Graduate Application Information

Thank you for your interest in applying to the Kress Foundation Department of Art History graduate program

For fall semester admission, application and all materials submitted by: January 1

1. The KU online graduate application.

2. Three letters of recommendation (preferably from professors). You will be asked to enter the names and e-mail addresses for three recommenders while completing the online application. Your recommenders will automatically receive an e-mail requesting their letters when you submit the application. It is not necessary for your recommenders to send hard copies of their letters to the department if they submit their letters electronically. Should a recommender feel uncomfortable with the online submission process, please contact the department for more options.

3. Please attach the following required items to the KU online graduate application:

• Resumé or curriculum vitae
• A one-page statement of educational and career objectives
• A writing sample, preferably an art history paper, 8-20 pages of text not including endnotes or images following endnotes 
• A list of art history courses taken in chronological order and including (1)the number of credit hours (2)instructor’s name (3)grade received. Note: Applicants typically have completed no fewer than 18 credit hours of art history coursework.
• A copy or scan of official transcripts of all post-secondary education. 
  *Please watch the video about transcripts on Page 6 of the online application before uploading scans of your transcripts.*
• Applicants should not complete the optional video supplement on Page 7 of the online application. The optional video supplement will not be considered by the admissions committee. 

4. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score [KU’s code is: 6871] you should request that official GRE scores be sent to the University of Kansas by ETS.

Please note: GRE scores that are five or more years old as of the application due date will not be accepted. If your GRE scores are five or more years old, you should retake the GRE in time for the new scores to arrive before the application deadline.

International students must also submit: 

5. TOEFL or IELTS scores [KU’s code is: 6871]. Official copy (not student's copy) of English proficiency standardized test scores (e.g. TOEFL) achieved not more than two years prior to the semester of first enrollment.  
TOEFL scores are not necessary if: Bachelor's degree (or higher) was earned in residence from an accredited English-medium U.S. college or university, OR, from an accredited college or university in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, English-speaking province of Canada, or an English-speaking Caribbean country, with instruction conducted in English.

6. Bank Certification. For more information on international financial documentation please see the International Student and Scholar website.

Funding:

All applicants for fall semester admission to the Kress Foundation Department of Art History graduate program will be considered on a competitive basis for a scholarship from the Graduate Student Support Fund in Art History and the Morris Family Scholarship Fund. The GSSF provides a one-year recruitment scholarship that may be awarded to an entering graduate student. The Morris Family Scholarship provides significant funding and a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) position the first year, with the possibility of continuing appointment for two more years as a GTA and/or a Spencer Museum of Art curatorial intern. This scholarship is awarded to one entering graduate student annually.

The Department of Art History also considers incoming students for GTA and Graduate Assistant (GA) positions.

No separate application is required to be considered for funding; rather, the department makes decisions based upon information provided in the graduate applications.