The M.A. in Art History is a two-year program of study offering a broad range of courses in art history, with many opportunities for advanced study and independent research. The Art History M.A. degree provides a comprehensive foundation in western art, as well as critical, cultural, and visual theories and methodologies. Our nationally-recognized faculty specialize in Classical, Renaissance and Baroque Europe, American, and Modern and Contemporary art.

Our M.A. program develops skills in critical thinking and visual analysis applicable to a wide range of professional and civic pursuits. The M.A. is a necessary preliminary degree for the PhD in art history, but it’s also increasingly a requirement for entry-level employment in many arts-related fields. Our recent M.A. graduates are now studying at Cornell University, Columbia University, the University of Oklahoma, and are employed as teachers at colleges, at New York galleries, and as lawyers.

We invite applications in 2021 for the Stuart Embury Fellowship. Preference is for students writing their thesis in American art. The successful applicant will receive a tuition waiver and a $10,000 Embury Fellowship for the first year, with renewal conditional on good progress in the two-year degree program. Applications are due February 1.

Graduate students in classes and internships are encouraged to work with the Sheldon Museum of Art, which has a world-class collection of American art. This strength is complemented by the International Quilt Museum,  the world’s largest collection of quilts, which offers a graduate certificate, and the Great Plains Art Museum, with a broad collection of 20th-century Native American and western art. Graduate students have also worked with the Native American art in the State Museum at Morrill Hall and minors are possible in both Native American Studies and Great Plains Studies. Students interested in Medieval/Renaissance/Baroque art have significant collections at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha and the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City. Finally, graduate students have gained the Certificate in Digital Humanities from Nebraska’s internationally known Center for Research in the Digital Humanities, learning 3-d modeling, geo-spatial mapping, data mining and tool building.