Admission requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a master's degree in any field from a regionally accredited institution. Examples of appropriate fields include art history, architectural history, design history or fields in the humanities, such as history or literature; archaeology and anthropology may also be considered. Students without graduate experience in the history of art, history of architecture and history of design may be asked to fulfill deficiencies.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

  • graduate admission application and application fee
  • official transcripts
  • abstract of proposed research
  • personal statement
  • letters of recommendation
  • proof of English proficiency

Additional application information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

Applicants must submit to Slideroom the personal statement, abstract of proposed research, and contact information for three references. It is required that these be submitted in addition to the Graduate College application requirements.