About the Program
The 4+1 M.A. program, established in 2016, is a unique Master's graduate program in which all current UCI undergraduate students can build upon their undergraduate work to complete an MA in Art History in one additional year beyond the completion of the Bachelor's degree.

The M.A. degree program in Art History is designed to provide students with advanced skills and broad knowledge in the discipline of art history. The faculty is particularly well equipped to guide students with special interests in American, Asian, and European art history. Students who complete the M.A. degree will be prepared for careers in museums, galleries, and educational institutions as well as academically competent to continue their graduate study at the Ph.D. level should they wish to do so.

Time to Degree
Upon admission, students will begin graduate level coursework during their final year of their undergraduate career. All degree requirements and Master's thesis will be completed within one year (three quarters) once students have transitioned to graduate student status. Maximum time to degree is two years after the Bachelor's degree.

Degree Requirements
Coursework

36 units; 9 courses
 
  1. VS 290A-Art History Theories and Methods
  2. Two sections of AH 298-Master's Seminar in Art History
  3. Three sections of VS 295-Graduate Seminar in Visual Studies (with Art History Faculty only)
  4. Two sections of AH 299-Master's Thesis Research
  5. One elective graduate seminar

Language Other Than English

Students must complete college-level course work equivalent to UCI's sixth quarter of study (2C level, or for Latin or Greek, one 103 and one 104, or two 103s or 104s) in a language other than English or equivalent competence. The final course must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a grade of C or better.
 
 
Degree Conferral

Students will be conferred the Master's degree in Art History after the successful completion of all coursework, the language requirement, and the Master's Thesis. The Master's Thesis will be approximately twenty pages in length. It will consist of independent research supervised by the Faculty Advisor.

Application Eligibility
All applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply to the Art History 4+1 program:
Current UCI undergraduate student status.

Cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0.

Cumulative G.P.A. of 3.2 in Art History coursework

Applicants who are non-Art History majors must take a minimum of two upper division Art History courses prior to applying to the program.

Note: All applicants must officially apply to the program before they graduate with their B.A. For example, if an applicant is graduating in Fall, they must apply to the program by the Fall Quarter application deadline. Their application will not be accepted if they apply in Winter Quarter.

Application Process
  1. Set up an application advising appointment with Kimmy Bao, Graduate Coordinator.
  2. Complete the online application. The link to the application will be sent to the applicant after the application advising appointment.
  3. Answer the following prompts as part of the online application:
    • Statement of Purpose- What would you like to write your Master's Thesis on? If you're not sure yet, indicate the general area of art history that you plan as the focus of your Master's Thesis. Name one or two Art History Department professors who you feel would be appropriate to serve as your Master's Thesis Advisor.
    • Personal History Statement- personal background, challenges, experiences
  4. Submit the following supplemental application materials via the online application:
    • Unofficial transcripts of all post-secondary work
    • One letter of recommendation
      • Note: The letter of recommendation must be written by an Art History faculty member or faculty member of a related field. It is preferred that applicants ask for a recommendation from the faculty member whom they intend to be their advisor in the program. Students should communicate this intention with the faculty member at the time they ask for the letter of recommendation. The submission of the letter will be managed via the online application system.
    • One Writing Sample
      • Requirements: Five to ten pages in length. This sample should be academic in nature and highlight your research and writing abilities.
Application Deadline
 
Students in their final year of undergraduate study are eligible to apply to the program at any designated deadline as listed above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Three application deadlines allow for students who graduate before Spring Quarter to maintain their eligibility to apply to the program. Also, by having earlier dates (Fall and Winter), students will know sooner if they will be starting their graduate studies here at UCI. This will also allow admitted students to begin graduate coursework (ART HIS 298) before they officially start the program in the Fall.
As the 4+1 program is unique in that it combines the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree experience, applicants do not need to complete the GRE.

For the 2024-2025 application cycle, the application fee is $135 for U.S. Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents and $155 for International Citizens. Qualified domestic applicants are eligible for an application fee waiver.

International students who have completed their entire bachelor’s degree here at UC Irvine do not need to complete anything else in addition to what has been listed under the application supplemental materials. If you are an international student that transferred to UCI during the course of your undergraduate studies and English is not the primary language in your home country, you will need to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores.
All TOEFL/IELTS scores will need to be submitted electronically to UC Irvine Graduate Division. Our institution code is 4859.

Master's students can complete the program as a full-time or part-time student. To be on part-time status, students must submit a petition to Graduate Division prior to the fee payment deadline for the quarter they wish to begin part-time status. Be sure to contact Kimmy to begin the petition process.

  • Advanced Placement score of 4 or 5 on any of the following AP exams: French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
  • International Baccalaureate Higher Level Exam score as approved.
  • Approved courses from other colleges.
  • Demonstrated proficiency above the 2C level as determined by UCI Placement Exam results.
  • Completion of 2 or more years of high school or college at an institution where the language of instruction was not English (official transcripts must be submitted to UCI).

All students, undergraduate and graduate, are provided health care insurance through UC SHIP/GSHIP. Should you already have health insurance through another provider, students are eligible to waive participation in the GSHIP insurance plan. Be sure to check to waiver deadline period for each academic quarter.

Partial funding is available to assist with the cost of tuition for the 4+1 M.A. degree. Should you be in need of assistance to self-fund your graduate education, contact the UCI Financial Aid Office to see what kind of financial aid is available to you.