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.
Application for admission as a UCSD graduate student must be made to the Office of Graduate Studies. Please visit OGS's website for information about application procedures and filing fees. If you
prefer to submit a hard copy application form, be sure to send the application with the filing fee to:
Office of Graduate Studies
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, Department 0086
La Jolla, CA 92093-0086
The Visual Arts Department accepts new students for Fall quarter admittance only. The deadline for applications is January 2, 2009,
for Fall Quarter, 2009 admittance. In addition to either the online or hard copy application form, you will need to send the
following supplemental information by mail to the Visual Arts Department: all academic transcripts from prior institutions; three letters of
recommendation; statement of purpose (750-1000 words); sample of written work (e.g., senior honors thesis, M.A. thesis, or other research or
critical paper). You may choose to include additional materials, such as a curriculum vitae, publications, etc. In addition to the above materials, applicants to the Art Practice concentration must also submit a portfolio or other representation of their art practice. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all applicants. If you are an international applicant, you must also submit TOEFL (language) scores.
All supplemental information must be received by the Visual Arts Department by the January 2 deadline to be considered part of your
application. These items can arrive separately, because a file will be set up in your name as soon as we receive any of these materials.
Letters of recommendation and transcripts should be sent as early as possible in order to arrive by the deadline.
Please send all supplemental information to the following address:
Colette McKinney
Ph.D. Program Coordinator
UCSD Visual Arts Department, 0327
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0327
Nothing will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee until after the January 2, 2009 deadline. If you would like your statement of
purpose and writing sample returned to you, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
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.
