Course Requirements

Students pursuing the PhD in Art History must take a minimum of twelve graduate-level courses (48 credits), which includes:

• ARTH 500 Theory and Methods of Art History (required in first year)
• Graduate courses in art history and related subjects at the 500 and 600 level
  • At least four courses (16 credits) must be taken with different faculty members in art history, which may include associated and visiting faculty
• ARTH 699 Dissertation (as required to maintain registration after admission to candidacy)

The Art History Graduate Committee may require additional coursework as a condition for admission. For courses outside the department and independent studies, students submit a petition to the graduate committee.

Foreign Language Requirements

MA-PhD students must pass two examinations demonstrating an ability to read research literature in the student’s areas of interest in at least two appropriate languages of scholarship in addition to English. Work in certain fields may require additional languages. One language examination must be passed before the MA is awarded and before the student is formally admitted into the PhD program.

Students may seek a waiver of one or more of the language requirements by petitioning the Graduate Committee in writing and providing appropriate documentation of their competency in the language(s) in question.

Master’s Comprehensive Examination

The master’s comprehensive examination has been incorporated into the mandatory seminar on theory and methods. All students are required to pass ARTH 500 Theory and Methods, with a grade of B or better. At the discretion of the Art History Graduate Committee, students failing to achieve the required grade may be asked either to repeat the course or, in exceptional cases, to redo the examination assignment.

Dissertation Committee

The student must choose a dissertation supervisor by the beginning of the second year. In conjunction with the student’s supervisor, who chairs the committee, the student chooses two additional members from Binghamton University’s graduate faculty, at least one of whom must be a member of the art history faculty. In extremely rare cases, off-campus specialists in the subject area may be invited to serve, though no honorarium can be offered for such services. This committee is then appointed by the Art History Graduate Committee, who must also approve any subsequent changes.

Master’s Qualifying Paper

The qualifying paper should be a revised and properly formatted version of a paper written for a graduate art history course at Binghamton. The formally approved dissertation supervisor and one other departmental faculty member, chosen in consultation with the student, read, approve and offer comments on the qualifying paper. The departmental graduate committee reviews the evaluations of the two readers, along with evaluations of coursework solicited from other faculty members who have taught the student at the MA level. The student must submit the qualifying paper for approval by the beginning of the second semester of the second year in order to be eligible to be considered for the PhD program. If the qualifying paper is approved, the student will be awarded a MA degree and will be given PhD status. If the student is directed out of the MA-PhD track, the student will be advised on how to complete the semester with a master’s thesis.

Dissertation Proposal

The dissertation proposal is a description of the proposed research project that serves as the basis for the dissertation. The student must submit a formal, written proposal for dissertation research on an approved topic, outlining in detail the problem, method of inquiry and relevant literature on the subject. The three-member dissertation committee must accept this proposal. The committee must include the supervisor as chair, and at least one additional member from the art history faculty.

A signed copy of the proposal must be deposited with the department after successful completion of the examination.

PhD Comprehensive Examination

Students must pass a comprehensive examination before a committee designated by the Art History Graduate Committee. This examination will focus on: 1) the circulated dissertation proposal; and 2) professional knowledge and practice, based on a familiarity with broad methodological and historiographical questions in the discipline, as demonstrated by syllabi and/or proposals in the student’s chosen professional field, as agreed with the chair of the examining committee.

Doctoral students (who entered the program in or after fall 2010) are required to pass the PhD comprehensive examinations within 18 months of completing coursework. Students who do not meet this deadline will receive a grade of U (unsatisfactory) for ARTH 698 until the examination has been passed. In clear cases of extenuating circumstances, students may file a petition for an extension.

Dissertation and Defense

When the final draft of the dissertation has been accepted by the student’s supervisor and committee, the dissertation is defended in an oral examination that is open to the public and is conducted by the student’s dissertation committee and an outside examiner, appointed by the vice provost and dean of the Graduate School. The final dissertation must be submitted electronically in accordance with Graduate School regulations (with a hard copy required by the department). An acceptable dissertation demonstrates the student’s ability to handle significant problems in the history of art, architecture, visual culture or the built environment in a critical and scholarly manner and makes a contribution to the discipline.