mooncake88

Got an interview invitation today for the MoMA summer internship, so it looks like they are starting to go out. Good luck everyone!

I also took a year off before attending grad school (MA program), and I believe my work experience during that year will be a major asset for (hopefully!) landing a good internship this summer. Also, taking and studying for the GRE, applying to graduate school, managing rec letters, and obsessing over this forum, the results page, and incoming rejections and acceptances is a very time-consuming and stressful process. For me it was much better to have a job while doing all that instead of being in school.

I think no one is responding because no one has heard anything yet...I hope they notify people soon!

I haven't heard anything...

I have also heard this elsewhere about the Whitney. From what I have heard you should be prepared for a couple-hours-long marathon of interviewing sessions, and perhaps some questions on authors, methodologies, etc. Sounds much more rigorous than most! Good luck!

Lucky!! Anyone make it to Finish Fetish Sculpture from Los Angeles 1960s-1970s: Conservation Dilemmas? I would have LOVED that I'm hoping the conference is closer to me next year. Must stop looking at CAA schedule and go to bed...

Oh I totally agree with most of what you are saying, and think that ideally it's best to learn as many languages as well as possible, as they can only be helpful. But, realistically speaking, many of us do not have the time to become fluent in German, French, Italian, etc etc. I think it also very much depends on what you want to do with your career. A reading knowledge class is a good way to pass the "language acquisition" part of an art history grad program that the OP asked about, and can also be a good bridge into learning a language more fully if that is indeed your goal, or a necessity for what you are looking to accomplish.

On the IFA website there is a phd student with contemporary Middle East as one of her interests. They also have a Colloquium for Modern and Contemporary Art from the Middle East and South Asia that could be of interest to you. Good luck!

Considering grad schools mainly require reading skills in your chosen language(s) it might be a waste of time to take a normal language course, unless of course you are interested in it for other reasons. If it's specifically for school or to boost your application, go with a German/French/etc. for reading knowledge, rather than a class where you also learn pronunciation and all that. It will save you a lot of time and hassle.

Both master's, funding is not a consideration. I'm interested in contemporary and want to go into museum work. Possibility of getting a phd down the line.

Well, thanks for all the programs, I am sure it will be helpful to someone else! But I have already applied, been accepted, and am trying to make a decision. I'm definitely interested in museum work, but I am pretty open to other things as well, and am not sure exactly what I want to do with my degree. A lot of the alumni or soon-to-be alumni from this program seem to go into gallery work, art markets, or other for-profit endeavors, and they told me very few go on to phd programs (mostly because it isn't their main interest). I definitely want to keep my options open for a phd, so I am worried that a program like Columbia's might not prepare me as well, and perhaps the for-profit and non-academia focus might hurt me. Then again, if I decide not to do a phd, Columbia could be my best bet. Gah! I'll never decide. I guess what I am trying to discern is if Columbia's MODA program is respected as an academic MA, as well as a curatorial/workforce degree.

I find it surprising that there is hardly ANY information on this program on this thread. I think it sounds very interesting, but I'm not sold on it. It seems to have more of a for-profit focus that I'm not exactly looking for. What do you guys think?

I got my acceptance letter in the mail on Monday, and I live in CA. I also got an email to check the website yesterday. Though it's for the MODA program so if you applied to another the timeline could be different by a few days! Did you go to Duke?

Just to be clear: I was talking about assistant/associate curator degrees, and largely in contemporary. It obviously varies for museum/position/subfield. I agree that, overall, phds are preferred and will help you a lot. It's just that if your ambition is to be an assistant curator at a local art museum, a phd isn't necessary. Or, if you're like me and haven't decided yet, a M.A. is a good jumping off point

I took a year off and I am working right now as a research assistant at a contemporary art museum. It just sort of fell into my lap, though, so I feel very lucky. I also work as a gallery guide--it's a great way to learn more about the exhibits if you like interacting with people, and it usually pays pretty well! Many job requirements for assistant curators in contemporary museums stipulate that applicants have a M.A. and don't mention a PhD, though perhaps a PhD would be preferred. It's partly the sub-field, and also partly just (like someone else said) the type of museum. I know there are plenty of great jobs out there for assistant curators with only a master's--especially since not ALL of us want to necessarily work at the Met. I decided to go for a MA because I know I can always get a phd later, and I might want to work for a few years to truly decide if a phd is worth the investment for my career.

Well I got my letter today! I hope you get good news soon.

Nothing!! I am starting to go crazy--I need to make a decision soon and I feel like I can't move forward with the decision-making process until I know. As far as I can tell they usually email instead of updating the status online...it seems that it's just more of a way for us to double check that we got everything in.

Do you mean that all the results so far are phds, or that all the students they are accepting are phds? If it's the latter, that seems very odd to me.

I am probably going to decline an offer of admission in the next day or two. I wish I could have made a decision earlier, but waiting on some schools + external factors have really been making it tougher than I thought to decide. So, if one of these programs is your top choice, don't give up hope! And if it's not, I assume they waitlisted you for a reason, and hopefully everything should resolve itself soon. You still have a few weeks until April 15th, so no need to rush into a decision yet. Good luck!

Awesome! Are you applying for a master's only? I didn't apply to any phd programs for now, though I might decide to later. I want to do museum work and it seems most people on gradcafe are on the academia track. Congrats on all your acceptances! Which schools are you considering so far?

Congratulations! And thanks for the info.

I was the one who posted on the board for Tufts. I only got info over the phone, so a letter should be forthcoming. Hopefully you'll get good news soon! The director of graduate studies said they usually have about 10 people to a class. Do you know much about the department? It seems like it's not as well known but I think it's a pretty good fit for me. I too am waiting on UW. I'm surprised the results board shows that someone was contacted on a Sunday??

check out this thread: You might have to wow them in other areas and/or apply to a wide range of schools, but I wouldn't give up hope!

This is very true. I was an undergrad at Duke and one of my AH grad level seminars had graduate students from UNC who came over to take/audit classes. This happens a lot, so if you're really interested in only one aspect of one of the schools but feel like the other is a better fit overall, you can sort of get the best of both worlds!