jmrobinson

Hi! Is there someone you feel you *need* to work with at the Institute? If not, I would very much recommend NOT going to the Institute as a terminal MA, for a multitude of reasons, nearly all of which come back to cost, and money, attention and resources being skewed toward the PhDs at the expense of the MAs. I have had multiple full professors of Art History in NYC who received their PhDs from the Institute literally call the terminal MA program a "hell hole" or a "scam." My recommendation, again, if there is someone specific you would like to advise you at the Institute, would be to apply to the PhD, and pick more affordable terminal MA programs to apply to if you do not get admitted to the IFA as a PhD student, with the intention of reapplying to the IFA for a PhD once you have received your MA. Hope this is helpful!

As I've mentioned before, the Hunter MA cannot be beat, and IMO is the finest terminal MA art history program in the country.

I would STRONGLY STRONGLY suggest looking at Hunter College, CUNY. It was the only school I applied to, and has surpassed all of my highest expectations. I can tell you off the bat IFA for terminal MA is throwing your money into a trashcan and lighting it on fire. Outrageously expensive, and so much of the school's resources are geared toward PhD students. I know more about the IFA than UPenn, Columbia etc., as I did my undergraduate coursework at the DAH at NYU, but the little I have heard about many terminal master's programs are the same. You are not a PhD, so you are an opportunity for the school to collect funds. This is unfortunately the case with many graduate programs that offer a terminal master's in addition to PhD. Hunter's faculty is near unsurpassed. (Emily Braun, Thierry de Duve, Romy Golan, Howard Singerman, Joachim Pissarro, just to name a few...) It is a large program, with a large swath of specialties, with a particular focus on post 1850 modernism. The fact that Hunter is separate program is also incredibly beneficial as it has a close relationship with the PhD program at the Graduate Center, but they are different departments in different schools, which gives the MA's at Hunter far more attention. The close relationship as well with the MA/MFA's is hugely beneficial as well. You're not getting the school "name" of NYU, Columbia or Penn, but I can tell you, across all of the biggest galleries, the Metropolitan, the Whitney, MoMA, etc. Hunter's reputation is just as good. And if you're by chance a NYS resident you're paying $17k for your ENTIRE degree, versus $45k a semester at the IFA. Feel free to reach out directly if you have any specific questions about the program.

Hi there, I am an incoming Hunter MA student. Applied for Spring and will be starting in a little over a month, so this (and the stress) is all still fresh in my mind. (Early 20th century modernism, particularly German Expressionism between the wars, is my focus.) Based on what you've typed out here, it seems you have nothing to worry about! From my own experience, Hunter was my top choice as well, and the only school I applied to because of its faculty, MA/MFA in the same dept, curatorial certificate, relationships with NYC museums and galleries, my commitment to staying in the City, and last but certainly not least, affordability. My Art History GPA was slightly below the 3.5 they list as the minimum (due to a couple unfortunately weak semesters in the middle of undergrad), but I believe what made up for it was my statement, quality of writing sample, recommendations, the number of art history courses I took, and internship experiences over the last couple of years. I was very concerned about my GPA, and e-mailed the MA dept administrative aide, who assured me the application is holistic and nothing is, on its own, disqualifying. The fact that there's a specific professor you want to work with is the most important thing! I would definitely mention them by name in your statement, and try to specifically say what aspect of their research appeals to you (they definitely definitely look at this). If you feel comfortable, I would also consider reaching out to the professor directly. Thus far, it seems like all of the professors in the program are incredibly approachable and more than happy to answer any questions. Definitely don't overlook the statement. I spent weeks and weeks revising it, and going over it with a former professor, who knew all of the faculty I was interested in working with well. (That ~500 word limit is brutal!) I hope this is helpful, and would be happy to answer any other questions as best as I can. Good luck & happy holidays!