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The School of Visual Studies offers graduate degrees in Visual Studies that blend disciplinary training in the history of art, material culture, and media studies with a commitment to public humanities. Through a combination of coursework; outreach, research, and teaching opportunities; and interdisciplinary collaboration with scholars in other fields and professional programs, the MA and PhD prepare students for careers in a variety of educational institutions, cultural organizations, and the creative economy generally.

The MA program in Visual Studies blends disciplinary training in the history of art, material culture, and media studies with a commitment to public humanities. Our students combine coursework with outreach, research, and teaching opportunities in preparation for work in educational institutions, cultural organizations, and the broader creative economy. Disciplinary training includes a range of coursework in historical and theoretical studies in the SVS, and students are also encouraged to take courses in other graduate programs such as English, History, Women’s and Gender Studies, as appropriate to the students’ interests. Students may also elect to combine their Visual Studies degree with one of several graduate certificates, for example those offered in Digital Humanities, Public Engagement, or a minor in Museum Studies.

Area resources include our excellent Ellis Library, steps away from Swallow Hall, the comprehensive collections of the Museum of Art and Archaeology, the archival and museum resources at the Center for Missouri Studies, and a vibrant arts community on campus and in the broader community. The cost of living in Columbia is uniquely affordable given its diverse and progressive cultural advantages. Columbia is home to three colleges, a dynamic live-music scene, numerous cafes and bars, the annual True/False documentary film festival. World-class museums in Saint Louis and Kansas City are less than a two-hour drive from campus.