MA in Art History

For over 25 years, the TCU Graduate Program in Art History has trained its students for exemplary careers in the academy, museums, and wider arts sector. Alumni of the MA program have joined institutions across the country, such as the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the High Museum of Art, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the McNay Art Museum, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Other TCU graduates have pursued doctoral training in top programs including UCLA, University of Delaware, and UNC Chapel Hill, among others. The TCU Graduate Program in Art History is especially known for its integration with Fort Worth’s three internationally renowned museums and its financial accessibility: all MA students automatically receive full tuition funding and living stipend, regardless of background or citizenship status.

The Graduate Program in Art History invites applications to its MA in Art History. The application deadline for fall 2024 enrollment is February 1, 2024. For admissions information, visit here.

About the MA in Art History: The MA in Art History is a two-year, fulltime program. It emphasizes individualized scholarly training and mentorship by admitting five students per year, each of whom receives a full tuition waiver, competitive stipend, and 80% health insurance coverage. Seminar courses focus on the faculty’s areas of specialization: art of the Ancient Americas, Colonial Latin American art, 18th and 19th-century European art, early modern art, history of photography, and modern and contemporary art. MA students also have access to the Sunkel Art History Endowment which supports graduate research. Sunkel grants provide generous funding for domestic and international travel, as well as summer stipends. Recent grants have funded graduate student travel to archives, collections, and museums in Budapest, Cuba, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Rome, San Francisco, and Washington.

Seminar classes held in the museum, direct encounter with art objects, and sustained collaboration with museum professionals are integral components of the MA Program. TCU maintains active partnerships with the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Kimbell Art Museum, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. MA students also have opportunities to work with the Sid Richardson Museum in Fort Worth, as well as the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, and the Meadows Museum at SMU, all in nearby Dallas. MA students craft an internship as part of their course of study during the summer after the first year. In both years of the MA, there are also opportunities for teaching apprenticeships and research apprenticeships with faculty and the Art Galleries at TCU.

TCU and Dallas-Fort Worth: Located in Fort Worth, TCU is a private, secular university and a major institution of higher education in Texas. The Graduate Program in Art History is part of the TCU School of Art which offers programs in Art Education (BFA) and Studio Art (MFA/BFA/BA). Finally, the School of Art is housed in TCU’s thriving College of Fine Arts, which includes cutting edge programs in other arts disciplines such as the School of Music, School for Classical & Contemporary Dance, and the Department of Theatre. The larger Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a rapidly growing, diverse region of Texas. DFW International Airport is a 30-minute drive to campus and provides nonstop flights to all major national and international destinations.

Visiting scholars, artists, curators, and critics frequently join the School of Art for colloquia and special lectures. Past visitors have included: Gavin Butt, Juliet Bellow, Cristina Gonzalez, Jennifer Casler Price, Andrea Karnes, Ray Hernández- Duran, Amelia Jones, Megan Holmes, Jeremy Strick, María Elena Ortiz, Christina Fernandez, Joanna Szupinska, and Maggie Adler, among others.

The TCU Graduate Program in Art History is accepting MA applications for fall 2024 enrollment through February 1, 2024. GRE is not required. Further admissions information and application instructions can be found here.  

Questions? Contact: Jessica Fripp, Graduate Program Coordinator, j.fripp [​at​] tcu.edu.