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Welcome Prospective Graduate Students!

History of Art Application Deadline: December 4, 2023

We look forward to your inquiries about our program and your applications to work with faculty in a diverse, global range of fields in the arts and visual cultures.

  • We’re here to answer questions and help you to envision joining our community, develop a program of advanced study and research, and join in our creation of a vibrant, inclusive environment.
  • We’re ready to assist you with the application process alongside the Graduate Division and Office for Graduate Diversity.

Contacting Faculty: We encourage you to reach out directly to the individual members of our faculty with whom you might be interested in working. These communications are a customary component of the application process. They offer an opportunity for you to quickly communicate who you are, share your research interests, and convey why you are reaching out (i.e. why you are especially interested in seeking their mentorship). Even if the faculty member has insufficient time to meet with prospective applicants in advance, they still appreciate receiving introductory emails of this kind.

Department-specific questions about the application process: Please contact rfahgradadvising@berkeley.edu

General questions about graduate admissions: Please see the following sites.

Steps to Apply, UC Berkeley Graduate Division, https://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/steps-to-apply/

Office for Graduate Diversity, https://grad.berkeley.edu/graduate-diversity/

Applying to the Doctoral Program 

The Department welcomes applications for advanced study in the fields, periods, and specializations of the faculty in History of Art. We encourage prospective applicants to read carefully the graduate program description, familiarize themselves with the teaching and research areas of the faculty and related departments, and adhere precisely to application deadlines and requirements.

Process

Applications are reviewed by the Graduate Admissions Committee, which is comprised of five faculty members assisted by the Graduate Affairs Officer, in consultation with the faculty at large and in accordance with UC Berkeley’s Graduate Division. Applicants awarded admission, with or without fellowship support, will be notified by the University’s Graduate Division by late March, and must accept or decline any award by April 15. 

Your application will be kept on file in the Department for two years. Please note that supporting materials cannot be returned and will not be retained beyond the two-year limit. For information on reapplying, or reactivating a past application, please consult the Graduate Division.

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Important Factors  

  • The faculty seeks exceptional candidates whose academic and professional preparation and achievement demonstrate that they will be able to make rapid progress toward a doctorate degree in History of Art and to complete their studies with distinction.

  • We do prefer previous study in a discipline in the humanities or social sciences, involving historical content and the acquisition of research and interpretive skills, as well as effective writing abilities

  • We welcome applications from those with B.A. degrees who have a strong foundation in the humanities and a set of clear intellectual interests in History of Art.

  • We also welcome applications from students who have received an M.A. at UC Berkeley or other universities.

PLEASE READ AND CONSIDER BEFORE SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION: 

The Department does not offer a terminal master’s program, and students who have yet to establish a field or fields of proposed study, who lack previous study in fields with historical content, or who have yet to begin study of a primary research language may be better served by applying to an MA program at another University or an MA program in a cognate department at UC Berkeley.

Admission to this program follows a thorough review of each applicant’s complete dossier; no individual component, score, or statement will ensure admission. The Department does not report on the results of prior admissions. 

After careful review of this page, the graduate program description, as well as their own prior study and experience, prospective applicants may wish to contact individual faculty with specific questions regarding the doctoral program. Please keep in mind that faculty may not respond in detail to such inquiries due to the volume of applications.

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Application Materials 

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Deadlines

  • All applications for Fall 2023 admission (with or without fellowship consideration) must be submitted online by December 4, 2023 at 8:59pm PST. 
  •  We will only accept applications for the Fall semester.
  • Please note that the Department will not review your application until we have received all documents along with the $120 application fee for U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or $140 for all other applicants (payable online).

Materials

  • Applicants must complete the online application which will open September 15, 2021
  • If you wish to be considered for University fellowships and/or Foreign Language Area Scholarship (FLAS), you must complete the Financial Aid Statement.

Applications Components

Statement of Purpose

The faculty considers the Statement of Purpose to be one of the most important parts of your application. We look for a clear, well-written essay of appropriate length (2 pages single spaced) that demonstrates a sophisticated sense of the field of art history and that indicates the scholarly direction you wish to take. Another important factor affecting the decision of the Graduate Admissions Committee is the compatibility of your research interests with those of our faculty. Please review our current faculty members and their fields of expertise on the Faculty Webpages. Please note that we also require a Personal History Statement. 

Writing Sample

All applicants are required to submit one writing sample of approximately 20 pages. The sample should be a formal, scholarly piece of writing that preferably addresses analytically a topic that is historical in nature. Post-MA applicants should submit their master’s thesis.  

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Admissions FAQ

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Can I contact a faculty member before applying?

Each faculty member has their own policy in speaking to potential students. You can certainly attempt to contact any faculty member by email, but given the high volume of emails they receive, you may not receive a response. Faculty members will be in touch with every student who receives an offer of admission.

Can I visit the campus before applying?

Students are welcome to set up an appointment to meet with the Graduate Student Affairs Officer. The university offers walking tours of the campus daily

Does Berkeley offer application fee waivers?

Yes. See the Graduate Division guidelines to see whether you are eligible for an Application Fee waiver. If you are eligible, follow the instructions for a waiver on the online application. Please note that the department does not offer fee waivers, only the Graduate Division.

Are there any prerequisites? Do I need to have majored in art history?

No. Students come from a variety of academic backgrounds.

What are the specifics regarding the writing sample?

One of the components of the application is an approximately 20-page piece of scholarly work for your writing sample. The 20 pages include images and footnotes. If you do not have a paper that is this long, you may submit two smaller papers or re-work an older, shorter, paper to reach the 20-page mark. If you have an MA you may submit your thesis in its entirety as the writing sample. If you wish to submit a newer piece of scholarly work that you feel is a more accurate reflection of your abilities and research interest, you may submit that piece in place of the thesis. However, we still ask...

How long should my paper be?

There is no minimum or maximum length. The average length is 15-30 pages.

How long should my Statement of Purpose and/or my Personal History Statement be?

Two or three pages is a good general guideline, though there is no set limit.

What is the difference between the Statement of Purpose and the Personal History Statement?

The descriptions are listed on the online application and are as follows: Statement of Purpose: Please describe your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in your area of specialization, including your preparation for this field of study, your academic plans or research interests in your chosen area of study, and your future career goals. Please be specific about why UC Berkeley would be a good intellectual fit for you. Personal History Statement: In an essay, discuss how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please...

Is the TOEFL required? What is the minimum score?

The University of California sets a minimum score of 90 on the TOEFL IBT version. Any TOEFL taken before June 1, 2018 will not be valid for the 2020 admissions intake cycle. For more information on English language proficiency, see the Graduate Division website.

Is the GRE required? How important is it?

The GRE is optional; the admissions committee considers the entire application as it makes its evaluation. If the applicant does however decide to submit a score, it must be a score that is received after June 2016.

Can I have more than three Letters of Recommendation?

If you have more than 3 letters, there is not a guarantee that more than 3 will be read; more is not better. Three letters are preferred.

Do I have to complete the entire application again if I applied last year?

We encourage anyone who has applied and was not admitted to apply again. You will have to fill out a new online application and re-upload your materials. The university will have your GRE and TOEFL scores on file if you originally submitted them and they are still valid.

When will I be notified?

Decisions are made in early February and notifications will follow shortly. Students accepted to the program will be invited out for a visit to attend the University-wide Diversity Day symposium, as well as a departmental orientation and dinner in mid-March.

Does History of Art accept applications for both fall and spring?

No, we only admit students for the fall semester.

Are scholarships available?

Most admitted students will be nominated for one of the University of California’s multi-year fellowships. These fellowships allow for two years of fee remissions and stipends supplied by the University, which is matched for two years of support from the History of Art department in the form of Graduate Student Instructor appointments or fellowships. Students who advance through the program in a timely manner will also earn the University’s...

If I am admitted, can I defer my admissions?

A petition to defer may be considered by the departmental admissions/fellowships committee only in the case of truly exceptional or emergency circumstances. Deferral, if granted, may have significant implications for a student’s funding (e.g., loss of a year of support) and the student’s funding letter may be revised to reflect this change. The graduate admissions/fellowships committee in consultation with the department chair reserves the right to grant or deny such petitions to meet the needs of the graduate program and department.