Accelerated M.A. Program

Only current KU undergraduate students are eligible to apply to the Accelerated M.A. program. If you are not a current undergraduate student at KU, please review the admission requirements for History of Art's M.A., M.A./Ph.D., and Ph.D. programs.

Application deadline: May 1 of your Junior year

Careful course selection (e.g. prioritizing 500-level courses taught by faculty members in Art History by the second semester of the sophomore year) and steady progression through the undergraduate career is necessary to ensure all requirements for both the B.A./B.G.S. and M.A. degrees may be completed within 5 years. All prospective students should discuss their interest in admission to the Accelerated M.A. program with both the Undergraduate Advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies no later than the first semester of the student's Junior year. 

Prospective students must apply to the Accelerated M.A. program by May 1st of their Junior year. The following requirements must be met by this time:

• Major GPA of at least 3.50 and cumulative GPA of at least 3.00
• Accelerated M.A. aspirants should prioritize taking art history courses taught by art history faculty numbered 500+ no later than the first semester of the Junior year
• On track to complete the fourth semester of a language by the spring semester of the Senior year
• On track to complete all requirements for a B.A./B.G.S. degree in Art History from KU by the spring semester of the Senior year

Required Application Materials

1. A completed graduate application

2. Three letters of recommendation (preferably from professors in the major). The application system will send your recommenders an email containing the instructions for submitting their letters once you have entered their contact information.

3. Resumé or curriculum vitae

4. A statement of personal and educational interests and career objectives. We appreciate this opportunity to learn more about you. Feel free to discuss any personal, educational, economic, cultural, and/or social experiences that have helped shape you as a candidate. Please address how the graduate program/faculty in Art History at KU would help you to achieve your goals. Do not exceed 750 words. 

5. A writing sample, preferably from an art history course that you feel best represents your research, writing, and critical thinking skills. Your text (not including the bibliography, endnotes, and images) should be between 5-10 pages.

Upon review of the Application for Admission, the History of Art Department will notify the student of their eligibility to begin graduate-level coursework. Final admission to the graduate program for Year 5 will be contingent upon the following:

• Successful completion of all requirements for the bachelor's degree;
• Grades of B+ or above in all Art History graduate-level coursework taken during the student's senior year. Accelerated M.A. students are graded at the graduate level in their double-counting classes in Year 4.

Years 1-3:

• Work on completing requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. major. Discuss with your Undergraduate Advisor your interest in the Accelerated M.A. program and express that interest to the DGS and Graduate Program Coordinator no later than the first semester of your Junior year. You will need to apply to the Accelerated M.A. program no later than May 1 of your Junior year.
• We encourage prospective Accelerated M.A. students to take at least two in-person 500+ art history courses by the end of their Junior year
• Enroll in appropriate level of a foreign language course to stay on track to complete the fourth semester of a language by the end of the Senior year or prepare to sit for the language proficiency exam at the beginning of Year 5
  
  
  
  *Note that the admissions committee will be most interested in seeing evidence of success in in-person courses. Students who aspire to apply to the Accelerated M.A. program should also consider taking at least 1 to 2 500-level courses in art history before they apply.

Year 4:

• Fall Semester:
  • Meet with your Undergraduate Advisor, the DGS, and the Graduate Program Coordinator to ensure you are fulfilling all requirements for both the B.A./B.G.S. and the M.A.
  • Take at least two in-person 500+ HA breadth courses (and/or at least one course at the 700 level if you are completing the European and American Art/Global Modern and Contemporary Art track)
  • Take three 300+ elective/minor courses
  • Enroll in appropriate level of a foreign language course to stay on track to complete the fourth semester of a language by the end of the Senior year
    
     
• Spring Semester:
  • Meet with your Undergraduate Advisor, the DGS, and the Graduate Program Coordinator to ensure you are fulfilling all requirements for both the B.A./B.G.S. and the M.A.
  • Take at least one 500+ HA breadth course (or HA 550 if this requirement has not yet been met) and at least one 700+ HA graduate seminar*
  • Take three 300+ elective courses
  • Graduate with the B.A. or B.G.S. The Graduate Admissions Committee will review your academic record to ensure you've met the progression criteria required to earn official admission to the M.A. program.
  • Enroll in appropriate level of a foreign language course to stay on track to complete the fourth semester of a language by the end of the Senior year

Year 5:

• Fall Semester:
  • Enroll in 3 courses (at least two of which must be graduate seminars at the 700+ level)*
  • Enroll in appropriate level of a foreign language course to stay on track to complete the fourth semester of a language if that requirement has not yet been met or sit for the August language proficiency exam
    
     
• Spring Semester:
  • Enroll in 3 courses (at least two of which must be graduate seminars at the 700+ level)*
  • Take the M.A. exam when it is offered in January or May (provided foreign language requirement has been met)
  • Graduate with M.A.

*Note that at least two of the six graduate seminars taken in years 4 and 5 must be numbered 800+