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Hi everyone, I was recently granted with one of the most prestigious fellowships in my country (Spain) to pursue graduate studies in the USA / Canada. This means I will be fully funded for two years and I have no financial restrictions for choosing a graduate program. I'm currently working on my applications and still doing research on different possibilities. Some questions have arisen and because I am unfamiliar with many aspects of the US graduate education system I thought I can find some answers by sharing them with you. I have a background in Literary Studies and a BA in Fine Arts, and my focus has primarily been on visual culture, visuality, media / technology, critical theory and the arts. My initial plan is to pursue a terminal MA program in Art History (with an interdisciplinary approach) or in Visual and Critical Studies. However, my intention is to pursue a PhD afterwards, so I want to make sure the MA has an academic approach that would take me in the direction of doctoral studies. As I do my research on different programs, I get the feeling that in the United States most terminal MA programs are more professional-oriented thus not so rigorous academic-wise (am I right or is it just a very biased feeling?). This has raised the question: Which MA programs in Art History / Visual Studies are out there that would take me into a very good PhD program? Or: Should I try to go directly into a PhD? Some MA programs that are in my radar: - SAIC (MA in Visual and Critical Studies ) - Columbia (MODA) - Bard Graduate Center (MA in Decorative Arts, Design History and Material Culture). - CALARTS (MA Aesthetics and Politics). - SVA (MA Critical Theory and the Arts) ((does anyone have an opinion on this program?)) Or more “traditional” MA programs in Art History, in Columbia or NYU (would a program like this allow me to have an interdisciplinary approach?). OR PhD programs: - Rochester (PhD Visual and Cultural Studies) - U. Chicago (PhD Art History) - UC Irving (PhD in Visual Studies) - CUNY (PhD Art History) Would any of those MA Programs make sense in order to become involved in doctoral studies afterwards? Do you know of any other MA degrees that might be worth consider? Thank you very much!!

Anyone out there apply to one of the humanities programs at the Royal College of Art? Please post if you get an invitation to interview, and acceptance/rejection notifications. I'm in that freak-out mode where I'm curious if anyone has heard anything. Also, if anyone has been interviewed for the Design History MA, will you share your experience?

I am applying for the Ph.D. in Film Studies programs at various universities for Fall 2012, and wanted to see if anyone had applied before and can give me my chances of being accepted. Here's my academic background: GRE: 160 Verbal (86%), 5.5 Writing (96%), 151 Quantitative (51%) B.A. in Anthropology from UC Berkeley, G.P.A. 3.00 B.F.A. in Film from California College of the Arts, GPA 3.69 M.F.A. in Film from Art Center College of Design, GPA 3.70 I wrote a Masters Thesis on the Films of Oliver Stone, and took many film seminars and theory courses for my B.F.A and M.F.A. degrees, and wrote many research papers on topics like Jean Luc Godard, Stanley Kubrick, French New Wave, etc. I have three very strong letters of recommendations from professors who know my research interests very well, and I even got an A+ in one of their seminars. Also, I have worked as a Film/Video Specialist for the County of Los Angeles for three years, directing, writing, and editing documentaries, PSAs, and commercials. I have emailed several professors already, and have gotten positive responses mostly from UC Santa Barbara and USC professors, who have said my research interests are interesting and also match their research interests. My main research interests are the new wave of modern Asian films, and also films from the French New Wave period of the 1960s. Here are the schools I'm applying to: UC Santa Barbara Berkeley UC Irvine Harvard USC Brown These are all for Ph.D. in Film Studies and/or Visual/Media Studies programs. Anyone can give me advice on my chances, or have had experience applying to these schools already?