Art History MA and Coordinated MLIS Programs

 The UWM Art History Department offers a MA program with two two  tracks, the Thesis Track and Curatorial Track, as well as a coordinated  MA Art History/MLIS Degree with the School of Information Studies. The  program is designed to provide students with a solid academic  foundation upon which to base a career in the arts or to prepare for PhD-level work at other universities. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has earned the highest rating for a research institution from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, and the Department of Art History plays an integral role in the university’s broader research mission. It is expected that a full-time student will complete all requirements for the degree within two to three years. Students must complete all degree requirements within five years of initial enrollment. 

Incoming students take a methodology course in their first fall semester. After completion of nine credits of course work, students demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language by passing a written translation examination. In general course work, students will develop breadth by taking courses in at least four different art-historical areas. Course offerings cover the full range of Western art, from ancient to contemporary, as well as Asian, Islamic, African, and Pre-Columbian art.  

All Art History MA students take an internship for class credit. Students usually serve internships in Milwaukee area museums and other local institutions for course credit. Students have held internships at the Emile H. Mathis Gallery, Milwaukee Art Museum, the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University, the Chipstone Foundation, the Museum of Wisconsin Art, the Kohler Foundation, the Museum Public Museum, and a variety of local galleries.

Art History MA - Thesis Track

This option is designed primarily for the student who wishes to pursue a specialized problem in greater depth than would be possible in normal course structure as well as provide students with a solid academic foundation on which to base a variety of careers in the arts, or to prepare them for PhD level work at other universities. Students in this track produce a thesis on a scholarly problem and can take up to six credits of electives to specialize in a specific area. Learn more about this option here: https://uwm.edu/arthistory/graduate/thesistrack/ 

Art History MA -Curatorial Track

This track is designed primarily to provide students with a solid academic foundation on which to base a variety of careers in the museum, gallery, or cultural institutions.

This program of study offers a variety of opportunities for practical training in the art museum and gallery fields. Curatorial Track students receive hands-on experience in the required courses Art History 703 and 704 (Introduction to Art Museum Studies). The culmination of the Curatorial Track is an individual student-curated exhibition. Learn more about this option here: https://uwm.edu/arthistory/graduate/curatorialtrack/ 

Coordinated Master of Art History/Master of Library & Information Science Degree

The MLIS/MA Art History Coordinated Degree Program prepares students for positions as art librarians, as curators of rare books and special collections, and as archivists, registrars, and collections managers in art museums.

The Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) component of each of the coordinated programs includes 30 credits of SOIS courses. These include the MLIS core courses (12 credits). The remaining 18 MLIS credits are selected from the School’s offerings in accordance with the student’s goals in the coordinated degree program.

The Master of Art History component includes 24 credits of Art History courses. These include core courses (12 credits) and distribution requirements (12 credits). In order to complete the MA Art History portion of the coordinated degree in 24 credits, students must complete the thesis option rather than the thesis exhibition option.

Please see the following Information Studies page for more information: https://uwm.edu/informationstudies/academics/graduate/mlis-coordinated/