Art History PhD Program
The Doctor of Philosophy is a research degree designed to form a critical and productive scholar by focusing on a particular field within the history of art. The degree is suited to students who intend to continue advanced work either in university teaching or in a museum at the highest professional level. The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to conduct original research and to integrate it with larger domains of knowledge.
Contact Info
Advisor
Emily Johnson
Academic Program Specialist
etjohnson@fsu.edu
(850) 644-8207
Director
Dr. Adam Jolles
Director of Graduate Studies
ajolles@fsu.edu
Prerequisites
The entering student is expected to have in hand a completed Master’s degree in Art History with a written thesis or equivalent demonstration of research and writing skills. A reading knowledge of one foreign language is required for admission to the doctoral program.
Program Requirements
COURSEWORK: 36 credit hours of course work beyond the Master’s degree and 24 credit hours of supervised dissertation research (60 credit hours total). According to University regulation, all requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within five calendar years from the time the student passes the qualifying examination.LANGUAGE: A reading knowledge of one foreign language is required for admission to the doctoral program. By the end of the first year in residence, reading knowledge of a second language must be demonstrated. The second language will be determined through consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and the student’s advisor. Depending on the area of specialization, additional languages may be required. The requirement is fulfilled either by passing an exam in reading knowledge or successfully completing an intermediate-level course.
SCHOLARLY ENGAGEMENT: The Graduate School requires doctoral students to interact with faculty and peers by attending seminars, symposia, and conferences, and engaging in collaborative study and research beyond the university campus. The goal is to prepare students to be scholars who can independently acquire, evaluate, and extend knowledge, as well as develop themselves as effective communicators and disseminators of knowledge. The Art History department fosters engagement by encouraging students to present papers at regional and national conferences, curate exhibitions, and publish research.
Fields of Study
Our internationally renowned faculty are experts in three major areas of specialization: the Post-Ancient and Medieval World, Modernities and Modernisms, and the Visual Cultures of the Americas. Their overlapping interests result in a great variety of disciplinary subfields and innovative research opportunities for students. For examples of graduate student research topics, see our list of ongoing and completed FSU Art History Dissertations.
The Post-Ancient and Medieval World
Faculty research specialties in this area include the Empire of Byzantium, the kingdoms of Armenia and Georgia, the Islamic Caliphates, Gothic France, Byzantine Cyprus, global medieval art, manuscript illumination, and the Iberian Peninsula. Medieval studies are explored across many disciplines at Florida State University. Graduate students who specialize in medieval art may also enjoy participating in FSU’s interdisciplinary Medieval Studies Association and in Vagantes, a traveling conference for graduate students studying any area of the Middle Ages.
Faculty: Lynn Jones, Kyle Killian, Erika Loic, Brendan Weaver
Modernities and Modernisms
Art History faculty expertise in Modernities & Modernisms ranges widely from the Renaissance to global modern and contemporary art. Specialties include: Indigenous film and material culture, the history of graphics, African & diasporic art, 17th– and 18th-century Europe, 20th-century American mass culture, the history of photography, modern American art and theory, comic studies, 18th-century British art, and contemporary Native American art.
Faculty: Karen Bearor, Mora Beauchamp-Byrd, Tenley Bick, Michael Carrasco, Adam Jolles, Stephanie Leitch, Robert Neuman, Lorenzo Pericolo
Visual Cultures of the Americas
Critical for an understanding of the colonial and modern world, the study of the Visual Cultures of the Americas (VCA) highlights not only the richness of America’s indigenous cultures, as well as the ones born from the colonial experience, but also the dialogue that these cultures have had with the rest of the world. Thus VCA is an interdisciplinary, hemispheric investigation of the art and visual cultures generated through the dynamic and complex exchange between Indigenous, Western, African, and Asian societies from the archaic period to the present. Areas currently covered include: Precolumbian and Mesoamerican art, archaeology and culture; modern US and Canadian art, architecture and film cultures; and issues of mass culture and globalization. While VCA students are expected to focus on a specific topic or area to build expertise, all are expected to explore the larger issues that the visual cultures of the Americas raise.
Faculty: Karen Bearor, Mora Beauchamp-Byrd, Michael Carrasco, Kristin Dowell, Kyle Killian, Stephanie Leitch, Robert Neuman, Paul Niell, Brendan Weaver
Program Milestones
DOCTORAL PROGRESS REVIEW: The departmental faculty reviews and evaluates each student’s progress at the end of the first academic year. First-year doctoral students submit the First-Year Review cover sheet in early March. Doctoral Students who are ABD submit the Annual Doctoral Review Progress worksheet by early February and then schedule an annual spring meeting with their entire dissertation committee. The Director of Graduate Studies will convey the results of these discussions to the students.QUALIFYING EXAMINATION: The examining committee consists of no fewer than four faculty members, including one from a department other than Art History. The examination is scheduled and chaired by the student’s major professor. The first part is written, testing factual and bibliographical knowledge in the major and minor areas and the student’s ability to organize and evaluate information critically. The second part is an oral examination that falls within two weeks of the written test and also relates to the areas of the candidate’s concentration.DISSERTATION: A prospectus of the dissertation is developed in semester 4 and must be approved no later than 1 month following the completion of exams in semester 5. While working on the dissertation, students must register for a minimum of two hours of dissertation credit per term, with a total minimum of 24 hours of dissertation research. The completed manuscript should be submitted to the full dissertation committee at least one month before the anticipated oral defense date.Professional Development & Support
The Department of Art History provides two vital resources for PhD students preparing for the job market: a Proseminar and a Placement Committee.
PROSEMINAR
The 3-credit Proseminar (ARH 6920) is an essential course for doctoral students. It addresses dissertation funding, professional development, preparation for the job market, and the practical aspects of teaching and professional life. It is taught every other fall, so students who are about to enter doctoral candidacy should be sure to enroll when it is offered.PLACEMENT COMMITTEE
For each doctoral candidate, a Placement Committee consisting of three faculty members is appointed to advise the student on the preparation of application materials, job talks, and portfolios and to conduct mock interviews. The committee is appointed by the Art History Placement Coordinator – currently Assistant Chair Jean Hudson – at the request of the student.
Why Art History at FSU?
Art History doctoral students at FSU benefit from the guidance of award-winning faculty, opportunities to serve as instructors of record, and departmental support to find and secure research grants. In the past seven years, out of 28 full-time PhD students, 20 received competitive external grants, including four Fulbright awards, three Kress grants, and a Luce fellowship. Our graduates are well prepared to carry out research in art history at the highest levels and to become accomplished educators, authors, and museum professionals. Of our alumni who earned the PhD between 2017 and 2023, 90% are employed full-time in the field. Of those, 43% are in tenure-track positions. Employers include the University of Washington, Southern Ilinois University-Carbondale, Carlow University, FSU College of Law Research Center, Southern Utah University, St. Petersburg College, University of Tampa, University of South Florida, NYU Libraries, University of Alabama, and UNC Charlotte.
Florence Teaching Appointment
Each summer, the Department of Art History offers up to two appointments for doctoral students to teach in Italy on the FSU International Programs Florence campus. Appointees spend class time with students on site in Florence’s many museums, galleries, monuments, and churches, and join the entire program on excursions to other cities in Italy.
