Hey guys -- congratulation first! I am currently enrolled in the UMass Amherst program. I do believe they have a graduate program handbook posted on the website, which lists all the requirements and possibilities. The program doesn't require a thesis to graduate, though you can definitely replace your major field essay exam with a "publishable paper" -- I know someone who did it and it went well. But even without a thesis, the program is REALLY SOLID. And because the grad student body is so small, you have endless attention from almost every single faculty. Let me know if you have more questions. Strongly recommend the program if you are interested in having an extraordinarily strong foundation of broad art history knowledge.
