Ph.D. Arts of the Americas program

The PhD in arts of the Americas emphasizes the cross-cultural circulation of visual culture in the Americas from ancient to contemporary times. Our program encourages students to think across subfields (e.g., Pre-Columbian Art, Colonial Latin American Art, Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art, Native North American Art, Modern and Contemporary American Art, etc.) and to situate American visual culture in the fluid circuits of cross-cultural exchange, as well as global intellectual and trade networks. This interdisciplinary approach brings art history into dialogue with anthropology, history, ethnic studies, women and gender studies, religious studies, and other disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Our accelerated PhD program is ideal for students who already have an MA in art history or an equivalent degree, including professionals in the art field seeking an opportunity to advance in their career by earning a PhD.

91福利社 is uniquely situated as a center for studies in the arts of the Americas due to resources on campus, as well as those in the 91福利社鈥揇enver region. On campus, the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies (CNAIS), the Latin American Studies Center (LASC), and the Center of the American West provide resources, support and a network of scholars and students who are dedicated to interdisciplinary and cultural studies of the Americas. The CU Art Museum and CU Museum of Natural History have rich material resources of the highest caliber to support the new degree program. In addition, a number of academic units on 91福利社's campus currently provide relevant courses for students in our proposed PhD program, including anthropology, film studies, French and Italian, history, music, sociology, Spanish and Portuguese, ethnic studies, and the program in museum studies. Locally, the Denver Art Museum is a leading, internationally recognized research institution and a major resource for the study and exhibition of the arts of the Americas. Other important regional resources include the Clyfford Still Museum, the Denver Public Library, History Colorado, the Kirkland Museum and the Museo de las Americas.

We offer two-year funding packages to full-time incoming doctoral students with a combination of TAships, fellowships, tuition remission, and stipends, after which enrolled students will apply for University fellowships or external funding for the remaining two to three years.

Funding is subject to renewal each year.听Financial awards are offered to the most outstanding and eligible, new and continuing students in the Ph.D. program. Award recommendations are made by faculty. Factors considered include academic performance and potential. The Department and the University also offer grants to support conference travel or research trips. The department works with all students to obtain continuous support for the Ph.D. through a combination of resources.听For more information about fellowships,听see the听Graduate School Funding.听听

Graduate Program Guidelines for PhD students in Arts of the Americas

The qualifying exam equips students to demonstrate critical historiographical knowledge of major, minor, and interdisciplinary fields, and to situate their research interests within these fields. Qualifying examinations should be taken no later than the first semester after the completion of all coursework requirements, and any grades of Incomplete must be completed before scheduling the Qualifying Exam. One year before the qualifying exams are taken, the student meets with the major and minor advisors as well as the Director of Graduate Studies. With their guidance, the student will then form an Examination Committee, which will be composed of the major and minor advisors as well as an advisor from the student鈥檚 interdisciplinary field of concentration (usually a faculty member from another department at CU).
Students will compose reading lists for the major, minor, and interdisciplinary fields to be reviewed and approved by each advisor. The reading lists should include the 鈥渟taple鈥 readings in each field, other important sources that navigate through the major issues in the field, as well as a body of scholarship that pertains to the student鈥檚 focus of study. Reading lists should include roughly 50 titles (books and articles) for the major field, 30 for the minor field, 30 for the interdisciplinary field, and one paragraph (up to 300 words) providing a rationale for the selection of this content. The PhD Reading List and Prospectus Approval Form must be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator at least one month before the exam. </