mooncake88

Ekphrasis: not saying you are wrong, but from what I know he is currently advising multiple students (both MA and PhD). Maybe it's less than the past, but I believe he is still quite active. Though this area isn't my specialty, so maybe you have some insider knowledge.

As far as I know, this was the traditional structure for most graduate programs. A lot have switched to a dual track (mostly due to budget concerns, it seems), but like the above poster I would only consider this a good thing.

A classmate was accepted. Hope you hear good news soon!

I did! It was my first time, so I took it easy so as not to overwhelm myself. My favorite panel was "Mad Med and the Visual Culture of the Long Sixties" (minus the first speaker, who was...unprepared, let's say). Architecture and interior spaces, social art history, post-war America...right up my alley!

Thanks, everyone. To clarify, a few of the positions are asking the candidates to state salary expectations in the cover letter. I would be more comfortable having a more informal discussion about it once further into the process (if I am lucky to get that far), but for a few of them this is unfortunately a requirement for applying. I will have an MA already and have thorough internship and job experience, so hopefully I can propose something in the low $30,000s and see what happens from there.

Hello all, I'll be graduating soon and applying for jobs, and I am trying to gauge what I should put for salary expectations in cover letters, etc. Unfortunately I seem to have a very vague idea of what a starting salary for a curatorial assitant (or equivalent position) would be in NYC. From looking online it seems to be about $30,000-$40,000. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Best of luck to all in this application cycle!

Both Tufts and GWU will partially fund top candidates as well (or at least they did a few years ago).

My favorite was when a fellow classmate made a facebook status update "highly recommending" we all go to a certain exhibit, even going so far as to offer us a tour of it "in case we weren't familiar with the topic." ! Oh yes, please tell me more about your expertise on this obscure topic, I was just dying for a private tour from you.

Not a small program, but it is East Coast and Jonathan Brown does history of collecting.

And for all people. I think it's important to keep in mind this is one person's experience and opinion, and it is mistaken not only to extend it to other programs, but to other people as well. I find the blanket warnings on this forum very misleading for various reasons, as different programs can be right or wrong for different people. There are some fair warnings and important considerations to be taken from this post, but take it with a grain of salt...

I would definitely apply for the conservation programs! It seems like you have a good background and a good grasp of what knowledge you still need to make it. They don't expect you to be a conservator going in--there isn't really an undergrad degree in it, so you learn as you go along, to a certain extent. If you do need another backup option the IFA's master students can take conservation courses, and you could possibly even do a master's thesis on conservation issues. I wouldn't suggest doing a program that doesn't have a close link with a conservation center if art history is not really what you want to go into. It seems like it might just be a waste of money.

You can always get a degree in Art History and do something else entirely once you graduate. That's the beauty of liberal arts schools. I think your questions are not ones anyone can answer for you, but ones you will have to find the answers to yourself. It sounds like for you this will require lots of research into career paths, with this forum being a good place to start. And, the more I learn about art, art history, and art theory, the more interesting it gets.

Definitely highlight your language skills! I know Tufts and Gearge Washington offer limited funding for MAs (Tufts being a better respected program). Good luck!

It's good to have a secondary interest! If you are interested in a phd some schools make you have a subfield in an unrelated area, so you are more competitive for jobs upon graduation. So odd combinations are good, as long as you make it clear that one of them will be your primary focus (and as mentioned above, you can always change later...)

Nochlin retired at the end of this year. Looks like you have a solid list though, so good luck!