university of manchester art history phd

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PhD Art History and Visual Studies

University of manchester, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Visual Arts Art History

Course type

Programme description

Our Art History and Visual Studies PhD programme offers the opportunity to conduct in-depth research in an area of particular interest.

Our research interests are wide-ranging. Strengths include:

• medieval Italy;
• Italian and Northern Renaissance;
• Renaissance print culture;
• history of architecture;
• art and science;
• British art in the 18th and 19th centuries;
• Romanticism and its reception;
• the history and theory of the avant-garde;
• art and sexuality;
• modernism and post-colonialism;
• art and psychoanalysis;
• poststructuralism;
• history and theory of photography;
• experimental art-writing;
• contemporary Chinese art
• post-conceptual contemporary art
• modern art in India.

You will prepare your thesis under the guidance of two supervisors. Progress is monitored at regular meetings of your research panel (two supervisors plus an independent reviewer). The aim of the programme is to support you in becoming an independent research. We encourage you to disseminate your work at seminars and conferences, and in recognised journals or equivalents publications.

The programme culminates in the submission of an 80,000-word dissertation that makes an original contribution to art historical knowledge.

As a post-graduate researcher in the department of Art History and Cultural Practices, you will join a vibrant community with access to exciting research seminars and other events, such the Visiting Pilkington Professor series and the Whitworth Studies series.

Coursework and assessment

The award of your PhD follows three years of successful supervised research. The maximum length of the PhD thesis is 80,000 words.

Career opportunities

A research degree in Art History enhances employment opportunities in many fields connected with the visual arts, architecture and material culture.

These include art galleries, the art trade and auction houses, the heritage industry, architectural conservation, publishing, art criticism and aspects of arts administration, as well as university and higher education.

In recent years our doctoral graduates have gone on to prestigious post-doctoral positions at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Freud Museum, the British Museum, and the National Gallery as well as obtaining positions at universities such as North Carolina, Imperial College London, and the Manchester School of Architecture. Some graduate have gone into related fields in arts consultancy, publishing, and film production.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

Students require successful completion of a Bachelors (Honours) degree at 2:1 level or above (or its international equivalent) in a related subject; and a UK Master's degree with an overall average of 65% or higher, with a minimum of 65% in the dissertation and with no mark below 55% (or its international equivalent) in a related subject.

Visual and Arts-based Methods MSc by Research

Middlesex university, design (visual communication) ma, bath spa university, ma virtual reality, university of the arts london, ma visual effects, ma visual communication, solent university (southampton).

Alternatively, use our A–Z index

Attend an open day

Discover more about this subject area

PhD History / Programme details

Year of entry: 2024

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Programme description

Please enable JavaScript to watch this video.

Our History PhD programme is a three-year course of study (or six years of part-time study) that enables you to carry out a piece of in-depth research in the area that most interests you.

Our research interests stretch from the early Middle Ages to the end of the 20th century, and our geographical range includes Britain, continental Europe, South and East Asia, Africa and the Americas.

You will prepare a thesis under the guidance of two supervisors with specialist expertise. Your progress is monitored at regular meetings of your research panel (two supervisors plus a reviewer who is independent of the supervisory team), which also provides guidance on research training and career development.

The aim of the programme is to turn you into a fully-fledged independent researcher, and you are from the outset encouraged to disseminate your work at seminars and conferences and by publishing in high-quality locations.

The programme culminates in the submission of an 80,000-word dissertation that makes an original contribution to historical knowledge.

As a postgraduate researcher in the History department, you will join a large and lively research community. We have over 40 established members of staff engaged in research, often in ways that help to re-shape their fields, and there are also many historians working in other departments and research institutes across the University.

The University is committed to investing in History, which has recruited 20 new staff in the last four years.

Special features

Research environment

We are ranked 4th among history departments in the UK for the quality of our research according to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014.

• 82% of our overall research activity was recognised as 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent'. (REF 2014)
• 100% of our research environment was judged to be 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'. (REF 2014)
• 80% of our research in history has also been judged to have 'outstanding' or 'very considerable' impact. (REF 2014)

Find out more about our History research .

Graduate School

All of our postgraduate students become members of the Graduate School when you start at Manchester. It has dedicated facilities for students and offers opportunities to collaborate with other postgraduates.

Additional programme information

Equality, diversity and inclusion  is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. 

We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact. 

We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status. 

All appointments are made on merit. 

The University of Manchester and our external partners are fully committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Teaching and learning

Your research will normally be supervised by two members of staff - usually from the History department, but if appropriate, from another department in the University.

Close supervision based on regular production of written work is at the heart of the PhD student's working life. But your supervisors will aim to nurture your capacities as an independent researcher, and equally central to the learning process is your ability to take advantage of the wider opportunities offered by the University - seminars, conferences, reading groups, training courses, and the like.

We offer one of the UK's fullest and most innovative training programmes in the humanities, artsmethods@manchester .

This provides a rich menu of courses on methods (eg using medieval manuscripts, interview methods, using newspapers in research) and theory ('Using Marx'. 'Using Foucault', 'Using Cultural Studies'), as well as researcher-led conferences organised by groups of PhD students (eg 'How does gender mean? Debates and applications in modern Britain').

Historians working on the interface with the social sciences also have access to the social sciences counterpart, methods@manchester , which offers a similar range of opportunities.

These two programmes are reinforced by the Humanities Researcher Development programme, which offers generic training - eg on academic networking, or how to prepare for your viva - and courses aiming to enhance your career development.

The Faculty of Humanities runs a placement programme which offers PhD researchers the opportunity to develop their public engagement skills and/or their employability skills by undertaking a period of work with an organisation outside academia - a museum, an archive, or a festival, for example.

Recent History PhDs have undertaken placements with the People's History Museum, the Greater Manchester Museum of Transport, and Bramall Hall.

We also have a well-established exchange with the European University Institute, Florence , under which one or two of our PhD researchers each year will be able to spend a semester at the EUI, enhancing their skills in international networking and benefiting from a different kind of research environment. 

Coursework and assessment

This programme requires regular attendance at the University, except during periods of approved 'fieldwork', ie archival research away from Manchester.

It is not available on a distance-learning basis, since regular engagement with the University's research environment as well as with your supervisors is integral to your development as a researcher.

Part-time students should ensure a minimum of two full days in the working week for their studies for the same reason; evening and weekend study on its own is unlikely to be sufficient.

Your progress will be reviewed by your research panel, consisting of your two supervisors and one other member of staff.

This will meet with you once per semester (or once per year for part-time students) to give you formal feedback on your work and report on your progress to the School.

Please note that the first year of the PhD programme and the first two years of the part-time programme are probationary: at the end of this period, your panel is required to confirm that you have made satisfactory progress towards completion and may therefore proceed.

Thereafter, progression through each year of the programme is dependent on your ability to produce evidence of continuing progression.

The PhD is assessed on the basis of a thesis up to 80,000 words. This is examined by two examiners, one of whom is external to the University.

An oral examination is an integral part of the assessment process.

Manchester is home to one of the UK's five National Research Libraries - one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries.

Find out more about libraries and study spaces for postgraduate research students at Manchester.

We also have one of the largest academic IT services in Europe - supporting world-class teaching and research. There are extensive computing facilities across campus, with access to standard office software as well as specialist programmes, all connected to the campus network and internet.

Every student is registered for email, file storage and internet access. If more demanding computer access is required, our specialist computing division can provide high-end and specialist computing services.

The Graduate School offers dedicated state of the art facilities to research students, including common rooms and workstations.

Disability support

Art History and Cultural Practices

Welcome to Art History and Cultural Practices at The University of Manchester.

Undergraduate

Find out everything you need to know to start your undergraduate degree in Art History and Cultural Practices with us.

Postgraduate research

Find out everything you need to know to start your postgraduate research degree in Art History and Cultural Practices with us.

Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies

A new Centre with old roots

Academics and PhD students working on the Middle Ages, the early modern period, and their legacies.

Find out more

Our research is in collaboration with the John Rylands Research Institute and Library and the University of Melbourne.

Browse digitised manuscripts in our Middle English manuscript collection.

We are home to the Manchester Cluster for Anglo-Saxon Studies which was founded in 1984.

Medieval and Early Modern Studies MA

Find out about our interdisciplinary master's course as well as undergraduate study options.

Why study here?

Immerse yourself in the special collections at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library.

Manchester has a wealth of archives, libraries, museums and research institutions.

Join us for upcoming public events and find out about our seminar programme.

Keep up to date with blog posts from History, English, Art History and MANCASS.

Get in touch with the centre to find out more about our teaching and research.

Our expertise covers late antiquity to the end of the early modern period; from literature and language to economics and history.

Emeritus professors

Many of our past lecturers are still actively involved and helped to establish the centre.

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• Francesca Aimi: Domenico Veneziano in Context: Reassessing Florentine Visual Culture in the 1440s
• Anneke de Bont: The Christian Epistemic Image in Northern European Print, c.1570–c.1700
• Helen Bremm: Surrealist Tempera Paintings in Mexico and the United States, c.1940–1970
• Thomas Cooper: May Morris, Making, Textiles, c. 1880 – 1938
• Frankie Dytor: Reanimating the Renaissance, 1873 – 1914
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PhD in History of Art

• MPhil in the History of Art and Architecture

The PhD in History of Art is a three year research degree offering the opportunity for independent research under the supervision of an expert departmental member of staff. The Department of History of Art has expertise and welcomes candidates in many areas of history of art and architectural research, but is unable to offer places to candidates for whom no supervisor is available.  Applicants are admitted who meet the course requirements and whose research interests match those of an available established University Teaching Officer. The Department does not offer a taught PhD programme, unlike, for example, many North American Universities.

As well as the research and skills training programme offered by the Department, candidates have the opportunity to attend appropriate courses in associated skills, such as modern languages, palaeography, the use of bibliographic and other databases, and computer skills.

Course Structure & Examination

The PhD in History of Art is a three year programme which commences in October each year.  It is also available on a five year part-time basis.  Students submit their dissertations of not more than 80,000 words (60,000 words for the MSc degree) at the end of their third full-time year (or part-time equivalent) and will be invited to attend an oral examination which will usually take place during the three months following the submission of the dissertation .  The dissertation and the general field of knowledge within which it falls is orally examined by two examiners.  At least one of the examiners will be external to the University.

The programme involves minimal formal teaching. Students will usually have their supervisors confirmed before they have begun their course in October and will typically meet for 45 minutes on a fortnightly basis during term time.  A bespoke programme is evolved by the student in conjunction with their supervisor and will include attendance at the Department’s programme of research seminars and other relevant graduate courses. Attending lectures is optional but students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of lectures offered in the Department, their college and other departments and faculties relevant to their research topics.

As well as the research and skills training programme offered by the Department, students have the opportunity to develop their research skills by attending numerous courses, such as those related to the use of bibliographic resources and other databases, and specific computer skills. Informal opportunities to develop research skills also exist through mentoring undergraduate students and other opportunities presented by fellow students and members of staff.

Students will be provided with feedback via supervisions and their supervisor's termly reports which are available to them via their self-service pages on CamSIS.

Annual Review of Work

Students undertake an annual review of their work throughout their programme which is realised in different ways;  for example, the production of a report or undertaking a presentation. The purpose of the reviews is to ensure that students are on track to submit a successful dissertation by the submission deadline. The first review also serves as a registration exercise, for which students have to submit a report of 10,000 words which is orally assessed by two assessors. The purpose of this exercise is to determine whether the student is suited to the demands of PhD research and to address any concerns if there are any. 

Examination

Students submit a dissertation, of not more than 80,000 words (60,000 words for the MSc degree) . The dissertation and the general field of knowledge within which it falls is orally examined by two examiners. At least one of the examiners will be external to the University.

At a Glance

Course length and dates:

3 years full-time/5 years part-time, October start.

Examination:

A dissertation, of not more than 80,000 words. 

Academic requirement:

A 1st class or a high 2i honours degree and a Masters degree with distinction (if a distinction category exists) in History of Art or a related discipline. 

English language requirement:

See Postgraduate Admissions Office . 

Applications accepted from:

The preceding September.

Application Deadlines:

The final deadline for applicants seeking funding is early January, for the exact date, please see the Postgraduate Admissions website. Even if you are not seeking funding, we strongly recommend that you submit your application by this date, as no applications will be accepted once this competitive and popular programme is full.

If places are still available on programmes beyond this deadline; self-funded applicants will continue to be considered until the final deadline in March, for the exact date please see the Postgraduate Admissions website No applications will be considered after this deadline.

The Secretary The Department of History of Art 1-5 Scroope Terrace Cambridge CB2 1PX Tel: 01223 332975 Fax: 01223 332960

Contact: [email protected] [email protected]

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Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. program in art history and archaeology allows students to delve into advanced research in the discipline, develop expertise in undergraduate teaching and build connections with a broad range of professionals in the field.

Related Links

• M.A. Program
• Fellowships and Awards

Graduate Placement

• Graduate Application

Students should consult the department's Ph.D. requirements, stipulated here, together with those of the Graduate School , outlined in the Graduate Handbook . For further information, contact D ana Persaud .

Program Requirements and Policies

Program requirements.

Requirements for the PhD degree include a minimum of 30 credit hours beyond the MA, divided between 18 hours of course work (6 courses, five of which are art history seminars; for students entering straight to the PhD program, one of these courses will be Methods) and 12 credit hours of dissertation research. Candidates form a committee, take a doctoral examination, draw up a project proposal, defend it, and produce a dissertation, which is defended in an oral examination.

Ph.D. Course Requirements

For students holding an M.A. degree (from the University of Maryland or elsewhere), the Ph.D. requires the successful completion of an additional 30 credit hours. This includes:

• ARTH692: “Methods of Art History” (3 credits)
• Five 600- and 700-level ARTH courses (15 credits)  
• ARTH899: “Dissertation Research” (12 credits)

Students that enter the graduate program without an M.A. will complete the requirements for that degree before advancing to the doctoral level. They will be required to successfully complete a total of 51 credit hours. This includes:

• Fourteen 600- and 700-level ARTH courses (36 credits) * 

For one of these courses at the PhD level (and one at the MA level, if applicable) students may substitute a class outside the department, an independent study (possibly done as an enhanced undergraduate course), an internship course, or a class at member institutions of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area . (A similar arrangement may again be possible at Johns Hopkins University in the future.) Students meet with their advisors every semester to determine course selection.

ARTH696 may be taken for credit but cannot be counted as one of the required seminars at the PhD level.

*Art history is a global and transhistorical field, and graduate education at the University of Maryland is fittingly diverse. All students therefore must fulfill distribution requirements. If a student enters the Ph.D. program after earning an M.A. from another institution and has not already completed coursework reflective of these distributional requirements, he or she must satisfy these requirements at the Ph.D. level.

Effective spring 2024, students may receive course credit for professional paid or unpaid internships related to their degree, at the rate of one credit for each 45 hours worked during the semester (to a maximum of 3 credits). The internship course must be taken simultaneously with the internship, not before or after (no summer internships can be worked for credit). Credits are granted through ARHU786 or a similar ARTH course. Note that no credit will be given for internships worked at the University of Maryland, College Park or for the University of Maryland Museum Fellowship. Such courses are subject to approval by the student’s advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies. Note that any such internship course will count as the one non-standard course allowed for each graduate degree.

A minimum grade of "B-" is required for all courses approved for graduate credit. Two grades below "B-" result in dismissal from the program.

Foreign Language Requirements

All doctoral students are required to take examinations in two languages other than English necessary for research in their art-historical field. The student’s languages should be chosen in consultation with their advisor. New students should enter the program with an appropriate level of preparation. Those with native fluency in the necessary languages may petition to waive the exam using this form .

Entering students must take their first foreign language examination in the first semester, customarily scheduled by the department for the second or third week of September. If a student fails the examination, another opportunity to take it will be given toward the end of the second semester, and, if necessary, again in future semesters.

PhD students must take an exam in their second language by the end of the third year in the program (MA/PhD students) or by the end of the second year (PhD-only students). If a student fails the examination, another opportunity to take it will be given in the following semester, and, if necessary, again in future semesters. Students cannot advance to candidacy until the language requirement is fulfilled.

The language exam will consist of a passage of approximately 500 words which the student must translate into good English. The exam period is two hours; the student may use a published translation dictionary but no online resources. The passage will typically come from an exhibition catalogue entry, and the translation will be graded pass/fail for its ability to convey the meanings of the passage in good, fluid English that reflects a good understanding, free of major errors or significant omissions. Students preparing may ask the Coordinator of Graduate Studies for an example of a past exam. In the case of an unsuccessful attempt, the student will receive a brief written rationale for the result and advice for future study and exam attempts.

In languages for which the department cannot offer an exam, or for students who entered the program when coursework was permitted in lieu of the exam (prior to 2024), two years of college-level study or a one-semester translation course (completed with a passing grade) will be accepted in lieu of an exam.

The Graduate Examination Committee

The Examination Committee will comprise three members of the Graduate Faculty, including the student's advisor, who will serve as chair. Generally the examiners will be drawn from Department of Art History and Archaeology, but, if appropriate, one member of the committee may be drawn from another UMD department or from another institution. Composition of the committee will be determined by the advisor and the student and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Students will be examined on a general field plus one or two sub-fields or minors (these may be specialized topics within the major or other topics outside it). The definition and scope of these fields will be determined by the student in consultation with their advisor. In order to promote cohesion in the PhD program, students must submit, no later than three months before the scheduled exam, a one-page rationale explaining the choice of topics to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies, for approval by the Curriculum Committee. (The committee must reply to the petition within two weeks of submission.) The advisor will lead the process of setting a reading list for the major field; generally the other members of the Examination Committee will work with the student to produce further reading lists. Topics will likely include key controversies, major monuments, historiography, primary sources, etc. All committee members must see and approve one another’s topics and lists.

The Doctoral Examination

The Ph.D. examination includes two parts: the written examination, set by the whole committee, and the oral examination. Both parts of the exam are graded  pass/fail. The examination may be taken only during the fall or spring academic terms. Through spring 2024, students may consult their notes and books while answering the question (written exam only). Effective fall 2024, students are not permitted to consult any notes, books, or digital sources during either part of the exam. Students proceed to the oral exam only after passing the written portion. If either part of the examination is failed, the student may attempt it once more; a second failure of that part will require the student to withdraw from the Ph.D. program.

The written examination will consist of a four-hour time period in which the student responds to one or more questions agreed upon by the members of the committee. Committees may also decide to offer the student a choice of several questions. The responses will be sent to all members of the committee for their evaluation.

Upon successful completion of the written examination, the Examination Committee will administer a two-hour oral examination. Each member of the committee will be expected to ask questions for half an hour, followed by general discussion. The student can choose the order in which the examiners ask their questions. Each  examiner will concentrate on the reading list they worked on with the student, although examiners in the sub-fields can always refer to the general list. Questions may be broad or quite specific to particular works of art.

Advancement to Candidacy

Once a student passes the qualifying exams, they may submit the Application for Advancement to Candidacy Form to the Graduate Office. Teaching assistants receive a step promotion and a small raise in stipend once they have advanced to candidacy. Upon advancing to candidacy, the student has four years to complete the dissertation; the Graduate School grants extensions only in extreme circumstances.

The Dissertation Proposal Defense

Within six months of successfully completing doctoral exams, the student will meet with their Dissertation Committee to review and discuss the dissertation proposal, its scope and significance. The membership of this committee may be composed of the same members as the Examination Committee or the membership may be adjusted before this meeting. Nevertheless, the Dissertation Committee at this stage should comprise at least three members, two of whom must be full-time permanent departmental faculty.

Students should be aware that the decision to supervise a dissertation rests with the individual faculty member, and that it is necessary to secure this consent before work on the dissertation proceeds. The proposal will usually be 15-25 pages of text followed by illustrations and should include, at minimum, the following:

• A statement of the problem that will be investigated or the hypothesis that will be argued; an explanation of the value the dissertation would have for the field of art history.
• A chapter-by-chapter breakdown of how the dissertation will be arranged, and what materials and issues will be covered in each chapter.
• A statement of existing scholarship related to the thesis.
• The primary and secondary sources  to be consulted, as well as their location and availability.
• A work plan (an outline of the projected research, including travel) and the methodology to be used.

Before the defense is scheduled, the student’s advisor must read and formally agree to support the proposal as provisionally presented. The defense will consist of constructive criticism of the proposal’s goals and arguments, and advice on how research can best be undertaken.

Satisfactory Progress

A student must make satisfactory progress in meeting program requirements, demonstrate the ability to succeed in his or her course of studies or research and attain performance minima specified by the graduate program in all or in particular courses, otherwise his or her enrollment will be terminated. All graduate students are required to submit an annual report on their progress to degree to the director of graduate studies.

The Doctoral Dissertation

A successful defense of a dissertation is the final requirement for the doctoral degree. The dissertation is prepared under the direction of the student’s advisor, but it is expected that the student will meet at least annually with each member of the Dissertation Committee. Students are also strongly encouraged to ask the Committee to meet with them at least once for a mid-dissertation consultation, after the first chapter or two have met the advisor’s provisional approval.

Dissertation Committee

The Dissertation Committee consists of four faculty members who advise the student on the writing of their dissertation. The membership of this committee may be composed of the same members as the Examination Committee or the membership may be adjusted before the final defense. 

The Ph.D. student should consult with the director of graduate studies and their advising team concerning the selection of the final Dissertation Committee, which must  be approved by the dean of the Graduate School. The advisor must submit to the director of graduate studies a list of all committee members at least four weeks before the final copy of the dissertation is distributed. Should a student wish to include a special member (a scholar with no official affiliation with the university) on the Dissertation Committee, the student must request a nomination from the director of graduate studies no later than four months before the proposed oral defense date.

Dissertation Defense 

When the dissertation is nearing completion and the major advisor has approved moving on to this penultimate step, the Ph.D. candidate 1) submits to the Graduate School, at least six weeks before the defense date, a nomination of Thesis or Dissertation Committee form and 2) schedules the dissertation defense. Consisting of a minimum of five faculty members, this committee normally includes four faculty members in the department as well as a member of the university’s graduate faculty from outside the department who serves as the graduate dean's representative. All members of the Defense Committee appointed by the Graduate School must attend the defense. Should a student wish to include a special member (a scholar with no official affiliation with the university) on the Dissertation Committee, the student must request a nomination from the director of graduate studies no later than four months before the proposed oral defense date.

Students must submit the final draft of their dissertation to their committee at least four weeks before the defense date. 

Students should discuss with their directors the format of the defense. Typically, the defense is a two-hour discussion of the dissertation. The defense usually begins with a statement from the student on the experience of writing the dissertation (key discoveries, important changes in critical perspectives, main contributions, etc.). Four of the five members of the Dissertation Defense Committee must approve the dissertation in order for the student to pass. Students are frequently asked to make revisions to the dissertation before submitting it to the Graduate School. Upon satisfactory completion of the oral defense and the electronic submission of the dissertation to, and its approval by, the Graduate School, the candidate is awarded the Ph.D.

Submission of the dissertation

The approved dissertation must be submitted electronically to the Graduate School by the deadlines posted in order for a student to graduate in a given semester.  Information about all aspects of electronic submission of the dissertation is available on the Graduate School's Information for Current Students under Thesis and Dissertation Resources . 

Completing the Ph.D. involves careful attention to deadlines imposed and paperwork required by the Graduate School . 

Students are expected to complete their coursework and meet all foreign language requirements by no later than their fifth semester in the program. Please contact D ana Persaud , to schedule your language exam and confirm the acceptability of equivalences if you wish to forego an exam to meet your language requirement. 

Students are expected to advance to candidacy by successfully passing their qualifying examination by their seventh semester in the program. Please contact D ana Persaud , to schedule your qualifying exam. Submit your form for candidacy advancement to the Graduate Office upon successful completion of your qualifying exam. Upon advancing to candidacy, students are expected to file a dissertation progress form  with the Graduate Office each semester.

Students must file an approved dissertation prospectus with the Graduate Office no later than four months following the qualifying examination. 

Specific deadlines for students intending to graduate will be announced on the ARTH graduate-student reflector and are also available from the Graduate School's Deadlines for Graduates. Most of the necessary paperwork for these deadlines can be found on the Graduate School's General Forms for Graduate Students.

Recent alumni are currently employed at both public and private research universities, as well as smaller liberal arts colleges. Students from the graduate program have also gone on to work at museums and galleries.

Dana Persaud

Coordinator, Art History and Archaeology

4219 Parren J. Mitchell Art - Sociology Building College Park MD, 20742

Joshua Shannon

Professor, Contemporary Art History & Theory, and Director of Graduate Studies, Art History and Archaeology

4204 Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building College Park MD, 20742

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MPhil and PhD

The Department of Art History at the University of Hong Kong is one of Asia’s leading centres of art historical research. We offer  research postgraduate (RPg) programmes  leading to the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees. For information on our taught postgraduate (MA) programme, go to the  MA section . Please note that we do not offer any applied degrees in studio art or design.

Our MPhil is a two-year full-time (or three-year part-time) programme, while the PhD takes three or four years full-time (four-and-a-half or six years part-time). Both programmes are based primarily on the writing of a dissertation in English under the close supervision of a full-time faculty member from  our department . It is possible to have a co-supervisor within or outside our department.

The  Graduate School handles the overall management of the degrees; it sets policies for admissions and examinations, and also provides compulsory courses and optional workshops for RPg students. The Arts Faculty’s Higher Degrees Committee provides academic oversight of all RPg programmes and students. And the  School of Humanities office handles most of the day-to-day administrative work for RPg students once they have begun their studies.

Note that we do not currently participate in the King’s College London and Hong Kong University Joint PhD programme.

Fees & Funding

Facilities and support services, hku research services.

The Research Services unit provides guidelines on research integrity and offers research-related grants, including funding for RPg travel and participation in academic conferences.

HKU Library Service

In addition to its extensive research collections and databases, the HKU Library offers courses on various research tools and provides individualized consultation services to RPg students. The Main Library and branch libraries also offer a variety of study spaces for all users.

The Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS) assists all students with housing issues, and offers a range of counseling services, including both career counseling and mental health counseling.

Study Space

RPg students share a dedicated School of Humanities study room in Run Run Shaw Tower. The room includes desks, personal lockers, a small meeting room, refrigerator and microwave oven, and lots of natural light with excellent views. Students are also welcome to use the extensive facilities of the Learning Commons (Centennial Campus), the various HKU libraries, and the Art History Resource Centre.

Department Facilities

The Art History Resource Centre houses a small library of reference books and loanable books, AV collections, the Hong Kong Art Archive, computers, and a small meeting room. Contact our department clerk for use of the department scanners and photocopier.

Leave of Absence

Full-times RPg students are required to work full-time on their studies and remain resident in Hong Kong, except for periods of approved leave of absence. There are four kinds of leave available: study leave (usually used for research-related travel); non-study leave (for vacation or other personal travel); sick leave (for health-related issues); and maternity or paternity leave (for pregnancy and childbirth). Details on the various leave requirements and limits are available from the Graduate School’s Leave of Absence page . Applications for leave must be approved in advance by the student’s primary supervisor and the Department Research Postgraduate Committee; applications forms are available here .

What is the difference between an MPhil programme and an MA programme?

The MA is a taught master’s degree. Our MAAH is a 12-month programme requiring students to complete six courses and write a capstone dissertation of 10,000 words. The MPhil, in contrast, is a two-year research-focused degree. Students take only a few short courses and complete a much longer dissertation under the supervision of their primary supervisor. The MAAH qualifies students to apply for our 4-year PhD programme; the MPhil qualifies students to apply for our 3-year PhD programme. Because of its emphasis on coursework, the MA is more recognized internationally as a qualification for overseas PhD programmes.

If my first degree is not a BA degree, will I still be eligible to apply for a research programme in this department?

Most of our MPhil students have studied art history as an undergraduate; students coming from closely related disciplines such as history, literature, or architecture may also be considered. For students without substantial undergraduate study in art history, our MAAH is a better option. Applicants for our PhD programme must have an MA or MPhil degree, with substantial knowledge of the discipline of art history.

How many Art History research postgraduate students are accepted each year?

We only have funding to support two or three new RPg students each year, which makes our programmes highly selective. See our research postgraduate intake table  here .

How often should I submit the Progress Report?

Once every six months. For instance, an MPhil student will have to do 4 reports in total. For more information, please click here .

When should I complete all compulsory courses?

Students should have passed all compulsory courses by the end of the probationary period (end of the 12 th  month). Students who fail to do so will have to apply to the Arts Faculty for extension of probation.

Do I have to take any elective courses?

No, Art History MPhil and PhD students do not have to take any electives; but if you think a course may contribute to your research, you may do so with the permission of the instructor and your primary supervisor.

Is there a rule concerning the length of a thesis?

No, the length of a thesis varies from one to another. Based on our past MPhil theses, the length tends to fall in the range of 100-150 double-spaced pages (25,000 to 35,000 words), excluding images and bibliography. PhD theses tend to range from 170 to 250 pages of text (40,000 to 60,000 words).

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• Research symposium 2024

Photo Gallery: 2024 Auburn Research Symposium

On March 26, Auburn University celebrated research and scholarly discovery by undergraduate students, graduate students and post-doctoral researchers through the 2024 Research Symposium. College of Liberal Arts students presented a variety of innovative research across disciplines.

Natalie McBrayer, an undergraduate student in the Department of Psychological Sciences , asked, "Does insight moderate the predictive validity of a neurophysiological indicator of cannabis cue reactivity for predicting behavioral choice?"

Sociology student Maryam Saulawa presented a poster on the "Relationship between climate change and the American criminal justice system with a focus on Alabama."

Chloe Beth Wood, an undergraduate student in psychology, explained her study, "Prospective deficits of insight capabilities in adults with moderate to severe Cannabis Use Disorder," to Aubie.

Psychology senior Minh Le presented "Intraminority stressors and how they affect body dissatisfaction amongst different racial groups."

Emelia Lewandowski, an undergraduate student in psychological sciences, shared findings from her study, "The pain of comparison: Social media use and its impacts on college student mental health."

Cameron Troyer, an undergraduate student in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work , presented "A landmark-based assessment of humeri and femora from a highly fragmentary commingled skeletal remains from the Newton Plantation, Barbados."

Psychological sciences student Clarisse Nacilla shared findings from the study "Neurophysiological reactivity profiles and their associations with cannabis-related problems in individuals with Cannabis Use Disorder."

Katelyn Mandeville, an undergraduate student in the Department of Psychological Sciences, presented "Drinking with my friends: The impact of social media use on alcohol consumption and mental health."

To learn more about the 2024 Research Symposium, visit the Auburn Research website.

Tags: Research Sociology Anthropology and Social Work Sociology Psychological Sciences

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Alumni Update | Marcela Guerrero (MA’05; PhD’15) Featured in OnWisconsin Magazine

Marcela Guerrero (M.A. 2005, Ph.D. 2015) has been featured in the Spring 2024 edition of the OnWisconsin Magazine. Dr. Guerrero is a senior curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art and their first curator of Latino art. You can read the full article, “Rethinking the American Museum,”  here .