Graduate Program Overview

The Master’s in Art History program at the O’Donnell Institute introduces students to a global history of art through close engagement with artworks held in collections in Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond.


EODIAH Research Center at The Dallas Museum of Art; photo by Carolyn Brown.

The Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at the University of Texas at Dallas is a center for innovative research and graduate education in the history of art. Our Master’s degree program immerses students in a global history of art across geography, chronology, and medium, and brings to life a range of methodological approaches.

Through rigorous coursework, paid museum and research assistantships, and funded research travel, students build a strong foundation in art history, historiography, and professional practice. Through both coursework and internships, students can tailor the focus of their degrees in areas such as art criticism, curation, provenance studies, cultural heritage practice, archaeology, and publishing.

Our Master’s students thrive in small seminars on a broad range of topics, and benefit from dedicated mentorship by stellar faculty and affiliated scholars. Final thesis projects draw on the O’Donnell Institute’s outstanding research resources as well as privileged access to artworks in area collections.

Students participate in O’Donnell Institute research initiatives and collaborations with our institutional partners, which include the Crow Museum of Asian Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, The Oplontis Project, and the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples, Italy.

At the O’Donnell Institute’s headquarters at UT Dallas and the Dallas Museum of Art, students have the rare opportunity to participate in the intellectual life of a center for advanced research. After two years of intensive study, research, and mentoring, Master’s students graduate from the program with excellent preparation for doctoral study, museum careers, or professions in the arts.

The O’Donnell Institute now invites applications for the Fall 2024 entering class of our Master’s Program in Art History. A limited number of scholarship opportunities are available to candidates who demonstrate exceptional academic merit and potential.

The application deadline is January 15, 2024.



To apply, please visit the Graduate Admissions Page.

Contact Heather Bowling, Graduate Program Advisor, at [email protected] for more information or to set up a meeting to discuss the program.

For current information about the university's COVID-19 policies, please visit the UT Dallas COVID-19 Policy Page.

Download our MA in Art History Program flyer.