MA Areas of Specialization

[queenofscots]

I'm just finishing my B.A. in Art History, and I will be starting my M.A. in the fall. I am pretty sure that I want to do modern/contemporary.... but to be honest, I'm not 100% sure. I also very much like a few other periods, though most of my advanced coursework has been post-1945. Is anyone else in a similar situation? Or for those of you who already have completed your masters, did you absolutely know what you wanted to study before you started your first semester of masters coursework?

[Venus_of_Urbino]

I'm just finishing my B.A. in Art History, and I will be starting my M.A. in the fall. I am pretty sure that I want to do modern/contemporary.... but to be honest, I'm not 100% sure. I also very much like a few other periods, though most of my advanced coursework has been post-1945. Is anyone else in a similar situation? Or for those of you who already have completed your masters, did you absolutely know what you wanted to study before you started your first semester of masters coursework?

I started my MA convinced I wanted to do Northern Ren. It was the best thing ever. I did a TON of coursework on it. I wrote a 100 pg, published, and award winning thesis on Hieronymous Bosch. This was going to be my LIFE.

And then I got to graduate school. My thesis is on John Singleton Copley mostly because I find early American painting fascinating and I get along super well with the Americanist at my school. (Hold on to your relationships to faculty that are particularly strong.) I am giving a paper this May on the cognitive theory of the ritual use of Islamic prayer rugs. I am going to Minnesota next year to write a dissertation on the economics of Roman printmaking in the earliest years of the Grand Tour, using Salvator Rosa as a case study. My primary interest, however, is the application of theory to early modern subjects, which is half the reason I wanted to go to UMN--the program has an Italian Baroque scholar and a young scholar doing wonderful work on theory.

The moral of my too-long story? Have an area of specialty in mind, but use your time in the MA program to explore tons of different things. You might take an Islamic art class or an Indian art class that will change the way you see your own field. Moreover, you might find a field that impassions you more. At the least, you will demonstrate a capacity to think across the discipline and will appear well-rounded--this is really important for applying PhD programs. You want to be seen as versatile as possible, especially if you are a modernist. There are so many modern and contemp people and the competition is so stiff. Plus, in my experience, modern/contemp people tend to be adverse to taking anything pre-1800. You will look really awesome if you have a breadth of coursework.

[MadameNon]

I did an MA because I didn't get accepted to any PhDs that application season. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, basically stuck to it and managed to angle almost all of my coursework papers and such towards that interest, and I'm now going to start a PhD in what I've been focused on all along. So, moral of my very short story is that it's okay to stick to your guns as well, if you know what you want.

Some people in my program switched their focus midstream and had a bit of a rough time because they didn't have a strong enough foundation in it.

[Venus_of_Urbino]

I So, moral of my very short story is that it's okay to stick to your guns as well, if you know what you want.

;-)

[queenofscots]

Thanks for both viewpoints :-) The two periods I'm most interested in are American post-1945... and the Romanesque. I worry about job opportunities (or at least breadth of different options) in medieval, and also in terms of really needing a PhD if I do that (I'm starting my terminal MA in a great program in September). So if I love both... perhaps modern/contemporary is just more practical? *brain hurts* Maybe I'm jumping the gun, considering I haven't even started my masters yet...

[lilacpear]

I'm just finishing my B.A. in Art History, and I will be starting my M.A. in the fall. I am pretty sure that I want to do modern/contemporary.... but to be honest, I'm not 100% sure. I also very much like a few other periods, though most of my advanced coursework has been post-1945. Is anyone else in a similar situation? Or for those of you who already have completed your masters, did you absolutely know what you wanted to study before you started your first semester of masters coursework?

I think it's fairly normal to switch concentrations during your MA coursework, and afterwards. Many graduate students begin coursework "knowing" exactly what they want to do (I still count myself in this bunch) only to come across a completely different topic, region, period, artist, etc. that ends up becoming the main focus of specialization later on.

For what it's worth, I came up with my master's thesis topic a few minutes before I was scheduled to meet with my advisor to discuss my thesis topic and only after having read TWO texts in this field the week prior; needless to say, this topic had nothing to do with the field of interest which compelled me to pursue a graduate degree initially. I started my MSc with complete certainty of what I wanted to write about only to end up doing something completely different, with very satisfying results.

The bottom line is that you should approach graduate study with an open mind, as you just don't know what will hold your interest in the end. The twists and turns may end up surprising you, but only if you let them happen in the first place!

Best,

lp

[arthistoryvoe2]

Thanks for both viewpoints :-) The two periods I'm most interested in are American post-1945... and the Romanesque. I worry about job opportunities (or at least breadth of different options) in medieval, and also in terms of really needing a PhD if I do that (I'm starting my terminal MA in a great program in September). So if I love both... perhaps modern/contemporary is just more practical? *brain hurts* Maybe I'm jumping the gun, considering I haven't even started my masters yet...

How are your languages? if you haven't started Latin, do it ASAP, and that might help you decide — if you like it, or if you don't. It's not impossible to switch fields between MA and PhD, but if you decide you want to go on to the PhD it will be really hard to switch fields from contemporary to medieval if you have no Latin (esp if your French and German still need work). You might also find there are some interesting links to be made between the two (starting with Meyer Schapiro, for one).

[amleta]

How are your languages? if you haven't started Latin, do it ASAP, and that might help you decide — if you like it, or if you don't.

This is good advice - although I might rephrase it as "if you can stand it or not."

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about settling on one field or another at this point. You'll have time during your MA to play around and study different periods. Chances are that you'll find yourself gravitating toward one area more than another without making a conscious decision to do so.

From my experience, it's also quite common to find medievalists or other early art historians with modern secondary interests (I second the Meyer Schapiro rec). Despite being a medievalist, my secondary interest at the moment is 19th and 20th c. American, and I know of many professors who list similar secondary interests.

Whether modern/contemporary or medieval would be better as far as job options, I'm not sure. It depends on whether you want to go into museum work or higher ed. If it's higher ed, then every art history department will have at least one medievalist, so there are as many opportunities as for any other field. If it's museum/gallery work, than maybe modern/contemp would be better.

As a medievalist, however, I'm obliged to tell you that medieval is awesome and you should pursue it further

[queenofscots]

How are your languages? if you haven't started Latin, do it ASAP, and that might help you decide — if you like it, or if you don't. It's not impossible to switch fields between MA and PhD, but if you decide you want to go on to the PhD it will be really hard to switch fields from contemporary to medieval if you have no Latin (esp if your French and German still need work). You might also find there are some interesting links to be made between the two (starting with Meyer Schapiro, for one).

My French and Italian are both very good... yeah, I should maybe do latin over the summer. And I definitely have thought about Meyer Shapiro :-)

[MadameNon]

You will need German for medieval as well.

[raksasa]

The language advice is very good. I am starting a masters programs in the Fall and am fairly certain that I will be focused on early 20th century Latin American art, but who knows? I've changed my mind a thousand times. I double majored in art history and archaeology, loving Modern and Contemporary art the whole time. I started out as an Ancient Roman enthusiast who went to college on a Latin scholarship. I am constantly torn between loving ancient art and archaeology, and being fascinated by the complexities of Modern art. The only modest advice I can offer is to also consider your future job prospects, lifestyle etc. That has helped me. I love Latin and Ancient Roman archaeology, but it's not really the world in which I'd like to work. I like Contemporary art, but I'm really uninterested in the art market. I want a job that will hopefully allow for some travel, and besides being fascinated by Latin American arts, cultures, and traditions, I love traveling there.

I am just starting out, so I don't pretend to know much, but I think many people don't take into account that how you envision your career, the people you work with, where you live, and your lifestyle can help to give perspective on choices such as these. That being said, I think you've got plenty of chances to change your mind and figure out what you want. The worst decision would be limiting yourself because you've 'made your bed and now you have to sleep in it.'