Art History (MA)
Program overview
Founded in 1973, Concordia’s MA in Art History is one of Canada’s longest standing and foremost graduate programs in our discipline: it offers extensive seminar offerings every year, focused on various thematic issues related to our faculty’s current research on medieval, Renaissance, modern, and contemporary art and architecture from across the globe (including print culture, photography, interior design, craft, and fashion). Each professor presents to their students various theories and methodologies that are broadly relevant in the field today (such as decolonizing methodologies, postcolonial theory, queer theory, social art history, sensory studies, etc.) The program also offers the possibility of pursuing an internship in a museum, a gallery or at another local cultural organization in Montreal. Once their coursework is completed, students undertake, alongside their supervisor, a directed review of sources and then write a thesis that is an original and topical contribution to art historical scholarship.
Program details
Admission Requirements
- BFA or a BA with a major in Art History or approved equivalent with at least a B+ average in the major area.
- Proficiency in English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate that their knowledge of English is sufficient to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. Please refer to the English language proficiency page for further information on requirements and exemptions.
Degree Requirements
Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 45 credits.
Please see the Art History Courses page for course descriptions.
Art History MA (45 credits)
| 6 | credits of Required Courses: |
| 15 | credits of seminars selected in consultation with the graduate program director or the student’s supervisor. Exceptionally, and with the approval of the Graduate Program Director, students may register for one of the following options: 1) a graduate seminar (3 credits) in another discipline or at another Quebec university, 2) an internship or 3) an independent study. |
| 24 | credits: |
Your completed application will include:
- Application form and fee
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- Three Letters of Reference and assessment form. References from Art History professors are preferred. Once contacted by the university, referees have 14 days to submit their letters. After that, the link provided to them will no longer be valid. For any questions contact Art History.
- A statement of purpose (500 words) should explain why you have chosen to do graduate work in Art History at Concordia University, propose a thesis topic or area of special interest, and discuss your professional goals.
- A writing sample (8-10 pages), which usually takes the form of an art history undergraduate essay
- Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended
- Proof of Canadian citizenship (if applicable)
- Official language test scores for applicants whose primary language is not English, unless exemption applies.
Please apply and submit your documents online. Read the how-to guide for application procedures.
| DEGREE |
FALL (September) |
WINTER (January) |
SUMMER (May/June) |
| Art History | MA | Jan. 15 | n/a | n/a |
For applications after this deadline, please contact the Graduate program director.
The MA in Art History provides you with an academically rich and collaborative learning environment, infused with professional development opportunities. Many of our classes integrate experiential learning components such as learning how to archive art text, building an art database, practicing curatorial writing, or developing websites.
Review the current MA seminars offered and consult the graduate calendar for a complete list of courses.
All new applicants will automatically be considered for a number of entrance fellowships, awards, and teaching assistantships. Students who wish to apply for provincial or federal funding should be aware that these applications must be submitted well before the program application.
Some in-course awards as well as subsidies for research travel and conference presentations are available to graduate students. Annual calls for applications are issued to students already registered in the program.
Please consult Concordia’s graduate funding page and departmental funding opportunities.
Faculty members are actively engaged in innovative research across a wide variety of areas:
- Indigenous and Inuit art
- Architecture history & theory and studies of the built environment
- Craft history, theory and methodologies
- History of painting, sculpture and other media from the 16th to the 21st centuries
- Social contexts of art
- Art, architecture and religion/spirituality
- Photography history and theory
- Art theory and historiography
- Visual culture
- Material culture
- Black studies
- Sensory studies
- Museum studies
- Curatorial studies
- Diasporic studies and globalization
- Art and social justice (racial, environmental, etc.)
- Feminisms, gender and sexuality studies
- Fashion and design histories
- New media art
- Canadian art
- Montreal art and architecture
The Department of Art History is home to the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canada Art, and houses the Journal of Canadian Art History, and the Canadian Women Artists History Initiative, Graduate students benefit from these academically-rich environments and, through the Faculty’s Visual Collections Repository, have access to 300,000 circulating slides and digital images that range from the pre-historic to the contemporary.
Review an inspiring gallery of thesis topics and read about some of our exceptional graduate students.
The Art History Graduate Student Association (AHGSA) is the student representative body, while the department is home to student research groups including Ethnocultural Art Histories Research Group, (EAHR), the Afrofuturism Research Collective (ARC), and the Global South Working Group.
Student research activities provide additional opportunities to curate exhibitions, publish journals, organize conferences and present papers.
Our alumni find success in a wide range of professional art careers. Graduates pursue careers as educators, curators, archivists, and gallery arts administrators.
See what our graduates are doing now.
Questions?
For administrative questions contact art.history@concordia.ca
For academic questions contact the Graduate Program Director, Nicola Pezolet
