in Art History at the University of Delaware, must obtain a “Request for Permission to Continue Studies toward Ph.D. Degree” form from the Departmental office and submit it to the Director of Graduate Studies on or before January 1 of the year in which they hope to begin doctoral studies.

Whether receiving their M.A. degree at Delaware or at another institution, students admitted into the Ph.D. program are not permitted to register for courses in the doctoral program nor to receive financial aid unless they have already officially obtained their M.A. degree prior to the first day of classes of the semester in which they are to begin Ph.D. coursework.

Fellowships, Assistantships, and Scholarships

The Department of Art History, the Office of Graduate Studies, and several outside donors and/or agencies offer a number of graduate fellowships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and tuition scholarships. All of these awards are determined each spring by means of competitive application. Applicants for admission to the program must indicate their wish to be considered for financial aid with their application. Continuing students in the program must indicate their request for financial aid in the coming year by February 1.

All graduate fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships are accompanied by a grant of the full cost of tuition and include a stipend. Tuition scholarships carry no stipend. It is the policy of the Department to limit financial support to two years for M.A. candidates, and to three years for students who enter the Ph.D. program with the M.A. in hand, either from Delaware or elsewhere. Financial support is awarded on a competitive basis, and will be continued only for students who are making good progress toward their degree (see below, for discussion of continuation in the program). The type of support, whether fellowship, teaching or research assistantship, or tuition scholarship, may vary from year to year. It is the Department’s expectation that all students who receive financial aid that includes a stipend will receive at least one full year of that support in the form of a teaching assistantship. Assignment as a teaching assistant or research assistant is an academic assignment, and failure to meet the expected standard of performance may result in the termination of the assistantship, and may also be considered as a factor in the student’s continuation in the program.

II. General Program Regulations

Foreign Language Requirements

The Department of Art History considers the ability to read scholarly works in foreign languages essential. All graduate students entering the M.A. program in the Department are expected to have upon enrollment or to gain at the earliest possible moment the ability to read German or French or Italian works in the history of art. All graduate students entering the Ph.D. program are expected to have upon enrollment or to gain at the earliest possible moment the ability to read German and either French or Italian works in the history of art. In special cases, where the student's special area of research warrants, a different language, such as Spanish or Latin, may be substituted for one of those required, but in all cases Ph.D. students will need to demonstrate proficiency in German.

Foreign language proficiency will be tested by the Departmental language examinations. During a period of one hour, with the use of a dictionary, the student must translate a passage of art historical writing. The student will be expected to demonstrate a sound grasp of the language, including its grammar, as well as a familiarity with the basic art historical terminology in that language. The Department offers examinations in all three specified languages at specified times during the first weeks of the fall and spring terms, in September and February, and may also offer the examinations at other times. Entering students are expected to take the Departmental examination in at least one language in September of the year in which they enter the program, that is, immediately upon enrollment.

It is difficult to acquire knowledge of new languages while fully engaged in a demanding graduate program in art history. Students lacking sufficient language ability to satisfy the Department’s requirements should consider gaining such ability before entering the program, if necessary delaying application for admission until they have done so. Students will be expected to read materials in the required languages in their seminar work from the first semester of their first year of residence and must assiduously prepare themselves to do so prior to their arrival. Those who do not satisfy the foreign language requirement upon enrollment must present by October 1 of their incoming year to the Director of Graduate Studies and to the designated faculty coordinator of foreign language requirements a plan for achieving the required proficiency prior to the beginning of their second year of study. Failure to satisfy the foreign language requirement will be considered by the faculty when reviewing students' progress and when allocating financial aid. No student in the M.A. degree program will be admitted to the Ph.D. program until the M.A. language requirement has been satisfied, and no student in the Ph.D. program will be permitted to take the Ph.D. examinations, or to secure the approval of a dissertation topic, or to register for dissertation credits, until all language requirements have been satisfied.

Travel Grants for Graduate Students in Art History

If funds permit, the Department will provide some support for graduate students who are presenting papers at scholarly conferences, or conducting research with primary materials away from the University campus. Funds are awarded twice each year, on the basis of applications made to the Department, the deadlines for the receipt of applications being October 15 and April 15. Applications should be made using the form provided by the Department office, conference and research travel grants having separate forms. Applications will be considered competitively. Any grant awarded must be spent within one year from the date of notification of the award to the student, or the grant will be rescinded. Students are also advised that grants may also be available from other units of the University, such as the Office of Women’s Affairs.

Conference Travel:

The Department encourages students to present papers at scholarly conferences. Students who wish to do so are advised to consult with their adviser or advisers in preparing an abstract, and in preparing the paper for presentation. The Department will consider providing funds for travel and registration only, not for food or lodging. No student will be awarded more than five grants for conference travel support during their career in the Department, and no student will receive total awards during their career in the Department exceeding $3000.

Research Travel:

The Department has some funds available to support travel for research. Awards are especially intended for, but are not altogether restricted to, research related to a dissertation topic. The Department will consider providing funds for travel and lodging only, not for food and other expenses. No student will be awarded more than five grants for research travel support during their career in the Department, and no student will receive total awards during their career in the Department exceeding $3000.

Special Problems and Independent Projects (ARTH 666, 860, and 866)

Individual or independent study courses under the designation ARTH 666 or 866 are intended for intensive investigation of a specific research problem that grows out of or is significantly different from a regularly-offered course. Such courses cannot normally be used to satisfy distribution requirements. It should be noted that these numbers are also used when students enroll in regularly-scheduled courses at other institutions, for example at Bryn Mawr College or the University of Pennsylvania. Such non-Delaware courses are encouraged, and with the approval of the student’s adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies may be used to satisfy distribution requirements. Such courses may not total more than 6 of the 24 credits required for the M.A. or 9 of the 24 credits required for the Ph.D. degree.

ARTH 860 (Reading and Research) and ARTH 964 (Pre-Candidacy Study) are intended for preparation for the Ph.D. examinations and will be marked on a Pass/Fail basis. These directed reading courses cannot be included in the 24 credits of course work required for the M.A. and Ph.D. and can only be taken either (1) in the last semester in which course work toward the 24 credits is being completed or (2) in the extra "study" semester between the completion of the 24 credits and the taking of the Ph.D. comprehensive examinations. ARTH 860, which is, of course, optional, will enable students on fellowship or with an assistantship to be enrolled full?time during a regular semester of graduate course work and/or the last semester before the Ph.D. examinations without having to take a full schedule of seminars. The function of this last semester would be guided reading for the exams.

Special permission forms for ARTH 666 and 866 are available from the Assistant to the Chair in the Department, and should be filled out by the student. These forms require the signature of the student's adviser, the faculty member agreeing to offer the course, and the Director of Graduate Studies, as well as the student. These approvals must be obtained prior to registering for the course.

Continuation in the Program

The progress of all students in the graduate program is monitored regularly by the Departmental faculty and by the Director of Graduate Studies. Graduate students in the Department of Art History will receive grades for each course in which they enroll. Grades are intended to convey the faculty member’s evaluation of the quality of students’ work. All students are expected to do work of a high standard, which will result in the grade of “A” (excellent) or “A-“ (very good) or at least “B+” (satisfactory). A grade of “B” indicates a quality of work markedly below this standard, while “B-“ indicates a very serious failure to meet expectations. Any student might receive one or even more than one “B” grade, but should take this assessment as a caution and an admonition, and should seek advice from the professor who assigned the grade, and/or from her or his primary faculty adviser as to attaining a higher level of performance. A significant preponderance of excellent and very good grades (”A” or “A-“) is an indication that at least in course work the student is making good academic progress. Failure to earn a significant preponderance of such grades indicates that the student is not making academic progress at the standard expected by the Department. A pattern of taking incomplete grades, especially if those incompletes are not finished promptly, also indicates that the student is not making academic progress at the standard expected by the Department.

Those students whose work taken as a whole falls below the expected high level of achievement, indicated through grading and in other assessments of performance, or who do not satisfy the requirements laid down by the Graduate Office or these Rules and Regulations will not be permitted to continue in the program. Termination because of sub-standard academic performance (which may include unsatisfactory performance of duties as a teaching or research assistant) will be preceded by written notification to the student by the Director of Graduate Studies that she or he is not making academic progress at the standard expected by the Department. The student will be given one semester in which to demonstrate adequate improvement, or to complete outstanding requirements. That is, students will be notified prior to the end of the free add-drop period of either semester that they must improve their performance during that semester or face termination in the program at the end of that semester. Normally, such formal notification will come at the beginning of the spring semester, but it may be given at any time of the year, if warranted. Students should meet with their primary academic adviser and with the Director of Graduate Studies as soon as possible after receiving such notification, so that the problem and the possible means of addressing the problem can be discussed. If the student fails to make adequate improvement, a recommendation to dismiss the student from the program will be by vote of the Department faculty, and will be conveyed to the Graduate Office for action (see Graduate Student Probation and Dismissal Policy in the University Catalogue).

III. THE M.A. PROGRAM

Requirements for the M.A. Degree

Requirements for the M.A. degree in Art History consist of 24 credits of course work plus 6 thesis credits, satisfactory completion of the foreign language requirement (i.e. demonstrated reading knowledge of either German, French, or Italian), and satisfactory completion of the Master’s Thesis.

All students will be required to take 24 credit hours, of which at least 18 hours must be Art History graduate courses, with at least one course (excluding 666 and 866 courses) in five of the six designated areas of art history (see below). Beyond the required 18 credits in regular Art History graduate courses, the other 6 hours may be selected from additional Art History seminars or independent study courses or a combination of these. With prior permission from the Director of Graduate Studies, students may substitute one or more courses in such related fields as Anthropology, Early American Culture, Historic Preservation, History, Museum Studies, and Philosophy. A maximum of 9 graduate credits earned at another accredited institution may be applied toward the M.A. degree at Delaware. Upon the approval of the student’s primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies, Museum Studies, Historic Preservation, and Early American Culture courses may be considered as Art History courses rather than as “related fields” for the purpose of satisfying these distribution requirements. Candidates for the master's degree are required to register for a total of 6 credits of ARTH 869 THESIS credits, which are graded upon completion of the thesis.

The courses for the master's degree must be distributed in various fields. Each student must take, among the 24 credits (minimum requirement) of course work, at least one seminar or graduate-level (600 or 800) lecture course in five out of the six areas that follow: At the beginning of each semester, all Department of Art History courses will be identified as satisfying the requirement in one (or none) of these six areas. Students who wish to satisfy the distribution requirement with courses taken outside the Department of Art History must petition the Director of Graduate Studies in writing before enrolling in such a course, and must receive approval for the satisfaction of the distribution requirement by that course from the Director of Graduate Studies.

1. Ancient

2. Medieval and/or Northern Renaissance

3. Italian Renaissance

4. 17th and/or 18th Century

5. Modern (includes American art post-1945)

6. American

 

Master's Sustaining Credit

After the completion of all course and other degree requirements (including the foreign language requirement), and until the thesis is submitted to the Graduate Office, a master's candidate is required to register for sustaining credit as follows:

ARTH 899, Masters Sustaining (0 credits), is used when the student has left the University to complete his or her thesis. This registration is designed to ensure that the student is active until he or she completes the degree requirements. The student must register continuously until the degree is received.

Application for M.A. Degree

An application for the master's degree should be completed by the student and submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies at the beginning of the term in which he or she expects to receive the degree prior to the appropriate deadline announced by the Office of Graduate Studies. The Application for Advanced Degree form can be obtained at the Office of Graduate Studies, 234 Hullihen Hall, in the Department office, or on the web.

The Master's Thesis

The master's thesis (research essay) is intended to be a concise demonstration of the student's ability to carry out independent research and present his or her findings in a systematic and professional manner. The thesis may be, indeed most commonly is, an amplification of a research paper initially undertaken as part of one of the regular seminars. It could also be developed as a separate project. The thesis should be approximately 30-35 typed pages of text (7500-9000 words), excluding notes, bibliography, illustrations or other materials (i.e. the length of a journal article), and must be of excellent quality. In preparing the thesis students should be careful to follow closely the regulations published by the Graduate Office, including the deadlines for submission, which may vary annually. The completed Master’s Thesis should conform to the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. The University of Delaware’s Thesis and Dissertation Manual is available online at http://www.udel.edu/gradoffice/current/thesismanual.pdf or it may be purchased in the University Bookstore.

The master's thesis topic should be such that it can be researched and written within a six-month period or less. In order to complete the thesis in a timely manner, each student should select a topic by the end of the third semester of graduate study, at the latest. It is the responsibility of the student to propose a topic to a member of the faculty, and to secure the agreement of that faculty member to serve as first reader for a thesis on that topic. It is also the student’s responsibility to secure the agreement of a second reader. At least one of the readers must be a member of the Department of Art History at the University of Delaware. After identifying a thesis topic and finding two qualified readers, a brief prospectus should be composed by the student and presented to the primary faculty adviser and, if she or he approves, to the Director of Graduate Studies. The student will be notified by the Director of Graduate Studies of the approval of his or her thesis topic and proposed readers, or may be asked to revise the topic or proposal or seek a different reader or readers.

In order to be accepted as satisfying the requirement for the M.A. degree, the thesis must be approved by both readers. If so approved, and if the Chair of the Department is not one of the two readers, then the Chair also reads the thesis before it is submitted to the Graduate Office, with the Chair's signature signifying approval on behalf of the Department. Three copies should be submitted to the Department and then, after approval, to the Dean of the College of Arts and Science, and then to the Graduate Office. All three copies may be photocopies of good quality, except the illustrations. For these, one set must be photographic prints, and two sets may be photocopies; or all three sets of illustrations may be electronically scanned and printed, but the quality of these must be approved by the first reader and the Director of Graduate Studies. The minimum size of illustrations is 3-1/2" x 5", either in black-and-white or color.

IV. THE PH.D. PROGRAM

Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

The Ph.D. student is required to be in continuous residence at the University of Delaware and pursue a full-time program of study for a minimum of one year (two connected semesters or consecutive spring and fall semesters).

A minimum of 24 credits of graduate course work beyond the M.A. is required, with at least 18 of these credits to be in Art History seminar courses and the other 6 to be selected from additional seminars, graduate lecture courses, or independent study courses, or a combination of these. Six credits are to be in an area or areas of art history outside of the major and minor fields of concentration. In addition to the 24 credits of graduate course work, 9 dissertation credits are required.

After consultation with the student, the Director of Graduate Studies will assign the student to a member of the faculty, normally someone familiar with the student’s area of special interest, who will serve as a temporary adviser. After having successfully completed all course requirements and foreign language examinations, the student will seek to secure the agreement of one member of the faculty to serve as her or his adviser for the remaining degree requirements, the comprehensive examinations, and the dissertation. The faculty adviser should be someone familiar with the general area in which the student intends to take the major field examination and to write the dissertation. No faculty member is obligated to serve a student in this capacity; it is the responsibility of the student to secure the faculty member’s agreement to serve. After an advisement agreement has been established between the student and a faculty member, the Director of Graduate Studies will be notified by both, and will thereafter assist both in the formation of committees for the comprehensive examinations and the dissertation.

Comprehensive Examinations

Comprehensive Examinations New Version

(Approved by the University Graduate Studies Committee on March 11, 2005 and effective for all students entering the Ph.D. program in Fall semester 2005 and after. From September 1, 2005 all continuing Ph.D. students will have the option of choosing between old and new versions.)

The Ph.D. student is required to take the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination (including both major and minor field examinations) no later than the end of the second week of the second semester following the completion of Ph.D. course work, but not before having completed the Ph.D. course work and having satisfactorily completed the foreign language requirement. Successful completion of both parts of the comprehensive examination is required for admission to doctoral candidacy.

Both the major and minor field examinations are assessed as either passing or failing. An affirmative vote for a passing grade by a majority of the examiners is necessary for the examination to be considered passing. Should the student fail either the major field or the minor field examination, the student will be given an opportunity to take that portion only for a second time. (The part already passed need not be retaken.) The second attempt to pass the examination must be made not later than the end of the first semester after the first attempt to pass that portion. That is, for example, if an examination is failed at any point during the fall term, it must be taken again by the end of the following spring term. Failure to pass the examination on the second attempt will result in termination from the program effective at the end of that term. No third attempt will be permitted.

A student’s major and minor fields should be reasonably distinct from one another, separated by some combination of geography, time period, media, or other factors as appropriate. Definition of the major and minor fields, although proposed by the student, must have the approval of the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Students should indicate their intention to take the comprehensive examination at least four weeks in advance, using a special form available in the office. The major and minor examination may be taken with a computer by arrangement with the Assistant to the Chair in the Department.

A. Major Field New Version

The major field exam comprises written and oral components, both administered by an examining committee. The members of this committee will be determined by the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies after consulting with the student. Typically the examining committee will include the primary faculty adviser and two or three other members. At least two (of the total 3 or 4) must be faculty in the Art History Department or in another Department at the University of Delaware; one member of the committee should be a member of the Art History faculty who is not a specialist in the field being examined.

The written component of the exam is designed to test the student’s knowledge of the field (including works of art and significant themes and issues in the scholarship) and critical thinking. After consulting with the student the examining committee will define five to eight broad areas or themes that will guide preparation for the exam. Each area should encompass a broad segment of the field and command a substantial bibliography (e.g. the reception of antiquity in the Renaissance; nationalism in modern art; word and image in medieval art; portraiture and group portraiture in Dutch art; transcendentalism and American art). A bibliography usually containing 25 to 40 items (a mix of books and articles) for each theme will be prepared by the student and approved by the committee. The exam itself will consist of six questions designed by the examiners to engage the prepared areas. The student will be expected to answer three such questions within a period of six hours.

The oral component, a two-hour exam, will be held no more than one week after the written exam is completed. It may return to the questions posed in the written exam but is not restricted to them, and the student may be asked to relate particular works to themes addressed in the written exam.

B. Minor Field New Version

The minor field examining committee will contain two members of the department faculty determined by the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies after consultation with the student. Students should have taken seminars in the area of the minor field as part of the preparation for the exam. Unlike major fields, minor fields may be defined in a variety of ways that may be distinct from the major fields. The scope of the minor field may be proposed by the student but must be approved by the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies.

The minor field exam is modeled on the written part of the major field exam. Three to five broad areas or themes will be defined by the examining committee after consulting with the student. A bibliography containing 10 to 15 items for each theme will be prepared by the student and approved by the committee. The exam itself will consist of two parts and last for five hours. The first part will contain six questions designed by the examiners to engage the prepared areas. The student will be expected to answer three questionswithin a period of three and one-half hours. In the second part of the exam, the student will have ninety minutes to answer three of five questions based on specific works or groups of works which may be visual or textual.

Comprehensive Examinations Old Version

The Ph.D. student is required to take the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination (including both major and minor field examinations) no later than the end of the second week of the second semester following the completion of Ph.D. course work (24 credits of graduate work beyond the M.A. degree). If he or she wishes, a student may take one or both parts of this examination earlier, but not before having completed the Ph.D. course work and having satisfactorily completed the foreign language requirements. The major field and minor field examinations are offered separately, are judged by different committees, and do not need to be taken at the same time; either can be taken before the other.

Both the major and minor field examinations are assessed as either passing or failing. An affirmative vote for a passing grade by a majority of the examiners is necessary for the examination to be considered passing. Should the student fail either the major field or the minor field examination, the student will be given an opportunity to take that portion only for a second time. (The part already passed need not be retaken.) The second attempt to pass the examination must be made not later than the end of the first semester after the first attempt to pass that portion. That is, for example, if an examination is failed at any point during the fall term. It must be taken again by the end of the first semester after the first attempt to pass that portion (either major or minor field). That is, for example, if an examination is failed at any point during the fall term, it must be taken again by the end of the following spring term. Failure to pass the examination on the second attempt will result in termination from the program effective at the end of that term. No third attempt will be permitted.

The examining committee for the major field examination will include the primary faculty adviser and at least two other faculty members. At least two members of the committee must be faculty members in the Department of Art History or in another Department at the University of Delaware. Members of the committee in addition to the primary faculty advisor may be suggested by the student. Suggestions may include faculty members (or in some cases other professionals, such as museum curators) from outside the University of Delaware. The choice of members of the committee will be by decision of the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies.

The identification of a minor field for examination will be primarily the responsibility of the student, acting in consultation with the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies. Minor fields, unlike major fields, may be defined in a variety of flexible ways that may be distinct from the major fields, and the examining committee for the minor field examination will include at least two faculty members, normally not including the primary faculty adviser. Identification of the minor field and of its scope, although proposed by the student, must have the approval of the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies, as well as of the faculty member administering the minor field examination. It will be the student’s responsibility to find two faculty members (or in some cases other professionals, such as museum curators) able and willing to serve as the minor field examining committee, but the minor field and the examining committee must be approved by both the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies At least one member of the minor field examining committee must be a faculty member in the Department of Art History at the University of Delaware.

The comprehensive examination will consist of two parts, a Major Field (oral) and a Minor Field (written), described below.

The Major Fields are Ancient art; Medieval art; Italian Renaissance art; Northern Renaissance art; Baroque and Rococo art; Modern art; and American art. However, students may petition to be examined in Major Fields that are different but of comparable breadth and substance, as, for example, Late Antique and Early Medieval; 16th and 17th Centuries, 18th and 19th Centuries.

The choice of the Minor Field will also be made from this list, with the additional possible choices (for the Minor Field only) of decorative arts, history of photography, history of graphic arts, history of architecture, or history of book illumination. Students may petition that their chosen minor field may be somewhat smaller than the scope of the major fields, for example Roman art rather than Ancient art, or Twentieth-century art rather than Modern Art, or medieval architecture rather than medieval art, through the process described above. In most cases (the history of photography or the history of prints being normally excepted), the minor field should not significantly overlap the chosen major field.

For specific details see admission to Candidacy.

A. Major Field (Oral) Old Version

Candidates answer various questions, which may include slides, photographs, or original works, covering the broad area of the major field (selected from one of the seven listed below), but restricted to two hours of oral discussion. Each of the faculty members, usually three, participating in the examination will have approximately thirty minutes allotted for questions. Students can expect questions on the art, architecture, theory and historiography of their period--and should be familiar with different parts of the general period. Thus, for example, for the modern examination, students will be expected to answer questions in both the art of (1) the late eighteenth and nineteenth century and that of (2) the twentieth century. Although students will work with the members of the committee in developing bibliographies and in preparing for the examination, and may anticipate questions in some areas of special interest to them, the field will not be restricted by medium or chronology, and students must be prepared to answer any question posed.

Students should be prepared to answer questions along the following lines:

1. Basic scholarship in the field.

2. Recent scholarship, as follows:

a. Reassessment of an artist's contribution as a result of recent exhibitions and/or publications.

b. Reassessment of the nature of particular movements, either as a result of recent exhibitions or of recent publications.

c. New directions in scholarship.

3. Bibliography. This last is more likely to arise in answer to the kinds of questions cited above; in any event, students are expected to be familiar with the bibliography in their areas.

B. Minor Field (Written) Old Version

Chosen from the approved major fields, listed below. The student answers 3 out of 8-12 questions (usually placed into 4 categories), with not more than 1 question taken from any 1 category. The student will also discuss 3 out of 5 slides. Time: essays (1st part), 3-1/2 hours, slides (2nd part), 1-1/2 hours.In the conventional minor, students will be asked to write on at least one question in each of the designated parts of the field:

1. Ancient

a. Prehistoric, Near Eastern, Egyptian

b. Minoan, Mycenaean, Greek and Roman

2. Medieval

a. Early Christian, Byzantine

b. Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque, and Gothic

3. Italian Renaissance

a. Late 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries

b. 16th century

4. Northern Renaissance

a. 14th and 15th centuries

b. 16th century

5. Baroque and Rococo

a. 17th century

b. 18th century

6. Modern

a. Late 18th and 19th centuries

b. 20th century

7. American

a. 1620-1825

b. 1825-present

The minor examination may be taken with a computer by arrangement with the Assistant to the Chair in the Department.

Students are expected to take graduate courses offered in the fields in which they are planning to take their Major and Minor Field examinations. The Department considers such courses an integral part of graduate training in the student's selected examination fields. Although the information pertinent to a given field can be obtained, to some degree, through guided reading, there is no substitute for the methodology and the results of recent scholarship presented in seminars. The number and scope of graduate courses taken by a student in the major and minor areas will be considered when the requests to take the comprehensive examinations are made.

Students should indicate their intention to take the comprehensive examination at least four weeks in advance, using a special form available from the Assistant to the Chair in the Department.

Admission to Candidacy for the Ph.D. Degree

Upon the recommendation of the student's primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies of the Department, a student may be admitted to Candidacy for the Ph.D. degree if he or she has (1) satisfactorily completed 24 credits of graduate course work, including two connected semesters of full-time graduate work, (2) demonstrated a reading knowledge of German and either French or Italian, (3) passed his or her Comprehensive Examination (both major field and minor field), and (4) had a dissertation proposal accepted by his or her primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies. A student should request admission to candidacy prior to the appropriate deadline announced by the Office of Graduate Studies.

Ph.D. Sustaining Credit

Ph.D. candidates are required to register for Ph.D. sustaining credits after the completion of all other degree requirements until the dissertation is submitted to the Graduate Office. UNIV 999 Doctoral Sustaining (0 credits) is used for this purpose. This registration is designed to ensure that the student is active until he or she completes the degree requirements.

Application for Ph.D. Degree

An application for the Ph.D. degree should be completed by the student and submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies at the beginning of the term in which he or she expects to receive the degree, prior to the appropriate deadline announced by the Office of Graduate Studies. The Application for Advanced Degree form can be obtained at the Office of Graduate Studies, 234 Hullihen Hall.

Dissertation

Students can begin investigation on a dissertation topic at any time, but she or he can register for the 9 Dissertation Credits (ARTH 969) only after having been admitted to Candidacy. The student can register for 9 credits of ARTH 964 (Pre-Candidacy Research) during the semester when he or she is studying for the Comprehensive examination, but this will only be converted by the Graduate Office to the required Dissertation Credits (ARTH 969) if the student passes into Candidacy (as described above) either during that semester or by the last day of the free add-drop period of the following semester.

Students should confer with the primary faculty adviser and other faculty members, as appropriate, on the selection of a dissertation subject. If the subject appears to be suitable, the student will be invited to submit a dissertation proposal to his or her adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies. Such proposals are usually 5-10 pages in length, and include major bibliography for the topic. If approved by the adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies, the student will be notified. If not approved, the proposal may be either rejected, or returned for revision. If approved, the student should then notify the CAA of the topic of the dissertation and its approval; see Listing with CAA.

For the Ph.D. dissertation, there are at least, and usually, four readers: (1) the student's adviser, (2) a second reader chosen because of his or her familiarity with the subject, and (3) third and fourth readers. In addition, the dissertation must be read and approved by the Department Chair. If the Chair is one of the four readers, then three other readers will be a sufficient number. After consultation with the student, the committee for the Ph.D. dissertation and dissertation defense will be selected by the faculty adviser in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. The committee for the Ph.D. dissertation and dissertation defense will comprise at least, and usually, four members, of whom at least half will be faculty members of the University of Delaware, and at least one on the faculty of the Department of Art History. At least one member of the committee will be a specialist from outside the Department of Art History; this member may be from a different Department at the University of Delaware or from outside the University. It is understood that for purposes of serving on such committees, individuals who hold either a secondary appointment or an adjunct appointment in the Department of Art History will be considered to be members of the Department, regardless of their primary appointment elsewhere.

The adviser will work with the student to prepare the dissertation. Candidates should follow closely the regulations published by the Graduate Office, as well as conform to the latest edition of the University of Chicago's The Chicago Manual of Style. The second reader may be brought in toward the later phases of preparation, reading the dissertation when it is in its final form, or nearly so, depending on the wishes of the adviser and the second reader. It is advisable for the remaining readers and the Department Chair (or her or his designated representative) to read the penultimate copy of the dissertation before its final typing, in the event of possible minor errors, but they should normally not be expected to read copies that are not in final form nor free of obvious corrections. In order to be accepted as satisfying the requirement for the Ph.D. degree, the thesis must be approved by all readers, whose signatures on the thesis constitute the necessary approval. The dissertation must also be signed by the Chair of the Department, whose signature signifies approval on behalf of the Department.

Only after the Chair has signed the dissertation can it be submitted to the Graduate Office. Three copies should be submitted to the Department and then, after approval, to the Dean of the College of Arts and Science, and then to the Graduate Office. All three copies may be photocopies, except the illustrations. For these, one set must be photographic prints, and two sets may be photocopies; or all three sets of illustrations may be electronically scanned, but the quality of these must be approved by the adviser. The minimum size of illustrations is 3-1/2" x 5", either in black-and-white or color. The completed Ph.D. dissertation should conform to the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. The University of Delaware’s Thesis and Dissertation Manual is available online at http://www.udel.edu/gradoffice or it may be purchased in the University Bookstore.

Oral Defense of the Dissertation

Upon completion of the dissertation, a Ph.D. final oral examination must be passed, consisting of a defense of the dissertation and a test of the candidate's mastery of the area in which the dissertation was written. In order to permit adequate time for the examiners to review the dissertation, the requisite number of copies of the completed work must be deposited in the Department office at least two weeks before the date of the dissertation defense. That oral dissertation defense must take place not less than one week before the deadline date established by the Graduate Office for the submission of dissertations.

Normally, the oral defense of a dissertation is based on three final copies (the student may hold the typed "master" and submit three copies on approved paper). In exceptional cases, when the time limit is a prime consideration, the defense can be based, with the approval of the primary adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies, on the penultimate typed copy, read in advance by all readers.

All readers of the dissertation will participate in the oral dissertation defense. The defense, moreover, will be open to all members of the Department or to any other interested person, although only members of the candidate’s committee will be permitted to pose questions or make any statements. The examination will normally last approximately two hours.

The dissertation may be approved conditionally at the final defense, subject to required corrections being made by the candidate. If corrections or changes are suggested at the final defense, and if the committee approves them, the advisor will check to see that the changes have been made in the final copies submitted by the candidate.

Listing with College Art Association

On a card supplied by the Art History Departmental office and left with that office for forwarding by December of each year, each candidate should notify the College Art Association office (1) when the topic of his dissertation is approved; (2) if the topic is changed; and (3) when the dissertation is accepted. This information will be published annually by the CAA, in the June issue of The Art Bulletin.