UT Dallas 2017 Graduate Catalog

School of Arts and Humanities

The School of Arts and Humanities offers three graduate degree programs: History, Humanities, and Latin American Studies.

Degrees Offered

Objectives

The School of Arts and Humanities is committed to interdisciplinary programs that investigate the linkages between the arts and the humanities by fusing critical with creative thinking, theoretical with practical endeavors. Rather than identifying fixed disciplinary areas, the program emphasizes the interrelationship of broad areas of interest.

Within the Graduate Program in the Humanities, most courses are offered within the three main areas of concentration: Aesthetic Studies (HUAS), History of Ideas (HUHI), and Studies in Literature (HUSL), and students seeking the MA or PhD degrees in humanities must take courses in all three areas. The fourth area and other courses, including core courses required of all students, are offered under the rubric Humanities (HUMA).

Within the Graduate Program in History, most courses are offered within History (HIST) and History of Ideas (HUHI) but students may also take courses in Aesthetic Studies (HUAS) and Studies in Literature (HUSL).

Within the Graduate Program in Latin American Studies, required courses are offered within Latin American Studies (LATS) and elective courses are drawn from Aesthetic Studies (HUAS), History (HIST), History of Ideas (HUHI), and Studies in Literature (HUSL).

All our graduate programs are designed to provide students a flexible, interdisciplinary context within which to pursue a program of study built on connections among specific courses and the areas of concentration. Offerings include not only seminars stressing the interpretation and criticism of specific works and issues but also ensembles, studios, and workshops in which the activity of creation and/or performance becomes the primary means of learning.

Facilities

The School of Arts and Humanities provides specialized facilities for academic research and creative expression. The Jonsson Building contains seminar rooms for classes in history, Humanities, and Latin American Studies as well as faculty offices and a graduate student lounge. The Edith O'Donnell Building houses gallery space as well as studios for painting, photography, and other arts. Performance venues for drama and music include the University Theatre and the Jonsson Performance Hall.

Admission Requirements

The University's general admission requirements are discussed on the Graduate Admission page.

Each application is considered on its individual merits.

Normally students applying for admission to the Graduate Program in Humanities should have previous academic degrees (BA or MA) in arts and humanities fields and a grade point average of 3.3 (especially in upper-division undergraduate or graduate work).

Normally students applying for admission to the Graduate Program in History should have a previous degree (BA or BS) in history or related disciplines and a grade point average of 3.3 (especially in upper-division undergraduate work).

Normally students applying for admission to the Graduate Program in Latin American Studies should have a previous degree (BA or BS) in arts and humanities fields, demonstrated interest and experience in Latin American studies, and a grade point average of 3.3 (especially in upper-division undergraduate work).

The School of Arts and Humanities does not require the Graduate Record Examination for admission to graduate programs.

Full-time and Part-time Students

Students can pursue the graduate degrees in humanities on a full- or part-time basis. Full-time students normally register for nine or more semester credit hours per term. The school takes care to accommodate part-time study by scheduling both day and night classes, thus allowing students flexibility in organizing individual schedules.

Degree Requirements

The University's general degree requirements are discussed on the Graduate Policies and Procedures page.

The approach to graduate education in the School of Arts and Humanities is flexible. Within the specific degree requirements listed in the graduate catalog, each student plans a program of studies in consultation with an assigned advisor.

Courses meeting degree requirements are normally chosen from the core courses and the areas of concentration within the School of Arts and Humanities. To have courses taken outside the school applied to one of its degrees, students must seek prior approval from the school's Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. They may also petition to have appropriate transfer courses applied to reduce the required number of semester credit hours for a degree at UT Dallas. The school's Associate Dean for Graduate Studies may require students with background deficiencies in interdisciplinary work to take additional courses at the undergraduate or graduate level to remedy those deficiencies.

Active involvement in the process of artistic creation and performance is basic to the design of the Aesthetic Studies area of concentration. Therefore, students working in the Graduate Program in the Humanities at the MA level with an emphasis on Aesthetic Studies are required to take at least one ensemble/workshop, and those working toward a PhD with an emphasis on this area are required to take at least one additional ensemble/workshop. Students undertaking creative projects for master's portfolios or doctoral dissertations must demonstrate their competency as artists by including in their degree plans a minimum number of studios, ensembles, or workshops related to a proposed medium: two for the MA and four for the PhD.

Research

The research interests of the faculty reflect the interdisciplinary mission of the School. In addition to the research activities of individual faculty, five centers and institutes that promote interdisciplinary research are located within the school: The Center for Translation Studies; the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies; the Confucius Institute; the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Museums, and the Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology. Since the School combines the Humanities and the Arts, many faculty are engaged in the creation and performance of artistic works in music, drama, literature, and the visual arts.

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