Nov 22, 2024  
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Humanities, M.A.


The graduate program in Humanities leads to the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree. The program encourages interdisciplinary study in the humanities while allowing specialization in one of the following concentrations: studio arts, art history, museum studies, film studies, writing, and the history of ideas. Students in the program will gain an appreciation of major artistic and intellectual contributions across history and the global landscape. Students may enroll with degrees from one of the humanistic disciplines or from other fields, although prior coursework in the Humanities is desirable. Upon enrollment, a student will be assigned a faculty adviser who will help mentor the student through the program. The culmination of the program is the successful completion of one of the capstone options (thesis, internship, project, comprehensive exam, or exhibition); selection of the capstone options should be guided by the student’s interests and professional goals. For additional information about the degree, contact the HSH Office of Academic Advising.

GRE completion is not required for applicants to this program. Applicants with a last 60-hour GPA of 3.0 or higher or for those who have completed advanced degrees will be automatically admitted. Those with a last 60-hour GPA below 3.0 will be individually reviewed by program faculty who will make an admission decision based on the application file.

Course of study:

The degree consists of a required core (9 hours), a concentration, and a capstone option. All options contain a minimum of 30 graduate semester hours. Depending on the concentration a student selects, there may be opportunities to enroll in elective courses as described at the end of the capstone options. With the approval of their faculty adviser, students pursuing an M.A. degree in Humanities may take up to six hours of credit outside those core rubrics. Further exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Liberal Arts Department in consultation with the faculty adviser.

Required Core:


All students will take 3 courses, 1 from each pair of courses listed below.

Art History (3 hours)


Students will take one of the following courses in the discipline of Art History

Comparative Literature (3 hours)


Students will take one of the following courses in the discipline of Comparative Literature

Philosophy and Intellectual History (3 hours)


Students will take one of the following courses in Philosophy and Intellectual History

Concentrations


Students will select one or more of the following concentrations during their first year of study. Concentrations range from 9-21 credits. Additional course requirements for each are listed. Up to 15 hours of electives may be completed depending on the concentration that is selected.

Studio Arts (21 hours)


In addition to the core requirements, students are required to take 21 credit hours to complete this concentration and can choose from any of the courses listed. For ARTS 5233 , the following may be substituted: HUMN 5233  For ARTS 5234 , the following may be substituted: HUMN 5234 

Art History (9 hours)


In addition to the core requirements, students are required to take 9 credit hours in art history, as follows: 1 additional course in Issues in Art History 2 additional courses in Art History, which may include:

Museum Studies (12 hours)


In addition to the core requirements, students are required to take 12 credit hours in courses related to museums, culture, and/or heritage, as follows: HUMN 5235  is required. 3 additional courses, which may include: For ANTH 5537 , the following may be substituted: CRCL 5537

Film Studies (9 hours)


In addition to the core requirements, students are required to take 9 credit hours in film studies, which may include: For the following courses choose between HIST 5236  or HUMN 5236 

Writing (9 hours)


In addition to the core requirements, students are required to take 9 credit hours in Writing, which may include:

History of Ideas (12 hours)


In addition to the core requirements, students are required to take 12 credits in courses from HIST, HUMN, LITR, PHIL, or WGST.

Capstone options


Students select one of the following four options as a capstone for the completion of the M.A. in Humanities:

  1. Thesis - 30 hours of coursework plus 6 hours of thesis research. This option is recommended for students who plan to move on to a Ph.D. degree.
  2. Project - 30 hours of coursework plus 6 hours of project research.
  3. Internship - 30 hours of coursework plus 6 hours of internship.
  4. Comprehensive Exam - 36 hours of coursework plus a comprehensive written examination.
  5. Exhibition - 30 hours of coursework plus 6 credit hours of exhibition planning and a comprehensive art exhibition. Support material requirements will consist of a digital portfolio, an artist statement, a biography, an artist resume, an artist web presence, and a reflective report on the exhibition.

The Exhibition option is available for Concentration 1: Studio Art Only

*Studio art students may only select internship or exhibition options.

Master’s Options should be interdisciplinary in orientation, concept, and context. Master’s Options require registration inappropriate course rubrics. These require continuous registration during each fall and spring semester until completion.

Electives


Electives (0-15 hours)


Students may choose 0-15 hours of electives (in related disciplines such as ARTS, COMM, CRCL, DMST, HIST, LITR, PHIL, and WGST) and up to 6 elective hours can be 3000-4000-level courses.