History Master’s program at Cornell University

The PhD program in History of Art at Cornell is renowned for its global scope and critical engagement with methodology. Small cohorts enable productive collaborations between students and faculty, while standardized funding packages promote a robustly democratic intellectual environment. In addition to conducting pathbreaking research, graduate students participate in organizing the Visual Culture Colloquium and gain valuable experience as teaching assistants; many also lead their own writing seminars. The alumnae/i draw on their experiences at Cornell to re-shape the future of art history as practiced both in universities and museums, and among still broader publics beyond institutional walls.

Cornell’s graduate program is unique in two ways: the Field system and Committee system. The Graduate School at Cornell oversees all academic fields and determines basic requirements. In the History of Art and Visual Studies, field and department overlap more than in some other fields. The DGS (Director of Graduate Study) is the interface between the field and students and works closely with the department as well.

At Cornell, students select a Special Committee of three members and work with the committee members to tailor their own program, reflecting their intellectual objectives. In the first year, students select a committee chair, who must be a member of the History of Art department. By the end of the third semester students choose the remaining two members, who may be drawn from the graduate faculty at large, although we recommend that one additional member be from the department. This Special Committee system results in a flexible graduate education tailored to each individual student. Cornell faculty also encourage interdisciplinary approaches to the student's selected major field.