Doctor of Philosophy in Art History - South Asian Art

Both the MA and PhD programs emphasize the research, writing, and teaching necessary to pursue a career in academia, curatorial work, art consultation, heritage programs, cultural journalism, or secondary school teaching. The faculty supervise students in the fields of Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque, Asian, African, Architecture, and Modern and Contemporary Art.
Students in the graduate program may also benefit from the department's affiliations with the Centre for Medieval Studies, the Centre for Renaissance and Reformation Studies, the program in Book History and Print Culture, and the Mediterranean Archaeology Collaborative Specialization. Resources and affiliated faculty at the Royal Ontario Museum, the University Art Centre, the Gardiner Museum, and the Art Gallery of Ontario also provide access to Toronto's vibrant arts scene. The University hosts a number of specialist libraries for art historical research, including the Department of Art History's library with over 40,000 exhibition catalogues, the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, and Robarts Research Library, a resource unrivalled in Canada and among the leading university libraries in North America. The PhD program is designed to prepare students for college and university teaching, museum work, and other research positions.
The Department's graduate seminars foster exciting cross-regional discussions of what it means to do art history from and on non-Western spaces (particularly South Asia, East Asia, and Africa, but also Latin America), asking how this might challenge and modify the discipline's foundational presuppositions while still addressing the specificity of images. Students participate in wider critical conversations at the cutting-edge Centre for South Asian Studies as well as gaining trans-Asian perspectives at the Asian Institute. PhD candidates are able to draw on the specialist expertise not just of distinguished faculty members in the Department of Art, but also of an exceptional cohort of stellar South Asia scholars across the University of Toronto's three campuses, from disciplines such as History, Anthropology, Religion, and Geography. Our South Asian and African art faculty are experienced in the use of ethnographic methods in art history and are able to advise and prepare graduate students wishing to undertake field research.

Applicants should have an exceptionally strong academic record with a grade average of at least an A- average in recent senior art history and/or humanities courses. The Department also welcomes applications from outstanding candidates with a background other than art history (with at least five art history courses in their academic background). In addition to transcripts, a CV, and three letters of reference, applicants must include a statement of intent and a sample research paper.
The five-year PhD program is designed for students who have graduated with a MA in art history or a related humanities major.
Scanned and Uploaded Transcript(s)
Letters of Reference - Do not include more than three reference letters. Additional letters will not be considered by the Admissions Committee.
Writing Sample
Letter of Intent
CV

IELTS - Minimum required score 7.0 (Academic) with at least 6.5 for each component.
TOEFL IBT - Overall Score - 93, Writing and Speaking- 22, TOEFL Paper-based Test - Overall Score 580, TWE: 5