Ph.D. Program
The Ph.D. program in art education gives students the opportunity to achieve a high level of scholarly competence and to develop the capacity to contribute to the field. It consists of a set of required foundational courses, a cohesive collection of courses and other educational experiences oriented to a particular aspect of the field, candidacy examination, a dissertation, and a final oral examination. Students have five years to complete the Ph.D. requirements after passing the candidacy examination.
The particular aspect of the field studied by Ph.D. students is individualized and developed in consultation with a faculty advisor. It encompasses a reasonable breadth of study and knowledge of a specialty in the field. The program of study must be approved by the advisor and is subject
to the rules of the Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School.
The Department does not offer a Ph.D. in Arts Policy and Administration, but Ph.D. students can take a concentration in arts policy. For a sample Ph.D. course progression in arts policy, please click here.
The Barnett Dissertation Fellowship
The purpose of the Barnett Dissertation Fellowship is to assist advanced doctoral students
specializing in Arts Policy & Administration to finish their dissertation and launch their professional careers. Fellowship support will be available each academic year to be awarded to one or more students.
For more information about the Barnett Dissertation Fellowship, click here.
Program of Studies
A. INITIAL REQUIRED STUDIES (20 hrs)
Students are expected to complete these classes in their first year of study (part-time students may take two years)
- AE 700 - Issues in Graduate Study in Art Education
- AE 701 - History of Art Education OR AE 704 - Policy Perspectives on Arts Education
- AE 703 - Contemporary Theory and Art Education
- AE 705 - Overview of Research Methods in Art Education
B. BREADTH REQUIREMENTS (20 hrs)
Students are required to take at least one class from each of the following four groups:
- Social, Cultural, Political, and Community Dynamics
- Knowledge Building and Application
- Critical Thought, Reflection, and Research Capacity Building
- Policy, Practice, and Evaluation
Students are required to take at least three hours of study in research methods, in addition to the AE 705 class and the seminar on proposal writing below. These courses are selected in consultation with the faculty advisor and will usually be from other departments within the university.
D. AREA OF SPECIALIZATION (20 hrs)This requirement consists of studies that are organized around a relatively specialized interest and that lead toward the dissertation. They are to be arranged in consultation with the student's advisor.
E. THE DISSERTATION PROPOSAL (3 hrs)- AE 809 - Thesis and Dissertation Proposal Writing
- submission of the proposal to the exam committee
- answering questions in writing based on the proposal
- an oral exam based on the proposal and the written answers to questions
- formal acceptance by the exam committee of the proposal.
G. THE DISSERTATION (6 hrs)
- Writing the dissertation according to the guidelines of the Graduate School
- The final oral exam, based on the dissertation.
PhD coursework = 75