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.