The MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History is an innovative, fully online program that focuses exclusively on modern and contemporary art. Rooted in solid historical training and current critical methods, the program develops students’ skills in visual analysis, close reading of texts, and the cultivation of independent and original research. Upon completion of the program, students are equipped with skills that are vital to further academic study as well as to the pursuit of a variety of careers in the arts.

Program Highlights

• Courses offered in a convenient online format
• Part-time or full-time study allowed
• Courses delivered in accelerated 8-week terms that start several times per year
• Multiple entry points that enable students to select the best time to start their graduate education
• Experienced faculty who are professionally active scholars committed to student success

Foreign Language Requirement

Before completing the MA program, students must demonstrate knowledge of a foreign language (note: American Sign Language does not fulfill this requirement). Students may fulfill the requirement by any of the following:

• Providing evidence of prior undergraduate or graduate coursework in a foreign language completed with a grade of C or higher at an accredited college or university. Contact the director of the MA program for more information on how to submit the documentation necessary to fulfill the foreign language requirement in this manner.
• Passing a foreign language class offered online by APU, including: ART 560 Reading and Translating French; SPAN 101 Elementary Spanish I; FREN 101 Elementary French I; GERM 101 Elementary German I; or JAPA 101 Elementary Japanese I. Note that foreign language coursework does not count toward the required 30 units for the MA degree.
• Passing a CLEP language exam with a score of 50 or better. The CLEP exam may be taken at one of more than 1,800 designated test centers worldwide. Available language exams include French Language: Levels 1 and 2; German Language: Levels 1 and 2; and Spanish Language: Levels 1 and 2.
• Native speakers of a language other than English may be considered for exemption from the language requirement, along with students who have completed study in a foreign language at a foreign university. Contact the director of the MA program for more information.

Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Core Courses		12
ART 550	History of 19th-Century Art, Criticism, and Theory	3
ART 555	History of 20th-Century Art, Criticism, and Theory	3
ART 565	Methodologies of Art History	3
ART 575	Writing About Art	3
Electives		12
Choose 12 units from the following:
ART 545	Directed Experience
ART 570	Theories and Practices of Abstraction
ART 576	History of Modern and Contemporary Sculpture
ART 577	Visual Culture
ART 600	Regional Modernism
ART 605	Art Museums: History, Theory, and Practice
ART 612	Women in Art
ART 615	Modernism and Religion
ART 697	Special Topics
ART 699	Independent Study/Readings in Art
Optional Foreign Language Course 1
ART 560	Reading and Translating French
Master’s Capstone		6
ART 618	Master's Capstone I	3
ART 625	Master's Capstone II	3
Total Units		30

¹

This course is available to meet the foreign language requirement; it does not count toward the required units for the degree.

Admission

University graduate admission and program-specific requirements must be met before an application is complete (see Admissions Information). Program-specific application requirements are available online.

International students should contact Graduate and Professional Admissions for application procedures.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this program shall be able to:

1. Students obtain advanced knowledge of specialized areas of art history and gain proficiency in interpreting images/objects in ways that consider the historical contexts in which they were produced and received.
2. Students are versed in the historiography and methodologies of art history and are able to apply the fundamental methods of the discipline in their academic work.
3. Students are able to assess and critique complex scholarly arguments and to critically evaluate the strength of the visual and textual evidence presented.
4. Students develop advanced skill in art historical research and are able to locate and enlist research resources in both print and digital form and assess the strengths and weaknesses of various types of resources.
5. Students acquire the writing and communication skills necessary for the accurate investigation and dissemination of art historical research.
6. Students demonstrate reading proficiency in a foreign language.
7. Students graduating with an M.A. in Art History are prepared for entry into a Ph.D. program or the job market.