MA Art (Art History) at Arizona State University

Programme overview

The Master of Arts program in art with a concentration in art history is a comprehensive graduate offering that fosters a critical understanding of visual art and material culture, and engages you in a rich and diverse curriculum. Inherently interdisciplinary, art history intersects with a variety of fields, including museum studies, archaeology, anthropology, media and performance studies, gender and ethnic studies, history, literature, philosophy and economics.

What you will study

30 credit hours, a thesis and a foreign language exam Required Core (3 credit hours) ARA 589 Writing Art and Design Criticism (3) or ARS 586 Theories of Contemporary Art (3) Concentration (3 credit hours) ARS 501 Methodologies and Art History (3) Focus Area Coursework (12 credit hours) seminars (12) Electives (3 credit hours) Research (3 credit hours) ARS 592 Research (3) Culminating Experience (6 credit hours) ARS 599 Thesis (6) Additional Curriculum Information This program requires a minimum of 24 credit hours in art history, with at least 12 of these earned in 500-level seminars.

Career pathways

A master's degree is essential for many professional roles in museums, specialized nonprofit and commercial art galleries, foundations, archives and libraries, and auction houses. It is also important for editorial work and for teaching positions at the community college and university levels.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution. In addition, applicants must have an undergraduate major or minor in art history or at least four upper-division art history courses in which a GPA of 3.00 or higher was maintained. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program. All applicants must submit: graduate admission application and application fee official transcripts three letters of recommendation. one formal research paper for review statement of intent proof of English proficiency Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search; the application opens almost a year before the start term. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S. Apply with ASU's graduate application (Law applicants use the law college's site); GRE/GMAT requirements vary by programme.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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