BGSU's interdisciplinary M.A. program in Art History emphasizes the placement of art within its diverse cultural, socio-political, economic, religious, theoretical, and thematic contexts. We approach this study through the lenses of current theory and criticism as well as traditional object-oriented connoisseurship. The M.A. is a two-year program, although it is open to part-time students who have six years to finish their degrees.

The Division's relatively intimate size, together with BGSU's commitment to teaching, ensures a close connection between students and faculty, and offers an opportunity for students to profit from close faculty attention. The research specializations of the faculty include the history and theory of: Classical art and archaeology, Renaissance art and visual culture, contemporary art and photography, and the arts and cultures of Africa. With faculty in both Western and non-Western fields, students are offered a revolving curriculum of advanced courses representing every continent with chronological and thematic breadth, and are encouraged toward interdisciplinary study (please see catalog for a compete list of courses available). Students can also take advantage of the close proximity to the Toledo Museum of Art, and to numerous other museums in Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Chicago. In addition, our graduate students have full access to library collections (including the Popular Culture Library) and image resources such as ARTstor, OhioLINK, and vast repositories of literature online via Jerome Library's website.

A Master of Arts degree in Art History from BGSU prepares individuals for a variety of careers in the arts and humanities, including continued study in art historical doctoral programs. Art History graduate students and alumni have secured teaching and curatorial positions in a variety of two- and four-year colleges and art museums.

Students must complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours at the graduate level, 21 hours of coursework in Art History, of which 6 hours must be seminars in two different areas or periods, and at least 12 hours of which must be regular lecture courses. In addition, students must complete 3 credit hours in studio art or related courses inside or outside the School of Art. Students must also take 3 hours of Contemporary Art Theory and Criticism and 3 hours of written thesis credit.