Students pursuing an M.A. in art history are expected to acquire a broad knowledge of art history as an academic and humanistic discipline, to become familiar with major periods and monuments of world art, and to gain proficiency in scholarship. The M.A. program in art history provides students with training in research methods appropriate to subsequent specialization at the Ph.D. level. Because the M.A. culminates in a substantial thesis in the candidate's chosen area of focus, evidence of competence in scholarly research and writing is prerequisite to graduation. Graduates with M.A. degrees generally continue for the Ph.D. degree or enter the professions of college teaching or museum work.

To earn an M.A. in the history of art, students must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate-level course work with a grade-point average of at least 3.50. Only one semester of academic probation is allowed. All M.A. candidates, including transfer students, must take at least 24 semester hours in residence at The University of Iowa.

M.A. candidates must earn a grade of B or better in semester-long courses (100-level) in five of the following nine distribution fields: African, Asian, ancient (3000 B.C.-300 A.D.), Medieval (300-1400 A.D.), Renaissance, Baroque, 18th- and 19th-century European, 18th- and 19th-century American, and 20th century. These courses must be taken after receipt of the B.A. degree. However, a student who earned a grade of B or higher in an undergraduate or intermediate level course in the same field during his or her undergraduate career may apply credit for a graduate seminar toward a distribution field requirement.