Art History

M.A, Ph.D

The M.A. and Ph.D. programs offer advanced training in the study of visual and material culture from the Middles Ages to the present. The Queen's Art History program is strongly committed to mentoring and to the training of graduate students in a variety of interdisciplinary approaches, methodologies, and issues, including the technical examination of art, gender studies, critical theory, cultural representation, and the relationships among art, literature, and science.

Many of our former Ph.D. students are now faculty members at other universities.

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"Choosing the Department of Art at Queen's University to pursue doctoral studies in Art History was one of the best decisions I have ever made."

"I felt extremely well prepared for the market, and versed in the debates and critical theories of contemporary art practice and visual culture after graduating from Queen's."

"I have no doubt that the exceptional way in which the Department's faculty combine professional and academic training was instrumental in my finding a tenure-track position during the final year of my doctoral studies."

"One of the things I valued most about doing my graduate work at Queen's was the sense of community."

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Degrees Offered / Length of Program

• M.A: 2 years, full time
  
• M.A: 3-4 years, part time
  
• Ph.D.:4 years, full time

Method of Completion

• M.A.: Course work, demonstration of a reading knowledge of an appropriate second language, thesis or major research paper
  
• Ph.D.: Course work, demonstration of a reading knowledge of additional languages, comprehensive examinations and thesis

Degree Level Expectations & Learning Outcomes

M.A. - view this information as a PDF (259KB)

PhD - view this information as a PDF (259KB)

Cross Disciplinary Aspects

Some course credits are available for time spent working at Agnes Etherington Art Centre, the ROM and the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal.

Travel Opportunities

The Bader Fellowship allows Ph.D. students to research in Europe. Other opportunities depend on the topic and funding available.

Supervisors and Fields of Study

New M.A. students must choose a supervisor during the second term of study. Ph.D. candidates must have a supervisor in place before applying. For more details on each faculty member go to the Art History website Faculty Page

• Gauvin Alexander Bailey: 16th-18th century Southern and Central European arts and their international diffusion in Latin America and Asia
• Una Roman D'Elia: Southern European Renaissance and Baroque painting, sculpture and architecture
• Stephanie Dickey: Dutch and Flemish art of the 17th century
• Janice Helland: Late 19th-century British and Irish arts and crafts and cottage crafts
• Cathleen Hoeniger: Late Medieval Renaissance painting
• Lynda Jessup: Canadian visual culture and Museum Representation
• David McTavish: Italian Renaissance art
• Allison Morehead: French, Scandinavian, and German Art of 19th and 20th centuries
• Matthew Reeve: Medieval art and architecture in Northern Europe
• Clive Robertson: Interests in Canadian contemporary, cultural policy studies, media arts and cultural mediation
• Katherine Romba: Modern architecture with research interests in German and American modernism
• Joan Schwartz: History of photography
• Ron Spronk: Technical Art History, Netherlandish painting 

Employment Opportunities

Graduates from our programs have found work in: academic and teaching appointments; museum, curatorial and cultural policy positions; writing and publishing; and commercial galleries and auction houses.

Funding Information

• M.A.: ca. $10,000
• Ph.D.: $18,000 minimum

The basic funding package consists of teaching assistantships and Queen’s Graduate Awards. Additional funding is available through Queen’s University Graduate Fellowships and internal scholarships. We encourage all students to apply for external funding through OGS, SSHRC and other organizations. Queen’s automatically issues a $5,000 top-up award to winners of federal government Tri-Council Awards.

Academic Prerequisites

• M.A.: Honours B.A. in Art History or a related discipline, minimum B+ average, A- average preferred
  We consider your average over all four years.
• Ph.D.: Honours B.A. or equivalent, M.A. with A average in the primary courses

Other Requirements

M.A.:

• A reading knowledge of a language other than English, usually chosen from French, German or Italian
• Writing sample
• Statement of Research Interest

Ph.D.:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Writing sample
• Statement of Research interest
• Reading Knowledge of Languages relevant to the field of study

Test Requirements

If required, a TOEFL score of 600 (paper-based) or TOEFL iBT minimum scores of: writing (24/30); speaking (22/30); reading (22/30); listening (20/30), for a total of 88/120. Applicants must have the minimum score in each test as well as the minimum overall score.

Program Profiles

• Ana-Joel Falcon-Weibe - "Don't set limits on yourself"...
• Catherine Copp - A Bader Scholarship and off to Europe...
• Susan Cahill - began her education in her native Newfoundland....