History of Art and Architecture

Graduate Program

Brown's Ph.D. program in the History of Art and Architecture offers professional training in the history of art and architecture and, more broadly, in the history of visual and material culture and the built environment.

The deadline for application for the 2024-2025 academic year is January 2, 2024.

Graduate Program

Brown's Ph.D. program in the History of Art and Architecture offers professional training in the history of art and architecture and, more broadly, in the history of visual and material culture and the built environment.

The deadline for application for the 2024-2025 academic year is January 2, 2024.

Graduate Trajectory

The first two years of the doctoral program are devoted to coursework, the fulfillment of the foreign language requirements, and the completion of a qualifying paper.

Students take their general examinations in their third year, and then proceed to the production of a dissertation prospectus.

The remaining time in the program is given to researching and writing the dissertation, a project that is expected to involve original research and to demonstrate the potential to become a book or series of articles.

Current graduate students hail from locations around the globe. Graduates have gone on to hold positions in museums and academic departments throughout the nation and abroad. A list of all courses in the department is available on Courses@Brown.

Director of Graduate Studies

Handbooks

Graduate Student Handbook

The Graduate Student Handbook is designed to help plan the path towards the Ph.D. in the department of the History of Art & Architecture, and as a repository of practical information and recommendations.

Teaching Assistant Handbook

The Teaching Assistant Handbook is written and maintained by department graduate students as a resource in common and guide to best practices gained from experience and in consultation with faculty.

Faculty and Interdepartmental Affiliations

The faculty publishes and directs dissertations that range widely in terms of time, place, media, and methodology. The Department has ties with  several departments: