Graduates with Ph.D. degrees have gained breadth in the discipline of art history and expertise in a specialized area of research. They are expected to contribute to the field of art history through original research that responds to issues deemed critical to their field of concentration. Graduates with Ph.D. degrees generally anticipate careers in college or university teaching or in the museum profession.

To earn a Ph.D. in art history, students must complete a minimum of 72 semester hours of graduate-level course work with a grade-point average of at least 3.50; a maximum of 38 semester hours of work taken for the M.A. may be counted toward this requirement. Students are allowed only one semester of academic probation. The following course distribution beyond the M.A. is required.

To establish academic residency, candidates must be enrolled as full-time students at The University of Iowa for two semesters (at least 9 semester hours each) beyond the first 24 semester hours of graduate-level course work or three semesters (at least 6 semester hours each) with a one-quarter-time assistantship.

Ph.D. candidates major in one 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. Candidates also minor in two fields. The first minor must be in an art history distribution field other than the major. The second may be in any art history distribution field or relevant discipline outside the art history division.