In need of advice for applying to grad school

[sol.sheri]

Hey everyone,

I realize that most of my questions could be answered by a college counselor, but since I've already graduated and I'm in South Korea, I'm hoping that some of you will offer up your insight and guidance while I try to figure out what my next step should be.

My primary goal is to work in a community with different art centers, museums, artists, and various other community organizations. I would like to help organize art events, promote cultural diversity, advocate for certain social issues, and reach out in other ways such as through clinics and mental health centers. This may be hard to achieve, but I want to get as qualified as possible for a career that at least does some of that.

If possible, I would like to get a PhD in art history, with a focus on Latin American art. It's been my passion for years. My guess is that I can focus my doctoral studies on not only Latin American art, but community art and issues.

I graduated from UC Berkeley with honors and a major in Art Practice. I only have a year of French. I have experience working in galleries on campus (exhibition design, installation, filming of lectures, hosting opening nights, etc), exhibiting my own work in galleries, working on a Day of the Dead event, and facilitating two different art therapy programs in the community. I've only taken 4 classes in art history. I'm recognized as a California Arts Scholar and received the governor's medallion in high school. And for the past year, since graduating, I've been teaching english for the South Korean government in rural South Korea as part of a visiting scholar program. This is what I have to offer.

So my questions (and I'm really sorry for making this so long) are:

-What are my chances at getting accepted into an art history MA or PhD program if I apply now?

-What schools would be more likely to accept me?

-If my chances at getting into a good school are low, what can i do in the coming year to make myself more competitive?

Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time and effort to read and respond! You don't know how much I appreciate it.

[JosephineB]

If that is in fact your primary goal, I am not sure you should be looking at PhD programs for art history. I really don't see how an art history PhD would help you reach that goal.

Here are some questions for you to think about:

- How do your goals relate to the academic study of art history?

- Why do you think a PhD in art history will help you meet your goals?

- What do you think graduate study in art history entails? What do you know about it?

Based on the information you have provided I am not really sure you have done much research on exactly what is involved in an art history PhD program. I think that what you are looking at is more in line with non-profit work and arts administration.

[sol.sheri]

I've considered arts administration, but I would like to be a little more informed about art history for researching and curating for museums, galleries and art centers. My main interest in art history is because I've had a passion for it, I would love to be an art history teacher at a junior college someday, and it would also allow me to curate. Studying Latin American art history, I feel, would be very helpful for curating and organizing in the SF bay area and working in Latin American communities.

I guess I did a poor job at explaining myself. I would, ideally, like to do all of that from the discipline of art history.

But I will consider those questions. Your comment was very helpful. It might be better in the long run if I didn't focus on art history as the center of my studies, so thank you for your reply!

[once]

I agree with JosephineBeuys, it sounds like you're looking for art history mixed with curating/administration. Maybe something like Delaware's curatorial track Ph.D?

[losemygrip]

Ditto.

Your career goals don't require a PhD in art history, so why bother? You need a burning desire to study and research Latin American art.

SMU used to have a combined MBA/MA program that might work. I think you could also get into what you're interested in via art or museum education.

You probably don't have enough art history to meet the minimum requirements of some programs. A lot of them don't require a major, but do require 18-24 credits minimum in art history. You should probably plan to go back to school somewhere as a special student and take some more advanced art history courses to make sure this is right for you.

[GeneralistAdventurist]

Don't kill yourself with a PhD in art history.

There are two tracks you could go--before I give advice, I work at a few museums in NYC as an educator/in public programming/outreach/etc, at an arts education organization and have been where you are....

You could get an MA in Art History. This is a pretty popular way to go, seems to be the way a lot of folks figure will work as a 'next step'.

You could get an MA in Museum Education. This is a pretty big thing in NYC...specifically Bank Street. But that is if you want to be in education, not curate.

You could start by interning at a major museum and find someone who has a career you respect, and ask what they did.

But seriously, don't kill yourself with a PhD if you want to work with the public. Not that it isn't incredibly helpful, amazing, honorable (I could never do it, so much respect for the academics I read before my tours/groups), you just don't need it.

[annbkim]

I also graduated from UC Berkeley with double degrees in Art Practice and Art History, and grew up in Korea and worked there after college (2006).

I also agree with the comments above; if you are more interested in community organizing and working in various arts related venues, and not necessarily teaching or researching, a PhD in Art History may not be the best option for you. Do look into the UDelaware program as was suggested. Also, PhD in Art History is a rigorous work in terms of academics, so if you do not love love love Art History or if you are unsure, I wouldn't suggest it.

[Shelley Burian]

I would try to find out which specific avenue of museum work you want to do (and in what kinds of museums) before commiting to any post-grad ed. If you do want to curate in an art museum, than I would consider a Ph.D. as that tends to be the norm in art. But if you are more interested in other types of museums such as history along with art, I would think twice as history and community museums do not require that credential necessarily and it may over-qualify you (I currently consult for a historical society's curatorial division and hardly any of the people who curate for history museums have Ph.D.s). If you are interested in communtiy activisim or education, definitely do not get a Ph.D. as you will waste a great deal of time and not receive the training you really need. I would also STRONGLY recommend that you begin Spanish as soon as possible if you do not already possess competency in the language if you want to have any serious involvement in the Latin American community.

[arthistoryvoe2]

You might want to look at the Art Institute of Chicago's joint MA in Art History and Arts Administration. Many of their graduates do the kind of work you have in mind.