The School of Art offers the Master of Fine Arts Degree in Art, the Master of Arts Degree in Art History, and the Graduate Certificate in Art History and Visual Culture.
Master of Fine Arts Degree in Art
The Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree in Art is the terminal degree in the field of studio art. UT San Antonio is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The emphasis of the M.F.A. program is on conceptual development and its harmony with formal aesthetic and art historical considerations. The objective of the degree is to provide advanced study in the field of art in preparation for a career as a practicing artist, in higher education, or as a professional in other art enterprises. Students in pursuit of the M.F.A. in Art have the opportunity to work in a wide range of disciplines including: ceramics, painting/drawing, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, sound, video, and digital media.
Note: Due to the format of studio laboratory art courses, auditing is not permitted.
Program Admission Requirements
In addition to satisfying the University-wide graduate admission requirements, applicants are expected to have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or the equivalent. Equivalency is defined as completion of a minimum of 45 semester credit hours in studio art and 15 semester credit hours in art history as part of, or in addition to, a bachelor’s degree.
Application
The Graduate Admissions application for the M.F.A. is available online. A complete application includes:
- The online application
- Personal contact information
- Curriculum Vitae
- Transcripts
- A statement of intent concerning graduate school
- An artist’s statement about the applicant’s work
- Three letters of recommendation (submitted digitally by recommender)
- Portfolio (see below)
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required as part of the application for the M.F.A.
Artist Statements and Statements of Purpose should be submitted as separate files.
Portfolio
The portfolio is the most important part of the application for admission. Applicants should submit 20 images that best exemplify their most recent creative work. Ideally, a strong portfolio will suggest a specific direction or overarching thematic interest. Portfolios may be submitted as a PDF document uploaded through the application portal. The PDF should be created as a PowerPoint with a white background, and each slide should include title, medium, size, and date of completion for each piece in each image. Slides for time-based artworks should include a still image with an additional HTML link to a YouTube or Vimeo site. The artist statement should describe the direction, ideas, themes, and influences of the work in the portfolio. The statement of intent should tell the admissions committee who you are, what your academic and professional interests and goals are, and how you’ll add value to the graduate program.
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 60 semester credit hours is required for the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree, exclusive of coursework or other study required to remove admission deficiencies. Full-time enrollment of 9 or more semester credit hours during regular semesters is expected of degree-seeking students. In addition to satisfying all University-wide requirements, M.F.A. students must pass a series of benchmark reviews (see M.F.A. Candidate Handbook) that indicate satisfactory progress through the program. The M.F.A. degree culminates in an exhibition supported by a written component. Courses in which a grade of “C” or lower is earned will not count toward the minimum 60 hours required for the M.F.A. degree.
Course List | Code | Title | Credit Hours |
| 18 |
| 18 |
| 12 |
| 6 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 60 |
Leaves of Absence-Enrollment interruptions during the completion of the M.F.A. Program
Students enrolled in the M.F.A. program may apply for a leave of absence each term (Fall or Spring), not to exceed one year, when events such as illness or injury, active military service, or the need to provide care for a family member prevent active participation in the degree program. Please note that students must be registered by the census date of the third continuous semester (including Summer), or they will become inactive and must reapply for admission. When possible, a leave of absence must be approved in advance by the Graduate Advisor of Record (GAR) and the Director of the School of Art using the M.F.A. leave of absence form. A leave of absence is required for any Fall or Spring semesters that an M.F.A. student is not registered. Without an approved leave of absence form, any M.F.A. funding may not be guaranteed upon return. Students are responsible for contacting the Office of Financial Aid with questions regarding financial aid or loan status while on leave.
A student returning from a leave of absence must enroll for the following Fall or Spring semester or provide a written request for a leave of absence extension (a leave of absence may not exceed one year throughout the student’s degree program). It is the student’s responsibility to maintain contact with the GAR, and any student who does not register or who does not secure an approved leave of absence extension after one year will be considered to have withdrawn from the M.F.A. program.
Time for Submission: A Leave of Absence request should be submitted to the GAR prior to the beginning of the semester of the requested leave. In the event that this is not possible, the request should be submitted as soon as the student is aware that they will not be able to register for any given semester.
Master of Arts Degree in Art History
The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Art History provides students with the opportunity to gain an academic and theoretical foundation and to specialize in a range of historical and cultural arenas in the history of art. Students work closely with engaged faculty who specialize in Art of the Americas from ancient to the present, as well as Museum Studies. The program provides students with the opportunity to engage with diverse cultural histories, artists, artisans, patrons, institutions, methods, materials, styles, and critical, practical, and aesthetic considerations. Coursework provides instruction and development opportunities in traditional literary scholarship, hands-on investigations and fieldwork, cutting-edge digital research and presentation technologies, interdisciplinary analysis, critical thinking, writing, discussion, and exhibition practices. The degree is designed to prepare students for careers in museums, in public or private arts programs, as teachers at the community college level, in other arts-related careers, or to serve as a basis for pursuing a doctoral degree.
Program Admission Requirements
The School of Art admits M.A. in Art History students in the fall and spring semesters.
Applicants are expected to have completed adequate credit hours or foreign institution equivalent coursework, e.g. an art history major or minor or evidence of related coursework. Students with no studio background will be required to take one undergraduate studio art course (3 semester credit hours) or equivalent to be reviewed by the Graduate Advisor of Record (GAR). Students needing to fulfill this requirement should consult the GAR for Art History for advice concerning appropriate courses and instructors.
Applicants for admission to the M.A. program in Art History must complete an online application available through Graduate Admissions. Students can obtain information, detailed instructions of what additional material they must submit, as well as forms from the Graduate Admissions website. Deadlines for all materials for each term can be found on the same website.
For all applicants, except those submitting a Keep on Running with Us (KRWU) application, the application to the M.A. program in Art History consists of:
- An online application form.
- Official academic transcripts.
- A statement of purpose. Please write a statement about your intentions for entering UT San Antonio's M.A. program in Art History. This should be approximately 500–750 words in length (approximately two to three double-spaced pages). This statement should include information on:
- Undergraduate coursework and other relevant experiences. (How did these prepare you for graduate work in art history?)
- Area of specialization and/or research interests.
- How your academic interests match with faculty, School of Art, and university resources.
- How a graduate degree in art history will further your career goals.
- Writing sample. It is preferred that the writing sample be a 10- to 15-page term or research paper with a substantial bibliography. A shorter writing sample will be considered if longer works are unavailable.
- Three letters of recommendation, preferably from faculty who have worked closely with the applicant.
- Applicants whose native language is not English must submit scores demonstrating their English proficiency. See the Graduate Admissions website for details.
Applications will not be reviewed until complete. Applicants will be evaluated based on demonstrated potential for success in graduate study in the art history program as indicated by a combination of prior undergraduate academic performance, the statement of purpose, research interests, writing sample, and letters of recommendation.
Degree Requirements
The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree is 36, exclusive of coursework or other study required to remove admission deficiencies. Courses in which the grade earned is lower than a "B" will not count toward the program of study required for the Master of Arts degree in Art History. Only 6 hours of internship, practicum, or independent study will count toward the degree. Students accepted into the Master of Arts degree program in Art History are required to maintain a minimum of 3 semester credit hours of enrollment for all fall and spring semesters until the degree is completed. Failure to enroll will result in forfeiture of the student’s status as an accepted candidate in the program. Exceptions to this requirement are granted only due to extraordinary circumstances as determined by the review and approval of the Graduate Advisor of Record (GAR) and the School Director.
There are two options for this degree plan. Option 1 is the non-thesis track, which requires the successful completion of 36 hours of coursework with no thesis hours. All students accepted into the M.A. program follow the non-thesis track unless the student submits the Intent to Write a Thesis form at the end of the semester in which they complete 18 hours, which serves as their request to move to the thesis track. Option 2 is the thesis track, which requires the successful completion of 36 hours, including 30 hours of coursework and 6 hours of Master’s Thesis, and the submission of a committee-approved thesis. Students should only elect Option 2, the thesis track, upon consultation with the GAR and the faculty member who would chair the thesis committee. It requires the submission of the Intent to Write a Thesis form at the end of 18 hours and a Thesis Proposal before reaching 27 hours in the program. If these forms are not submitted and approved on the stated timeline, the student may request a one-semester extension. If the forms are not submitted and approved after the one-semester extension, the student will return to Option 1, the non-thesis track, to complete their degree.
Option 1: Non-Thesis
Course List | Code | Title | Credit Hours |
| Seminar in Research Methods and Writing (must be taken in student's first year) | |
| Topics in Art History | |
| Topics in Mesoamerican Pre-Columbian Art | |
| Topics in Spanish Art | |
| Topics in Latin American Colonial Art | |
| Topics in Contemporary Latin American Art | |
| Topics in Contemporary U.S. Art | |
| Practicum in Art History and Criticism | |
| Art Gallery and Museum Practices | |
| Project in Art History | |
| Seminar in Art History | |
| |
| Total Credit Hours | 36 |
In addition to the semester credit hour requirements set forth above, all candidates for the non-thesis track are required to pass the Comprehensive Examination, a written exam that can be taken after 15 hours of art history coursework. Satisfactory performance on the examination, as determined by the Graduate Program Committee, is required for the degree. The Comprehensive Exam can only be attempted twice. If a student fails to pass on the second attempt, they are dismissed from the program.
Option 2: Thesis
Course List | Code | Title | Credit Hours |
| Seminar in Research Methods and Writing (must be taken in student's first year) | |
| Topics in Art History | |
| Topics in Mesoamerican Pre-Columbian Art | |
| Topics in Spanish Art | |
| Topics in Latin American Colonial Art | |
| Topics in Contemporary Latin American Art | |
| Topics in Contemporary U.S. Art | |
| Practicum in Art History and Criticism | |
| Art Gallery and Museum Practices | |
| Project in Art History | |
| Seminar in Art History | |
| |
| Master's Thesis (Enrollment in AHC 6983 requires successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination.) | |
| Total Credit Hours | 36 |
In addition to the semester credit hour requirements set forth above, all candidates for the thesis track are required to pass the Comprehensive Examination, a written exam that can be taken after 15 hours of AHC coursework. Satisfactory performance on the examination, as determined by the Graduate Program Committee, is required before students may enroll in AHC 6983 Master's Thesis. The Comprehensive Exam can only be attempted twice. If a student fails to pass on the second attempt, they are dismissed from the program.
Graduate Certificate in Art History and Visual Culture
The Graduate Certificate in Art History and Visual Culture is a 18-semester-credit-hour program offered by the School of Art, established to provide students who are interested in pursuing graduate studies to gain more development hours in the arts, gain credentials needed to teach art history, and potentially create an emphasis area to supplement a graduate degree in another discipline.
This certificate may be pursued alone or in conjunction with a graduate degree.
Admission Requirements
Students not currently enrolled in a graduate degree program are required to apply for admission to UTSA as a special (non-degree-seeking) graduate student and indicate their intent to seek admission into the certificate program. Applications are only open for Fall semesters. Applicants must meet University admission requirements for special graduate students. Once admitted as a special graduate student, the student should contact the Certificate Program Advisor and complete the formal intent form.
Current degree-seeking students may apply to the certificate by completing the UTSA Graduate Certificate Form.
Certificate Requirements
Requirements for completion of the certificate program include 18 semester credit hours of coursework as listed below.
Course List | Code | Title | Credit Hours |
| Seminar in Research Methods and Writing | |
| |
| Topics in Art History | |
| Topics in Mesoamerican Pre-Columbian Art | |
| Topics in Spanish Art | |
| Topics in Latin American Colonial Art | |
| Topics in Contemporary Latin American Art | |
| Topics in Contemporary U.S. Art | |
| Practicum in Art History and Criticism | |
| Art Gallery and Museum Practices | |
| Project in Art History | |
| Seminar in Art History | |
| Total Credit Hours | 18 |
