PhD in Fine Arts USA
Last Updated on December 30, 2022 by
Are you a student trying to find out about the Art PhD Programs USA? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. Find out all the information you need on Art PhD Programs USA and so on right here on Collegelearners.com. You can also learn about the latest findings on phd art education programs, phd in fine arts, phd in visual arts a nd phd in art and design.
Art PhD Programs USA
A PhD is also known as a Doctor of Philosophy or doctorate. … A doctoral degree in art studies typically focuses on and specializes in either fine arts such as music and painting or visual arts such as ceramics, tapestry, and mosaics. Students may choose from classes such as performing arts, sculpture, or animation.
Sometimes offered as a PhD in Fine Arts, an art history doctoral program offers intensive research into art and its history, theories and manifestations in modern society. Some schools offer different tracks within their PhD programs, such as education and art criticism. Program specializations are available in many different eras and areas of art such as ancient, medieval, 20th century, African, or Asian art. Over the course of this program, students will need to complete a dissertation and may be required to work in leadership roles in museums and other art or history-related facilities.
If you want to apply to this program, you will need at least bachelor’s degree (although a master’s degree is preferred), proficiency in German, French, Spanish or other languages and a GPA of 3.0 or above. Previous art coursework may also be required.
A PhD program typically involves coursework, seminars, exams and a dissertation. Most programs also offer students the opportunity to gain teaching experience through graduate teaching assistant positions. For students with only a bachelor’s degree, some programs award a master’s degree en route to a PhD. Since PhD students can pick from several areas of specialization, course titles may vary. A sampling of class titles includes:
- Art history methods and theory
- History of 19th Century art criticism
- History of 20th Century art criticism
- American visual culture
- Contemporary art theories
- Organizing public forums on art
Employment Outlook and Salary Information
Holders of a Ph.D. degree can find opportunities in post-secondary teaching, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS). The BLS also predicted 9% job growth for the postsecondary teaching field from 2019 to 2029.
The median annual income for postsecondary teachers of art, drama and music was $69,690 in 2020, according to the BLS. Other possible job titles for those who successfully complete a Ph.D. in art history include art gallery manager, museum curator and elementary school art teacher.
Continuing Education and Certification Information
Elementary and secondary teachers must be licensed by the state, and licensing requirements vary from state to state. Postsecondary teachers and museum curators do not have to be licensed. There are also professional organizations, such as the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works that may offer continuing education seminars and conferences.
Individuals interested in studying studio art at the doctorate level should look into PhD programs in fine arts or art history. These programs cover art through the ages, with plenty of options for specialization in many different cultures and eras of art.
The art track of the Fine Arts Doctoral Program centers on art praxis, which we define as theoretically-informed action aimed at creating change in academic, social, and community contexts. We have chosen the word “praxis” instead of “practice” to signal a different relationship to theory than assumed by the theory-practice binary, and to indicate a fundamental difference between MFA programs in studio practice and the PhD. For Aristotle, praxis meant an action that is valuable in itself, as opposed to that which leads to creation, and for scholars of modernity from Marx to Lefebvre, praxis was, and remains, infused with an ethical and political imperative, and designated a more grounded and intentional mode of social and political transformation.
Students conduct interdisciplinary research integrating methodologies from a home discipline related to art (from the list supported by faculty expertise) with methodologies from disciplines housed elsewhere in the J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual and Performing Arts or the university at large. Such interdisciplinarity is not simply additive, but transformative, blurring the chosen disciplines and even fundamentally altering them.
This program is for studio artists who want to transform their approach to making into a methodology for research; for scholars who want to intervene in their home discipline by proposing novel ways of conducting research; for curators and cultural practitioners who want to do community-engaged projects; and for educators who want to rethink inquiry and develop meaningful practices organized around art and images that transform engagement through interdisciplinary initiatives.
The art track is part of a College-wide Fine Arts Doctoral Program, which includes students focusing on music, theatre, dance, and visual art. All areas of the Fine Arts Doctoral Program require a series of core courses that bring together students from across the College for innovative interdisciplinary and collaborative inquiry. These core courses support the art area’s commitment to blurring disciplinary boundaries through original modes of investigation.
Entrance Qualifications
For acceptance into the doctoral program, the applicant must have completed a master’s degree, or its equivalent, with emphasis in some area of the visual arts. Every effort is made to select candidates who show strong scholarship and professional competence. Applicants who have not taken at least 15 hours of art history, art criticism, art education, arts administration, aesthetics, and/or visual culture courses at the college level may be required to meet the 15-hour minimum in the form of leveling courses taken here at TTU, which will not count toward the 60-hour minimum in the doctoral degree plan.
A complete application – via the Graduate School application portal – will include the following:
• Official transcripts of all previous college-level study
• Official G.R.E. score report (The GRE score requirement has been suspended until Summer 2021)
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Current resumé or curriculum vitae
• A scholarly writing sample (10-30 pages of academic writing)
• Art portfolio (optional)
• Statement of intent (800 words maximum; see tips on writing statements of intent)
• For international students: passport and additional documents that prove your eligibility to study in the United States
• Registration fee
