Fine Arts Doctoral Program

Texas Tech University’s Fine Arts Doctoral Program in Art, Critical Studies and Artistic Practice, examines diverse discourses in the visual arts, exploring their trans-disciplinary margins as well as their disciplinary strengths. It considers the political, economic, and aesthetic matrices in which the arts are embedded. It provides knowledge, intellectual strategies, and critical skills that facilitate scholarly achievement at the highest level, innovative contributions to knowledge, and a variety of professional activities in the arts.

Our students undertake research topics that require coursework and independent study in a variety of disciplines. Recent examples include a student who maps out educational, sociological, artistic, and administrative issues involved in creating a women’s art forum and workshop on a Native American reservation. This student’s background incorporates a BFA in Studio Art and Master’s in Education; doctoral coursework comprises Art Education and Critical Studies as well as courses in Native American arts, history, language, and anthropology. Another student, with a BA in Art History and a Master’s in Philosophy, explores the historical and current disconnections between the disciplines of art history and philosophical aesthetics, bringing to the fore the questions, subjects, and methods distinctive to each discipline. A third student, who holds the BFA and MFA in Studio Art, employs sociological research and architectural theory in a critical examination of a large contemporary outdoor sculptural installation. For other recent projects, see “Graduates ” at College of Visual & Performing Arts website.

Required for admission: Master’s Degree in Art Education, Art History, Studio Art, or appropriately related field. Applicants should demonstrate high academic performance and intellectual promise. Applicants who have not taken at least 15 hours of art history at the college level, and performed well, may be required to meet that minimum as “leveling” courses which will not count toward the 60-hour minimum in the doctoral degree plan.

Minimum total hours: 60 hours (beyond a 30-hour Master’s) plus tool subject and any required leveling. Transfer credit for relevant graduate hours beyond a 30-hour Master’s will be considered.

Ph.D. Co-Coordinators: Kevin Chua, Ph.D. and Carolyn Erler, Ph.D.