MA in Modern Art: Critical & Curatorial Studies (MODA): Course Requirements

Coursework

All students in the program are required to accumulate 2 Residence Units and take a total of eight graduate courses plus two sections of the MA Thesis course.

• All students must take for a letter grade the mandatory Critical Colloquium and Curatorial Colloquium in the first year.
• Also required are six courses at either the 8000, 6000, or 4000 level. Of these courses, no more than two should be taken for R credit. Students who wish to take 3000-level courses must get instructor approval to take them for 4000-level credit (which commonly involves additional course assignments).
• All students must take two sections of the MA Thesis course during their final year in the program.
• With the consent of their advisors, students may take courses in other departments in the history, culture, literature and philosophy of their area of interest.
• To ensure permission to continue in the program, students are warned against the accumulation of Incompletes in their MA coursework.
• Courses taken P/F do not count towards the degree.
• Language courses in preparation for the language exam do not count towards the degree.

Full-time students:

Full-time students must take all eight required graduate courses in their first year and two sections of the MA Thesis course in their second year of study in the program.

Part-time students:

Part-time students must take at least four of the required graduate courses during their first year, and at least two required courses in any subsequent year in the program. Two sections of the MA Thesis course must be taken during the final year in the program, but no later than the fourth year.

Language Requirement

Knowledge of one foreign language relevant to their program of study must be demonstrated in order to complete the MA. For specific information on fulfilling the language requirement, see the section entitled Fulfilling Language Requirements in the student handbook.

Western/Non-Western

Students whose concentrations are within modern and contemporary art outside the West are strongly encouraged to take one course in the pre-Modern arts of their specific region of study. The aim is to complement one’s study of "global" modern and contemporary art with the pre-modern arts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas.

Problems in Curatorial Practice and Problems in Art Criticism

In order to pursue academic credit for an internship, students should speak with their advisor about the requirements for Problems in Curatorial Practice and Problems in Art Criticism. These independent study courses are conceived as the academic complements to curatorial and critical work and thus integrate intellectual reflection with a student's practical experience outside the classroom. These courses may be pursued after the first semester of study. Students may only register for one that will count toward the degree's completion.

Completion of MA Requirements

Full-time students must have completed all required coursework for the MA degree by the end of their first year and be given a favorable first-year evaluation to continue to the MA thesis stage. The MA thesis (and two sections of the MA Thesis course) must be completed within the second and final year in the program.

Part-time students must have completed all required coursework for the MA degree by the end of their third year and be given a favorable first, second-, or third-year evaluation to continue to the MA thesis stage. The MA thesis (and two sections of the MA Thesis course) must be completed no later than the fourth year in the program.

For additional information about the program and its administration, please refer to the MODA Student Handbook.

Note the minimum admission requirements described in the GSAS Bulletin and on the Questions and Answers page. Recipients of the free-standing MA will be considered for admission to the PhD only upon separate application to the PhD program in the department.

Sample Program

10 courses (30 points of credit), one MA thesis required for graduation.