MA in Art History in Urbana United States | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The School of Art and Design's Master of Arts in Art History fosters a comprehensive understanding of visual traditions across various cultures and historical periods while training students to become experts in their selected specialization. The M.A. program curriculum introduces students to diverse visual cultures, historical approaches, and interpretive techniques. Through seminars and lectures covering art from ancient times to the contemporary era—spanning Europe, the Americas, Africa, and East Asia—along with foreign language proficiency, students build a strong academic foundation. By completing their first year, all M.A. candidates choose a specialization area and select a faculty advisor within that field. Working closely with their advisor, students develop an original research project submitted as either a Master's Thesis or Scholarly Paper. Recent thesis topics have included collecting habits in 16th-century Florence, the socio-political role of a 17th-century English emblem book from the University Rare Books Collection, depictions of the Virgin of Guadalupe in 18th- and 19th-century Mexico, and postwar Berlin's public memorial art.