Normally, the degree requirements may be completed in two years of full-time study. Students will normally complete the M.A. degree before applying for candidacy to the Ph.D. program. Students who are accepted with an M.A. degree from an accredited art history program may enter the Ph.D. program directly. Upon petition, minor fields may be tailored to the student's special interests. Candidates for the Ph.D. must pass written examinations in German and either French or Italian.
Candidates then produce a dissertation, which is defended in an oral examination.
Students interested primarily in studying American decorative arts in a material culture context should consider the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture described in this catalog. At the Ph.D. level, the department offers specialization in the decorative arts through courses at Winterthur, and students may take their minor field examination and elect to write their dissertations in this area. These students have access to the collections and teaching staff at Winterthur. Master's theses may also be written on the subject.