Visual Studies, Doctor of Philosophy

*This program is eligible for the STEM OPT Extension.

Admission Criteria

Fall deadline: January 18

The department accepts as candidates for the Ph.D. students who have earned an M.A. or its equivalent in art history, media studies, or related fields of the humanities and social sciences, either from the University of Missouri-Columbia or from an institution recognized by the University. An M.A. thesis is a prerequisite for the Ph.D. in both art history and classical archaeology. The Doctoral Program Committee determines the acceptability of work completed elsewhere.

Students completing an M.A. degree in the School of Visual Studies who want to continue for the Ph.D. must be accepted for advising by a faculty member on the doctoral faculty. Such students should submit a statement of purpose and a current CV to the School by the January 18 deadline. If students are formally admitted by the faculty, they submit a “Change of Program, Degree, Emphasis or Advisor Form” to the Graduate School.

Minimum Language Requirements

Click here to view the minimum English language proficiency test scores

Required Application Materials

For the Graduate School

Completed Graduate School online application
Unofficial Transcripts- As part of the application submission process, all applicants are required to upload unofficial copies of all post-secondary transcripts to the online application. Official transcripts are only required if accepted by the academic program.
Official Results of English Proficiency Exams (International applicants only)

For the Visual Studies Program

All application materials must be submitted directly through the Graduate School online application. Applications will not be considered complete until we receive the following: