Ph.D. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Prior to matriculation, students must have obtained a bachelor's or master's degree in art history, art practice, or another field approved by the departmental committee on graduate studies, such as (but not limited to) history, literature, anthropology, or philosophy. Applicants must have a good reading knowledge of at least one foreign language at the time they enter the program.

The Visual Arts Department accepts new students for Fall quarter admittance only. The deadline for applications is January 11, 2010, for Fall Quarter, 2010 admittance.

Application for admission as a UCSD graduate student must first be made to the Office of Graduate Studies. Please visit OGS's website for information about application procedures, filing fees, and to access the Graduate Application for Admission. The Visual Arts Department requires the following materials be submitted through this application: Statement of Purpose (750-1000 words); three Letters of Recommendation; Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores; Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores, if an international applicant. Your official GRE and TOEFL scores must also be submitted directly to UC San Diego from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The Visual Arts Department will only accept electronic submission of these materials through the Graduate Application for Admission. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HARD COPIES AS THEY WILL NOT BE REVIEWED.

In addition to the Office of Graduate Studies’ Graduate Application for Admission, you will need to submit the following supplemental information via the Visual Arts Department online application system found at http://va-grad2.ucsd.edu/~va: sample of written work (e.g., senior honors thesis, M.A. thesis, or other research or critical paper); portfolio or other representation of art practice for applicants to the Art Practice concentration. You may also choose to submit additional materials, such as a curriculum vitae, publications, etc. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HARD COPIES AS THEY WILL NOT BE REVIEWED.You must first submit your Office of Graduate Studies’ Graduate Application before an account will be created for you in the Visual Arts Department online application system. Once you have submitted your application through the Office of Graduate Studies, you will receive an email from the Visual Arts Department notifying you of your account username and password for the Visual Arts Department online application system.

Official academic transcripts from all prior institutions are also required and must be received by the January 11 deadline. Please send hard copies of all official transcripts to the following address:

University of California, San Diego
Visual Arts Ph.D., Mail Code 0327
ATTN: Ph.D. Program Coordinator
9500 Gilman Drive #0327
La Jolla, CA 92093-0327

Nothing will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee until after the January 11, 2010 deadline.

Financial Aid

Generous funding packages are possible for highly qualified students. Upon recommendation of the department, several types of financial aid are available: full or partial remission of fees and tuition, fellowships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and readerships. Graduate students are eligible for one or a combination of the six forms of financial support.

If you have any questions about the admissions process, please email vis-phd@ucsd.edu.

Course Descriptions