Doctor of Philosophy in the History of Architecture

Admission

Required for admission into the doctorate program is the equivalent of the School of Architecture’s Master of Architectural History. Students lacking that preparation should apply for admission to the Master of Architectural History Program with a clear indication of their interest in the Ph.D. program. Admission to the doctorate program is a separate procedure pursued through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Admission is based on the student’s record in graduate architectural history courses and other graduate-level work as revealed in the official transcript and letters of recommendation (at least two are required), on Graduate Record Examination scores, and on the form and content of the statement of intent submitted as part of the application. An interview is useful but not required.

Curriculum and Course Distribution

In addition to the requirements for the M.Arch.H. degree (36 credits), the doctorate program requires a minimum 18 credits of additional graduate course work and 18 credits of non-topical research.

The student must select an area of major field concentration and two areas of minor field concentration. Field examinations are held in each of these areas, which include American, European since 1750, Renaissance-Baroque, Medieval, Ancient, and non-Western architecture. Upon consultation with an advisor, the student may create a new field for examination, and/or select a minor field area from another Department (e.g., art history: American or Renaissance art; Anthropology: American Archaeology; History: Colonial, etc.). Counting the M.Arch.H. courses, the student is required to present for the Ph.D. degree at least five courses in the major field area, three courses in each of the two minor field areas, and at least one course in all other Architectural History areas.

Language Qualification

Examinations

The Ph.D. field examination is normally held in the first semester of a student’s second year and consists of written and oral segments taken consecutively over a three to five day period. The student must submit a dissertation prospectus prior to taking the field examination and completes the language requirement. The written portion of the exam is two days in length. The first day is devoted to the major field area and takes about six hours to write; the second day consists of two three-hour written segments in the student’s two minor field areas. The faculty reads the examination, and the oral examination segment follows on either the third, fourth, or fifth day, and consists of one hour on the major field area and one-half hour on each of the minor field areas. The student is expected to demonstrate familiarity with buildings and other works related to architecture, the methods used for dealing with that knowledge, and the history and bibliography connected to it. Attention is also directed to the economic, intellectual, and social history that surrounds specific architectural history questions.

Dissertation

A dissertation, normally prepared in the third year of doctorate study, is meant to make an important contribution to knowledge. The formation of the committee should follow the guidelines of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The dissertation committee will consist of at least four including: two full-time department faculty members, one of whom will serve as chair, a member from another department in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and a fourth member who can be from the department or from outside. The time and place of the dissertation defense must be posted at least two weeks before its scheduled date.

Typical Program of Study

Note that an M.Arch.H. or equivalent degree is required for admission to the program. Not included here are courses required for that degree, and various additional required non-topical research courses.

The Graduate Arts and Sciences Admissions Catalog contains information about the Ph.D. program and its requirements. It may be obtained from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, P.O. Box 400773, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4773. Students seeking admission to the program who have, or are completing, the School of Architecture’s Master of Architectural History degree or its equivalent should apply directly to the GSAS at that same address.