Terminal MA???

[lyds55]

Hi!

I just needed some insight from other prospective and current art history students as to which schools i should apply to if I want to stay in california for my masters, then consider obtaining my PhD else where? My primary focus is on modern and contemporary art, particularly in late 19th-20th century european art? I changed my major just last year, but I have been working really hard to finish my undergraduate studies in english and visual arts so I can pursue my masters in art history. Nevertheless, I still feel less informed about the subject compared to others who have been studying it for years. I would greatly appreciate some help!! Thank you in advance!

[losemygrip]

Well, I'm far beyond the "prospective and current student" status.

But if you want to stay in California for an MA, and then go elsewhere for a PhD, I'd say to focus on a terminal MA program such as UC Riverside. I think UC San Diego--while it has a PhD in visual culture or something like that--also offers a regular MA in art history. UC Santa Barbara may also offer a terminal MA option, although they do have a PhD program. Several of the Cal State schools may also offer them--Cal State Long Beach comes to mind.

[fullofpink]

If you are 100% positive you want to go on to phd, be aware that you will most likely add one more year of study at the phd level since many schools do not accept all master coursework.

[MadameNon]

UC Riverside probably isn't the best choice as their 19th and 20th century European Modernist just retired. I know she still works with some students in the department but I doubt she'd advise a new one.

Be careful with these MA programs - most of them don't have a lot of funding to offer and they may not have a great track record placing grads in PhD programs or jobs (I don't really know the stats, but you should do some serious research on this).

[anonymousbequest]

It's generally understood that people who do MAs at any of the Cal States will not be moving into a PhD program. Neither UCSD, UCLA, UCB, nor UCSB offer terminal MAs, but UCR and UCD do. While I think most students at Riverside and Davis do not advance, some exceptional students have been admitted to very good PhD programs. If you want to stay in CA a little longer (and who can blame you!), and since you just switched majors, maybe do some post-bac work in art history at one of the Cal States that will prepare you to compete for PhD programs?

[losemygrip]

I don't agree with anonymous. While I can't cite specific examples, I'm sure that students with MAs from Cal States must have moved on. There's no reason for them not to. I'm very suspicious of "It's generally understood." I'd say it's up to anonymous to provide more specific information to prove this very vague and, from my point of view, strange generalization.

[anonymousbequest]

You bring up the interesting issue, oft discussed, of whether terminal MAs help or hurt the student who eventually wants a PhD. Seems as though conventional wisdom here on gradcafe is that getting a terminal MA will help create better options for getting into a PhD program later. I think that for some students (me for one) an MA can be a sort of "proving ground", but the MA program matters. There are very few MA programs that have track records of placing students into top-tier PhD programs and the Cal States are not those. I guess it's possible that someone has made it from a Cal State somehwhere, but in my acquaintence with faculty and graduate students from a couple of the larger programs no students ever made the jump.

But it's always best to do one's own research. I'd suggest looking at the profiles of graduate students at the institutions where one is most interested for the PhD, and see where they did their unergraduate and MA degrees. One may see patterns emerge.