Is Coursera/Edx helpful?

[Iris Che]

Hello every one, I am new here. I am currently a junior student majoring in advertisement, but I have been thinking about applying for art history programs for long (prefer Greek/Roman Art, or Ranaissance, Baroque). So I registered some public elective courses in the related field, like the History of Chinese Gardens, Visual Art, etc. 

As I was looking around in the forum, I saw someone applying for the 18 Fall says that he was rejected probably because he barely took upper division courses, despite that he has 2-3 years of working experience in a museum. This makes me feel more worried about myself. I am also learning online, so I wonder whether the online courses can do any help in explaining my passion or eligibility. 

As to the GRE, I do not specifically worry about it. But I doubt to what extent will it help me?  Say that I get V165, AW4.5 or 5, will this score greatly improves my chance of being accepted by a comparably good program? 

Thanks for your help!

[WRS]

Hey there!

If you are thinking about applying for art history programs (I'm assuming at the Master level), then I would recommend seriously bulking up on some related courses. You should have around 30 credits in art history before applying to a specific program. Additionally, you need to seriously hone in on a specialty within art history. There are some MAJOR differences between Greek art, Roman art, the *Renaissance, and Baroque. Greek and Roman art are NOT the same thing.

The GREs will not help out as much as you would like. While a good GRE will not secure you a spot, a bad GRE will certainly keep you out.

You need to decided what kind of art history you would like to study. I do not mean to discourage you, it simply seems like you only have a passing interest in art history. Say you decide to focus on Renaissance art. What about Renaissance art do you find interesting? Is there a certain artist that you would like to focus on? Are you drawn to the technique? The debate of disegno v. colore? When you figure out this interest, then you need to start researching which schools and faculty members are the best fit for you. Until that point, you need to hone in on your research interests, or that alone will keep you from getting into a good program.

Good luck!!

Edited July 10, 2018 by WRS

[staxdo_21]

The number of art history credits recommended prior to applying for an MA in Art History seems to be an ongoing debate in this forum. As a person shifting from a focus in studio art to art history, I definitely plan to take as many art history courses as possible prior to applying in the next two to three years. However, 30 credits are equivalent to 10 college courses, which is something that I personally cannot manage within the next two years in addition to learning French and/or German (I studied Spanish my foreign language requirement in undergrad) and maintaining a fulltime job. The costs alone are not feasible for me (unless I secure a job at a university which I am currently working on).  Most schools require at least four courses, and obviously, you want to take more than the basic requirements. I've read somewhere else in the forum that having at least five courses in art history will set you up for success. For me, depending on future circumstances, I will shoot for five more in addition to the courses I've already taken in undergrad and in my Post-Bac program (though that course was focused on theory). 

[sunny-j]

Both classes and relative work experience are important.  My conversations with several established scholars/professors in art history would imply that unstructured/non-degree online courses are not helpful to strengthen your application. They would, obviously, add to your personal knowledge and may help you discover opportunities such as publishing / participating in a journal.  In general, if you are looking for graduate studies in art history, start taking art history classes right now.  This field is difficult for break-throughs, and does not easily guarantee a bright financial future. You want to be really serious about your interest before investing time and energy into pursuing graduate studies. You should, at least for your own sake, take several research-heavy art history classes to see if you really like this discipline.