PhD in Art History, Theory, and Criticism - Visual Arts in La Jolla United States | University of California, San Diego

Providing a unique approach compared to traditional Ph.D. programs in art history, this program features an innovative curriculum that prioritizes artistic objects and practices as primary subjects of study, while also promoting analysis of the broader historical, cultural, social, intellectual, and theoretical contexts that shape the concept of art within contemporary disciplinary advancements. The program covers artistic traditions from ancient to contemporary times, spanning diverse forms including traditional fine arts and modern media (film, video, photography, digital media). The Department of Visual Arts provides two doctoral options: a PhD in art history, theory, and criticism with focus areas matching faculty expertise (VA76), and a PhD with an art practice concentration for artist-scholars integrating historical and cultural research into their creative work (VA77). Distinguished from other art history doctoral programs, our curriculum approaches the study of art—from classical to contemporary, encompassing fine arts, media, design, and popular culture—as an expansive investigation into the practices, artifacts, and dialogues that define the art world, while examining the overarching frameworks (historical, cultural, social, intellectual, and theoretical) that contextualize art within current disciplinary trends. This program is further unique by being situated within a department long recognized as a premier institution for art practice and graduate education in studio arts, media, and emerging digital media. The dual offering of PhD and MFA degrees stems from the department's core philosophy that artistic creation and critical/historical analysis fundamentally belong to the same intellectual community. This deep connection between art history and practice is exemplified by the art practice concentration within the art history doctoral program.