The Department of Visual Arts at The University of Western Ontario offers three degrees: Fine Arts (MFA) and Art History (MA) and Doctorate (PhD). These programs are unique in Canada because they combine an emphasis on current and historical art theory with traditional instruction and supervision in the studio arts and art history. All MA and MFA students take core courses in art theory together, thereby providing opportunities for exchange between historical and contemporary perspectives. The students work in small classes devoted to specific topics and media. Students choose six half courses (one core course in art theory; five options in art history or studio).

Learn more about our current Grads and past Graduate Students.

 

 

Masters


MFA students will prepare a graduation exhibition and write a substantial research thesis. MA students will write a longer research thesis and must pass a reading exam in a modern language other than English. Both degrees will take two calendar years to complete. The program enrollments are small. Normally six MA and six MFA candidates are admitted each year. A special feature of the graduate programs of the Visual Arts Department at Western is that first year M.A. and first year M.F.A. students are taught the same core Art Theory and Criticism Course (VA 500a) together in the first term of their programs. This "crossover" approach provides for the development of an educational context where students consider theory, history and practice simultaneously. The course also provides a common foundation from which students develop specific research directions. MA and M.F.A. Students in the program are provided with opportunities to forge links with professionals from highly respected art institutions, such as the Art Gallery of Ontario. MA students specializing in curatorial studies have linked with well-established curators at major museums, including the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. M.F.A. Students have had opportunities to gain access to art gallery collections for the purposes of study and as sources of information and artistic inspiration. For more specifics about the programs, student work, facilities, and admissions, follow the links above.

 

PhD.

 

The Ethos of the Program

The Ph.D. in Art and Visual Culture at the University of Western Ontario is a new program focused on research in art history and visual culture and on creative practices in contemporary art and new media. The program, which will accept its first students in Fall 2007, will prepare its graduates for professional careers in galleries, museums and other art world contexts; for university teaching and research; and for arts administration in the private and public sectors. This unique doctoral program emphasizes the interrelationship between art historical/visual culture scholarship and studio practice by fostering academic and creative research beside and in connection with each other. The Ph.D. in Art and Visual Culture will be housed within the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre at Western, where a vital mix of research and practice in art and visual culture and an enriching program of visiting artists, critics and historians already exist. The Ph.D. program is intended to support Art History and Studio students who want to work across both areas at an advanced level, and to welcome those more traditional researchers and practitioners whose work will benefit from development within a lively research /creation culture. This doctoral program will produce graduates who will pursue innovative approaches to the study of historical and contemporary materials and to creative production within the art and academic worlds.

Rationale for the Program

The growing complexity of the art world and the challenging terrain of visual culture require professionals with highly developed intellectual abilities and skill levels and who possess new kinds of interdisciplinary perspectives. Until the recent past, an M.A. has been the basic prerequisite for entry into curatorial positions, but today a Ph.D. offers a significant advantage to those applying for upper level positions in the professional art world. Recently a demand has also emerged for doctoral degrees in the studio arts, especially for those engaged in theoretical projects and involved in teaching in post-secondary institutions with graduate programs. These new demands and challenges are likely to grow considerably over the coming years. It is also to be noted that while artists are doing more research in order to support their creative practices, art historians are finding more creative ways of framing and disseminating their research by working in digital media, mounting exhibitions, and presenting their ideas through visual media such as video, film, television, CDs, DVDs and the internet. The new Ph.D. in Art and Visual Culture aims to fulfill the increasing demands for a doctoral degree both in the studio sector of academe and in the art world, as well as to appeal to those art history students who wish to pursue innovative research programs or to integrate curatorial studies, contemporary art and new media into their practice. Students graduating from this program will be well qualified for academic positions in both art history and studio art, as well as in visual culture, cultural studies, humanities and media studies programs. They will also be prepared for careers as artists, curators and administrators in Canadian and international galleries, artist-run centres and heritage-oriented organizations.

GENERAL PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND REQUIRMENTS

The Ph.D. in Art and Visual Culture has a flexible program structure that accommodates academic research and creative practice while promoting a rigorous engagement with a focused program of work. The program includes two areas of specialization: 1) New Media, Sound and the Moving Image; and, 2) Collecting, Curating, and Museum Histories and Practices. In the first two years students must successfully complete their course work and pass their comprehensive exams. By the end of the second year, they will submit a research prospectus which, once approved, can follow one of three possible streams: (1) project-based (2) adapted project-based (3) dissertation-based (described below). The innovative structure of the program is modeled on certain professional programs with a view to providing both a rigorous academic training and a head start for graduates entering into the complex job market. The program accommodates a project-based approach in recognition of the advantages of flexibility and practicality as graduates enter the competitive professional world. A traditional thesis will be encouraged for students who wish to pursue more conventional research and publication careers.

a) The Project-based and Adapted Project-based Streams

Projects to be undertaken in fulfillment of the doctoral research program may be articles of publishable quality, exhibitions and performances, or equivalent productions in other media (e.g. broadcasts, CDs, DVDs). All of the projects will be reviewed by the student’s thesis committee according to a program of assessment that follows the basic guidelines for all program students while responding to the particularities of the individual student’s research plan. Students working within the project-based stream will be required to do at least one project in a medium outside that of their main area of interest – i.e. a studio artist will write one article or curate one exhibition as well as produce a minimum of three bodies of creative work; or an art historian will curate one exhibition or produce a CD-ROM or film in addition to writing an article. The relationship between and the nature of the projects could be more or less traditional, depending on the trajectory of the student’s research program. A student researching art history/visual culture could write a chapter of a proposed book and mount an exhibition on the same subject. A studio-oriented student could explore a particular problematic in a series of different material projects and could write a research article dealing with a related theoretical problem. By implementing a clear set of progressive steps through the program, the project-based structure will allow students to stay on track and to finish the program within four years. Furthermore, the structure will prove highly attractive to professionals already working in the field (such as museum and gallery curators who regularly work on a project basis), who may want to extend their research programs while upgrading their credentials. Both the adapted project-based stream and project-based stream involve a written thesis, though the length varies, with the former requiring a 100-150 page document and the latter an 80-100 page document.

b) The Dissertation Stream

Students wanting to produce a traditional dissertation leading towards the publication of a book or a series of articles will work according to the guidelines for the Dissertation Stream. The thesis itself can take the form of a series of chapters or a set of integrated articles. While the development of their research program will parallel the way work is done in many doctoral programs, these students will operate within a research/creation context within which opportunities for lively interactions with a wide array of researchers/practitioners will foster the opportunity for an enriched discursive practice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the Visual Arts Department at the University of Western Ontario!