<p>I'm currently in a position where my only option to go back to school would be for a MA in history (non-Western subject), however, I would like to obtain a PhD in art history (non-Western subject). My bachelors is in art history so it's not like I'm unfamiliar with the subject, I just wanted to know if this is a possibility. Has anyone done this (with any subjects really) and been able to pull it off?</p>
<p>While not very familiar with the relationship between those two fields, I see no reason why you would not be able to do what you propose. It has certainly been done before in other fields - an old friend of mine got a BS in agricultural engineering, an MS in civil engineering, and then got a PhD in agricultural engineering (the latter two from the same university, in order). I am not sure why you are not just applying directly to art history PhD programs, however.</p>
<p>"I am not sure why you are not just applying directly to art history PhD programs, however. "</p>
<p>If interested in a Ph.D., no reason to spend time doing an MA.</p>
<p>Since you already have a bachelor’s in art history, you already meet a basic expectation to apply for a PhD program in art history. The MA in history is just a detour in the pathway to the art history PhD, but additional background in history may enhance your application. In general, it’s not an impediment to have an MA in a different field than the field in which you apply for a PhD as long as you meet the entry requirements for the PhD program.</p>
<p>For a non-Western field, work in scholarly and source languages would provide a stronger enhancement of your qualifications. Since you’re planning graduate work in a non-Western field, what is your background in the relevant languages?</p>
<p>Why is an MA in history your only option for returning to school? Depending on the non-Western region that interests you, other relevant master’s-level possibilities might include folklore/mythology, religious studies, anthropology, or, language and area studies (East Asian if you’ve had at least 3 years of a relevant language; African, South or Southeast Asian—you might be able to start without prior language study; Latin American—you’d need prior language study; Near Eastern–it depends).</p>
<p>There are no PhD Art History programs in my area and I’m stuck here for another 2 - 3 years because I’ll be getting married in about a year or so and my fiance just found out that he won’t be graduating until May 2014. I figured having a MA in history would broaden my job opportunities but many of the schools I’ve seen require a MA in art history or coursework equal to that of an MA in order to get into the PhD program, or at least that’s what they say. I’m not concerned about paying for a PhD as my grades and GRE scores are above average and chances are I will be able to get a tuition waiver or fellowship to a PhD program. I was just curious if this would be seen as negative in any way. FYI my specialty (hopefully) will be in pre-columbian art, particularly Amazonian art, I’ve been told Spanish or Portuguese would be best; although it’s such a narrow subject I would probably wouldn’t benefit anymore from one language to the next.</p>
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Yes, but they are looking for relevance as well, so this only helps you if your history MA seques nicely into a research area in art history. Depending on the program and professor, that might be thoroughly reasonable or utterly impossible. Also, realize that those “MA-required” PhD programs usually also have MA programs, allowing you to do both degrees as a coherent whole.</p>
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Not sure how far above average your numbers are, but this is a dangerous assumption to make - funding in programs like art history is extremely low right now, and many applicants with excellent credentials are turned away or accepted with minimal or no funding. If you are dependent on funding (and I think you SHOULD be), then this should be a major concern for you.</p>