PhD Program

The PhD in arts of the Americas emphasizes the cross-cultural circulation of visual culture in the Americas from ancient to contemporary times. Our program encourages students to think across subfields (e.g., Pre-Columbian Art, Colonial Latin American Art, Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art, Native North American Art, Modern and Contemporary American Art, etc.) and to situate American visual culture in the fluid circuits of cross-cultural exchange, as well as global intellectual and trade networks. This interdisciplinary approach brings art history into dialogue with anthropology, history, ethnic studies, women and gender studies, religious studies, and other disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Our accelerated PhD program is ideal for students who already have an MA in art history or an equivalent degree, including professionals in the art field seeking an opportunity to advance in their career by earning a PhD.

CU Boulder is uniquely situated as a center for studies in the arts of the Americas due to resources on campus, as well as those in the Boulder–Denver region. On-campus, the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies (CNAIS), the Latin American Studies Center (LASC), and the Center of the American West provide resources, support and a network of scholars and students who are dedicated to interdisciplinary and cultural studies of the Americas. The CU Art Museum and CU Museum of Natural History have rich material resources of the highest caliber to support the new degree program. In addition, a number of academic units on CU Boulder's campus currently provide relevant courses for students in our proposed PhD program, including anthropology, film studies, French and Italian, history, music, sociology, Spanish and Portuguese, ethnic studies, and the program in museum studies. Locally, the Denver Art Museum is a leading, internationally recognized research institution and a major resource for the study and exhibition of the arts of the Americas. Other important regional resources include the Clyfford Still Museum, the Denver Public Library, History Colorado, the Kirkland Museum and the Museo de las Americas.

Overview of PhD Requirements