The Department of Art History offers both an MA and PhD degree. Both programs emphasize the research, writing, and teaching necessary to pursue a career in academia or museum work.
The Art History program is devoted to investigating art, visual and material culture, and architecture across time and place. Taught by 25 full-time faculty members, drawn from all three campuses (St. George, Mississauga, and Scarborough), graduate courses reflect the global range of faculty research areas: Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, Modern and Contemporary, African, Caribbean, East Asian, European, Latin American, Mediterranean, Islamic, North American, South Asian, and Indigenous.
Our tri-campus graduate program is comprised of faculty from the Department of Art History (UTSG), the Department of Visual Studies (UTM) and the Department of Arts, Culture and Media (UTSC). We are also pleased to welcome faculty with cross-appointments in the Department of East Asian Studies (UTSC and UTSG), the Department of Anthropology, the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies, the Cinema Studies Institute, the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, the Department of Germanic Languages and Literature, the Centre for Comparative Literature, the UofT Art Museum, and others.
Students in the graduate program benefit from the department’s affiliations with the Centre for Medieval Studies and the Centre for Renaissance and Reformation Studies. Some work towards collaborative degrees in Book History and Print Culture, Diaspora and Transnational Studies, Jewish Studies, Sexual Diversity Studies, and the Mediterranean Archaeology Collaborative Specialization. Resources and affiliated faculty at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Museum, the Gardiner Museum, the Aga Khan Museum, and the Art Gallery of Ontario also provide access to Toronto’s vibrant arts scene.
The Department of Art History furnishes students with the ability to examine, reflect upon, and write about images, objects, spaces, and creative practices. We offer supervision in all major areas of Art History, as well as a broad range of graduate courses every year. Students are a vital part of our research community, not only attending courses but also organizing reading groups and workshops, and participating in our very active calendar of lectures and conferences. Please visit the MA Program and PhD Program pages for specific admission requirements.