MA Program in Art History

M.A. Examination:

The purpose of the examination is to test a comprehensive knowledge of art history rather than to test the knowledge gained about specific topics taught in individual classes. The M.A. exam will not serve as a Ph.D. entrance examination for either the European & American or Asian art program.

The exam is given in both the fall and spring semesters of each year. It is given on two mornings within a one-week period just prior to the beginning of the semester. Ordinarily this would be mid-August for fall and early January for spring. The student should take the exam during the semester in which course requirements are completed and when the thesis has been substantially advanced (if a thesis is being submitted). The exam may not be taken before the beginning of the semester during which the course work and/or thesis will be completed. Students must be enrolled in at least one hour of coursework at the University of Kansas during the semester in which the exam is taken.

I. Exam Format

Separate exams will be given in Asian and European & American art. The exam will be administered in two three-hour periods, scheduled over two days. During these sessions students will be asked to write six essays. Students will have an hour to write each essay.

Students will not be given specific questions to answer in the essays. Rather, students will be presented with six different sets of juxtaposed objects or monuments which are intended to generate their own questions. These works may be from any period and may or may not be accompanied by some identifying information. Each of these sets of works is meant to serve as the catalyst for an essay. The student will be expected not only to discuss the works and their relationship to one another, but also to incorporate them into a larger art historical argument of the student's own devising. That argument may address any issue or problem suggested by the juxtaposition, and should draw upon your broader knowledge and understanding of art history.

II. Grading of the Exam

The M.A. exam is graded independently by three faculty readers without knowledge of the students' identities. Each essay will be graded for its accuracy, clarity, ingenuity, and cogency. Each faculty member will assign individually a grade of "honors, "pass," or "fail" to each essay. The overall grade of each essay will be determined by the majority of the grades assigned by the three faculty readers. The results of the anonymous exams are then reviewed and approved by the entire faculty and communicated to the student. Students must pass at least four of the essays to pass the exam. Passage of all essays and four of these with honors constitutes passage with honors. Any student who fails the exam will be expected to take the entire exam again the next time that it is offered. A second failure of the exam will result in the student's being dropped from the program.

Back