MA in Visual Studies Admissions

• January 15th is the next application deadline.
• Applications received after February 20 and before April 15 will be considered for admission on a rolling basis if space permits.
• Admission to the MA program is in the fall semester only. Applicants who submit by the deadline receive notification of acceptance by the middle of March.

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a GPA (or equivalent) of 3.0 or above is required. Applicants should have a broad exposure to art history courses, (i.e., a minimum of two survey courses and 2 upper-level courses). GRE scores may be included but are not required.
• Up to 12 graduate level transfer credits may be accepted toward the M.A. degree by the department. This will be determined on an individual basis. Students wishing to transfer graduate credits should consult the Director of Graduate Studies after acceptance to the program.

GrAdMIT Online Application
All applications must complete the on-line application form which contains complete instructions. The online application will allow you to attach (upload) the following documents:

1. Resume
2. Statement of Intent
3. Writing Sample
4. 3 Letters of Recommendation
5. Transcripts from all undergraduate institutions

When you have finished your online application, you must “submit it for final review” and pay the application fee ($75) before the application will be available to our faculty for review.

• The STATEMENT OF INTENT describes your preparation (academic and related work/life experience) and motivation for graduate study in Visual Studies. Describe academic areas of focus that you are interested in pursuing, interdisciplinary interests, career objectives and any other information that may be helpful to admissions committee.
• The WRITING SAMPLE is most often a well-written paper from an undergraduate course. This is critical component of the application.
• A minimum of THREE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION are required, preferably from former professors or museum professionals attesting to your capacity for graduate-level research. When you submit your references’ email addresses they will receive an automatic electronic invitation to upload a letter. It is crucial that you provide a viable email address for each referee. You may wish to notify them in advance so that they can have their letter ready to upload. Please note that your recommenders will only receive this notification after you have submitted your application for final review.  As such, we recommend that you plan to finalize your application prior to the deadline.

In addition to the above, you must provide additional documentation to the department before the application deadline:

1. Complete Financial Form with Bank Documents per instructions on the International Graduate Admissions website
2. Officially verified TOEFL score from ETS
3. English translation of transcript
4. Proof of degree

Mail or deliver supplemental materials (transcripts) to:
MA Admissions Committee
UB Department of Art
202 Center for the Arts
Buffalo, NY, 14260-6010