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This is something that I have been thinking a lot about. I contacted Courtauld and they assured me that there are plenty of opportunities to form relationships. But of course, two years would be much better in the regard. At the same time, it does seem that quite a few Courtauld students make it into U.S. PhD programs, so perhaps this is not too much of a hindrance.

Hmmm, seeing these responses, I now realize that my original post was totally unclear... I did not receive funding from SFSU. What I meant by "free" (not a good word choice here) was that SFSU is cheap enough that I can pay out of pocket with help from my partner. So, I wouldn't have to take out any loans. It is not the case that anyone is particularly excited about me. At least not enough to give me any cash! McKee002 - I'm sorry to say that I *think* funding is quite scarce at SFSU. I wasn't really expecting to get any and was proven right. But I am not 100% on this. Of course, JosephineBeuys and Mattmcg's point about the insanity of 50k in loans for a MA in Art History still stands and I thank you both for this perspective. The loan would probably be closer to 20-30k, 50k being the worst case scenario here. Would a smaller loan make going to the Courtauld any less insane? Or, in your opinions, is it a funding-or-bust scenario with the Art History MA?

Does anyone know anything about the MA at SFSU? I am having trouble getting a sense of the reputation of the program. I am trying to choose between what would essentially be a free MA at SFSU or a MA at Courtauld that would set me back 20k-50k in loans (depending on whether my partner can come with me and help with living expenses). From talking to my POI at SFSU, it seems they have placed a few students in PhD programs - places like UCR. But it is unclear whether a SFSU MA would put places like Berkeley out of reach. Courtauld, on the other hand, does seems to place quite a few students in top programs yearly. Also, I really, really want to go to Courtauld. I am super excited about the program and about living abroad for a year... But is it crazy to pass up a free MA, given what we all know about the job market for art historians? Any opinions on this decision would be greatly appreciated!

Faustina - thanks for your response! It really helps to get some more perspectives on this, especially since you know people who have graduated from the Courtauld. If I choose to go to the Courtauld and if I continue on to the PhD, I think I would take a year off after the MA. I envision working on applications, working on my German, going to conferences and maybe even presenting during the gap year. But it is very concerning that the UK tutoring system is a possible impediment to finding the required number of letter writers. Did any of the people you know run into this problem? Did they have any creative solutions? I have heard of people at UChicago's one year MAPH program running into similar problems - not having enough time to form strong relationships with profs and advisors, etc. Ah, statistics fail I actually have no idea what size class Hunter admits, I just assumed it was fairly large because Hunter was part of CUNY. It didn't even occur to me that I might be able to take classes at other CUNY colleges. It would be awesome to take classes at the graduate center and perhaps make contacts with future POIs for a PhD application. At this point, I am still very much on the fence. I lean towards the Courtauld mostly because of money and reputation but if the course length and tutoring system is a major roadblock to future PhD admission, then I may have to rethink this...

That is a good point about NYC being a great place for Modern/Contemporary. It's my impression that a lot of Hunter students are already working in the NYC art world full-time and go to school part time, or vice versa. While, at Courtauld it would be harder to get museum/art world experience being an international student, plus doing a very intense program in a very short time. Most likely I would just concentrate on school and then come back to the states right after to apply to PhD programs or jobs.

Thanks for your reply fullofpink! This is what I have been hearing. I actually searched the top 40 US Art History department websites to see where PhD students and professors got their MAs (if, of course, they got separate MAs). Courtauld shows up about twenty times, Hunter only twice. However, going by this slice of data, it does seem like Courtauld is strongest in Byzantine, Medieval and maybe 19th century. edited: because I under-reported Courtauld in my unscientific survey data

I'm trying to decide between Hunter College and Courtauld for an MA in Art History, my area of interest in Modern/Contemporary. There are two very different programs, so I thought I would ask for some feedback from the forum. Some factors that are influencing my decision: 1) Money: Hunter will end up being considerably more because it is a 2 year program, while Courtauld is just one year. 2) Personal factors: My undergrad degree is in English lit., however, after graduation, I took several courses in Art History at my local community college and state university to gain background knowledge. So, I am using the MA to change fields and to get my feet wet in grad school before I decide whether I want to go on to the PhD. The program at Courtauld is very interdisciplinary so that appeals to me because of my background. It is also focused more on the thesis and is obviously very condensed because it is only one year. However, I am wondering if I should go for a more traditional MA, like Hunter, with a lot of course-work and qualifying exams to bolster my background in Art History. 3) Reputation: Which school is better regarded? This one is a real question mark for me. One of my professors who studied at Courtauld is convinced of its superiority but I am not sure how to judge this. I would like to be able to apply to jobs and/or PhD programs in the U.S., particularly the West Coast after graduation. I would be so grateful for any advice, ideas or impressions about either of these two options!