Graduate Degrees
Master of Fine Arts
A two-year program administered in collaboration with the Graduate School, the Master of Fine Arts is a professional degree in the practice of art preparing students to pursue careers as professional artists or as teachers at the college or university level. The opportunity to gain experience as a teaching assistant is available on a competitive basis. Applicants must hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts, or equivalent, from an accredited school. The intended area of primary interest must be indicated and the applicant must provide 20 slides of work, appropriately labeled and dated. Transfer work applicable to the M.F.A. degree must have been completed within five years of the date of application.
Slides should be sent directly to: Graduate Programs, School of Fine Arts, Watt Hall 104, University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0292. Applicants wishing to have their slides returned should include a stamped, self-addressed envelope or mailing container.
Promising students who have inadequate units for the Bachelor of Fine Arts equivalency may be admitted to the school, but must complete undergraduate units before being accepted into the program. All documents must be received by the Office of Admission. To facilitate processing it is recommended that copies of all documents also be sent directly to: Graduate Programs, School of Fine Arts, Watt Hall 104, University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0292.
Program Requirements
At least 48 units are required for the Master of Fine Arts, to be distributed as follows: major area (500 level), 18-22 units; art history, 8 units, 4 units of which must be at 500 level; 550ab Seminar: Contemporary Issues, 4 units; interdisciplinary electives, 12-16 units; 594abz Thesis, 4 units.
Master of Fine Arts students are evaluated by faculty during reviews held near the end of each semester. Before a student is recommended for the Master of Fine Arts, a comprehensive review of past work and professional goals is held. An exhibition of work at the end of the course of study and a written thesis, documented with visual material, complete the Master of Fine Arts program. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on all graduate work is required for the Master of Fine Arts degree.
Complete details can be found in the School of Fine Arts Graduate Studio Guidelines, obtainable upon admission to the program.
Master of Arts
Art History
The Master of Arts in art history is a two-year program of study administered in collaboration with the Graduate School, emphasizing course work and specialized research in the history of art. A minimum of 36 units is required for the degree. The opportunity to gain experience as a teaching assistant is available on a competitive basis.
Transfer work applicable to the M.A. program must have been completed within 10 years of the date of application.
History of Decorative Arts
Included among the course offerings in art history are four classes in the history of decorative arts that are intended for the advanced undergraduate and graduate student and which can lead to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. All classes center around the collections in local museums, are taught by the appropriate curator and are held on site. The courses are FA 462 French Decorative Arts (Gillian Wilson, Getty Museum), FA 463 Costume Studies (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), FA 464 British Decorative Arts (Shelley Bennett, Huntington Art Gallery), and FA 465 American Decorative Arts (Leslie Bowman, Los Angeles County Museum of Art).
Museum Studies Program
The Museum Studies Program is a three-year course of study leading to the Master of Arts in art history, designed to meet the special training needs of students whose career goals are oriented toward professional work in art museums. Fellowship support is awarded on a competitive basis.
Admission requirements for the program are identical to those of the Master of Arts in art history. The degree, for students enrolled in the Museum Studies Program, requires a minimum of 44 units. The program consists of four parts: the academic core discipline (including a thesis), the museum studies courses, a catalogue and exhibition, and an internship in a museum. Advancement to the third year of the Museum Studies Program is based upon the thesis committee's review of academic and professional preparedness.
Admission
Applicants must hold a Bachelor of Arts with a major in art history, or the equivalent, from an accredited school. Admission to the program is granted through the Graduate School in conjunction with the School of Fine Arts; all applicants must meet the requirements of both schools.
Admission standards are competitive and based on presentation of an outstanding undergraduate academic record with the bachelor's degree in art history, and completion of the supplemental application form for the Master of Arts in art history.
Supplemental application forms may be obtained by writing: Graduate Programs, School of Fine Arts, Watt Hall 104, University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0292.
Museum Studies Certificate
The Museum Studies Certificate is a three-year part-time program leading to a certificate in Museum Studies, designed for the student who has an M.A. or Ph.D. in art history and is seeking additional training for the museum profession.
The Museum Studies Certificate has three components: the core courses (FA 530 and 531); the exhibition and catalogue (FA 540 and 541ab); and the museum internship (FA 630ab). A total of 16 units is required. A thesis is not required. The museum internship may be waived at the discretion of the director, museum studies program.
Requirements for Admission
Applicants must hold an M.A. or Ph.D. in Art History from an accredited institution. Admission to the program is granted through the School of Fine Arts. Admission standards are competitive and based on presentation of an outstanding academic record and completion of the application form.
Foreign Language Requirement
All candidates must pass a reading proficiency examinations in one language, normally French or German. Substitutions can be made with faculty recommendation and approval of the dean of the School of Fine Arts when it seems appropriate to the student's course of study (i.e., Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Greek, etc.). The language should be completed by the end of the first year.
Comprehensive Examinations
All candidates must pass a comprehensive examination demonstrating a thorough background in art history. These examinations should be passed before the end of the fourth semester or after completing 24 units of study, whichever occurs first.
Areas of Concentration
Greek and Roman Art, Medieval Art, Renaissance Art, Baroque Art, 18th and 19th Century European Art, 20th Century Art, Chinese and Japanese Art, Russian Art, and Decorative Art.
Course Distribution
No more than 12 units can be taken on the 400 level. For the Master of Arts in art history at least 12 units, to include one seminar, must be taken in the declared area of concentration. For the Master of Arts in museum studies option, at least eight units, including one seminar, must be taken in the area of concentration. No more than two seminars with the same course number can be taken for major credit toward the Master of Arts. Fine Arts 500 normally must be taken in the first semester of study.
Units in related electives must be approved by the faculty advisor on the thesis committee.
A minimum grade point average of 3.0 is required for the Master of Arts degree. Every student's progress will be reviewed by the faculty at the end of each academic year.
Thesis Committee
A thesis committee of three faculty members should be established when the language requirement has been completed and the comprehensive examinations have been passed. Normally, this will occur upon completion of 24 units of study. The thesis committee supervises the research and preparation of the thesis. Unanimous approval by the full committee must be given before the thesis is accepted and the degree conferred.
Complete details for all graduate programs can be found in the Guidelines for Graduate Studies in Art History, obtainable upon admission to the program.
Program Requirements for the Master of Arts in Art History
A minimum of 36 units, usually taken during a two-year period, is required for the Master in Arts in art history, to be distributed as follows:
| Required courses | Units |
| FA 500 | Historiography and Methodology | 4 |
| FA 594abz | Thesis | 2-2-0 |
| Additional 400 or 500 level courses | 28 |
| ____ |
| 36 |
No more than 12 units at the 400 level, including electives, may be taken.
Program Requirements for the Museum Studies Program
| Required courses | Units |
| FA 500 | Historiography and Methodology | 4 |
| FA 530 | Museum Studies I | 4 |
| FA 531 | Museum Studies II | 4 |
| FA 540 | Museum Studies Exhibition Colloquium | 4 |
| FA 541ab | Museum Studies Exhibition | 1-1 |
| FA 594abz | Master's Thesis | 2-2-0 |
| FA 630ab | Museum Internship | 1-1 |
| Additional 400 or 500 level courses | 20 |
| ____ |
| (minimum) | 44 |
No more than 12 units, including electives, may be taken at the 400 level. The museum internship (FA 630ab) requires a full-time commitment for two semesters during the third year.
Program Requirements for the Certificate in Museum Studies
| Required courses | Units |
| FA 530 | Museum Studies I: The Museum as an Institution | 4 |
| FA 531 | Museum Studies II: The Work of Art in a Systematic Collection | 4 |
| FA 540 | Museum Studies Exhibition Colloquium | 4 |
| FA 541ab | Exhibition and Catalogue | 1-1 |
| FA 630ab | Museum Internship | 1-1 |
| ____ |
| 16 |
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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
David Henriquez
univpub@stuaff.usc.edu