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The Ph.D. degree is granted upon the successful completion of:

• Twelve semester courses (including the ten semester courses or 30 credits taken for the M.A.) for a total of 36 credits

• Successful completion of two Two foreign language examinations

• Successful completion of one graduate-level methods course

An optional minor field consisting of two graduate courses and a qualifying paper may also be completed.

• After the successful completion of 8 courses, a student who wishes to pursue the Ph.D. may petition the faculty for official admission to the Ph.D. program. After a careful review of the student’s performance, the faculty will determine whether the student is to be admitted to the doctoral program.

• (All students who enter the program with a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent are considered M.A. students until they are officially admitted to the Ph.D. program, even if they hold multi-year fellowships.)

• Upon acceptance into the Ph.D. program, the student may petition to be excused from the Master's comprehensive examination, but not from the Master's essay.

Once the student has been approved to continue for the doctorate, he or she must take two semester courses in addition to the ten required for the Master's degree. While undertaking coursework, students should be exploring topics for the dissertation. After completion of 12 semester courses, students are required to register for a six-credit course in preparation for the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination.

Language Requirement

The Ph.D. degree is granted upon the successful completion of two foreign language examinations. The languages must be useful for the student's field of specialization. Preferably, the examinations will be administered at Rutgers University. If a student wishes to be examined in a language that cannot be evaluated at Rutgers, the student should consult the graduate program director.

For students specializing in western art before 1750, successful completion of language examinations in German and one other language constitutes the usual fulfillment of the language requirement. For students working on topics for which there is another language that is relevant to their work, a different language may be substituted for German, as approved by the student’s primary adviser and the graduate program director. For students specializing in the art of Africa, one language must be an African language. For students specializing in the art of Asia, one language must be an Asian language.

For full-time students entering without an M.A., one language examination must be completed within 12 months of first enrollment. The second language exam must be taken within 24 months of first enrollment. If a passing grade on the second language exam is not received, the student may register only for language courses or for "matriculation continued" until the language examination has been passed.

Students entering the program with an M.A. must have a certificate from the institution that granted the M.A. attesting to their proficiency in a foreign language. The student must pass the second proficiency examination within 12 months of first enrollment. If no languages are transferable, the student must pass two language examinations within 12 months of first enrollment.

The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination is given after all course work is completed. See below for different formats of the examination.

Department of Art History
Voorhees Hall
71 Hamilton Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Tel: 732-932-7041
Fax: 732-932-1261

Catherine Puglisi, Chairperson

Erik Thunø , Undergraduate Director

Susan Sidlauskas, Graduate Program Director

Cathy Pizzi, Department Administrator

Geralyn Colvil, Student Coordinator

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