The information and program qualifications related to the Art History Master of Arts Program, under the Department of Art History of the Graduate School, are summarized below.
Information About The Program
The program of Art History has been founded and began its education in 1986–1987 at ITU Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences under the directorship of Prof. Dr. Semra Ögel and other professors from the department of History of Architecture at ITU Faculty of Architecture. The program was founded to train students with a broad perspective towards art history and was directed by Prof. Dr. Semra Ögel (1986–1999), Prof. Dr. Ayla Ödekan (1999–2008), Prof. Dr. Filiz Özer (2008–2010) and Prof. Dr. Zeynep Kuban (2010-). In addition to the courses, extra-curricular activities include a series of seminars and international conferences entitled “Sanatı Anlamak/Understanding Art”, “Sanat Tarihinde Gençler/Young Academics in Art History”, “Orient/ Occident”, Correlating Cultural and Ideological Positions: André Lhote, Paris and his Former International Students"; summer schools like the Summer Academy of Art History and Philosophy in Göcek and a student excursion to Berlin funded by the DAAD. The program has international exchange agreements with TU Berlin, LMU Munich, University of Trier, Leuphana University Lüneburg in Germany, Bordeaux Michel Montaigne University in France, and with Milano Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Italy. The graduates of the Art History program hold prestigious positions at private and public universities, art galleries, and museums or they work as writers and art critics.
Click here for the program's website.
Registration Requirements
Application Term : Previous Term / 2024-2025 Spring Semester
Application Requirements (For T.C Nationality) ALES Verbal must be minimum 70 (old system GRE Quantitative minimum 675, new system GRE minimum 153 ). Undergraduate GPA must be minimum 2.85/4 (73.16/100). - A letter of intent of at least 500 words, including a thesis proposal.
- Two letters of reference (to be uploaded to the system by the referee or brought to the interview in a sealed envelope with a wet signature).
- Turkish proficiency certificate (at least C1)
- Curriculum vitae (to be uploaded to the system).
- A letter of Intent from a faculty member from ITU stating that they could conduct the master´s thesis study together (to be brought to the interview).
Quota (For T.C Nationality): 4
Application Requirements (For International Students) ALES Verbal must be minimum 70 (old system GRE Quantitative minimum 675, new system GRE minimum 153 ). Undergraduate GPA must be minimum 2.85/4 (73.16/100). - A letter of intent of at least 500 words, including a thesis proposal.
- Two letters of reference (to be uploaded to the system by the referee or brought to the interview in a sealed envelope with a wet signature).
- Turkish proficiency certificate (at least C1)
- Curriculum vitae (to be uploaded to the system).
- A letter of Intent from a faculty member from ITU stating that they could conduct the master´s thesis study together (to be brought to the interview).
Quota (For International Students): 1
Application Page Graduate Education and Training Regulation Senate Principles
Application requirements, application dates, and quotas are updated in real-time from the Application System.
English Proficiency
Regulations and Guidelines
Academic Calendar
Course Plans
Course Schedules
Course Adjustment and Exemption Procedures
Program Educational Objectives
The objective of Art History Graduate Program is to establish a critical art history education in broad perspective with an interdisciplinary approach. The students not only learn about historical backgrounds, but they also grasp theoretical approaches.
The graduate program accepts candidates who hold an undergraduate or graduate degree in art history, as well as other disciplines such as archaeology, sociology, philosophy, psychology, history, literature, journalism and communication, industrial design, law, architecture, visual and performing arts and others that can be related with art history. The program includes topics related to Art Theory, history, sociology, philosophy, as well as approaches to the different methodologies in Art History. The education is based on critical thinking and active participation during the courses. As long as possible the program tries to include professors from other universities from Turkey and abroad, as well as art critics and independent scholars to enrich the curriculum. The program follows the interdisciplinary approach as an educational method and encourages students to develop an analytical and critical view in order to combine their undergraduate knowledge together with the language, concepts and methods of history of art into the production of a unique M.A. thesis.
Measurement and Evaluation
Evaluating Student Success
The student success is evaluated considering Articles 56, 57, 58, and 59 of the Istanbul Technical University Graduate Education and Training Regulation Senate Principles.
ARTICLE 56 - Before the enrollment for the courses begins, the faculty member who offers the course informs the Program Executive Committee about the types, number and contribution percentage to the final grade of the studies within the semester, as well as requirements for a right to take the semester final exam. These requirements shall be finalized by approval of the Program Executive Committee and approval of the chair of the department, who declares them to the student and informs the Graduate School.
ARTICLE 57 - A student may appeal the final grade of a course within one week following the announcement of the grades. Appeals must be submitted to the Graduate School in writing. The relevant faculty member shall re-evaluate the student's success status and submit the result to the Graduate School within one week. Appeals not submitted within the prescribed time frame shall not be considered by the Graduate School.
ARTICLE 58 - Courses in graduate programs shall be evaluated according to the following grading system.
| Grade Description |
Grade |
Scale |
| Excellent |
AA |
4.00 |
| Very good plus |
BA+ |
3.75 |
| Very good |
BA |
3.50 |
| Good plus |
BB+ |
3.25 |
| Good |
BB |
3.00 |
| Conditional Pass |
CB+ |
2.75 |
| Conditional Pass |
CB |
2.50 |
| Conditional Pass |
CC+ |
2.25 |
| Conditional Pass |
CC |
2.00 |
| Fail |
FF |
0.00 |
| Fail(No Exam) |
VF |
0.00 |
ARTICLE 59 - Students who wish to improve their cumulative grade point average may retake courses during the course-taking period. The most recent grade will be counted for the repeated courses.
Internship
There is no internship in this program.
Graduation Requirements
For graduation: 24 credits and a master’s thesis are required. The minimum GPA should be 3,00 for signing up to the MA thesis.
50% of all credits need to be obtained from compulsory courses, 12 credits from elective courses, 30% of all courses should be in English.
The Awarded Degree and Title
Degree : Master of Arts Title : -
Program Employment Opportunities
The graduates of our program work as specialists in art galleries and museums, as academics at private and public universities and also as writers and art critics.
Number of Graduates
Graduate Statistics
| Year | Number of Graduates |
| 2013 | 3 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2024 | 3 |
Program Outcomes
P.O.1 Being able to comprehend and interpret the interaction between art history and different disciplines and to create new information by using them
P.O.2 Being able to evaluate the theoretical and applied knowledge and skills acquired in the field of Art History with a critical approach, to develop and deepen the level of expertise and to solve problems related to the field by using research methods
P.O.3 Being able to independently carry out and lead a study that requires expertise related to Art History, to develop new strategic approaches for solving unpredicted and complex problems in related fields of knowledge and competence
P.O.4 Being able to systematically transmit the current developments in the field of Art History to other groups in and outside the field in a written, oral and visual way
P.O.5 Being able to communicate academically in a foreign language, and to use the appropriate information technologies related to Art History
P.O.6 Conducting studies in the field of Art History, taking social, scientific, cultural and ethical values into consideration; using related knowledge in interdisciplinary studies
P.O.7 Being able to prepare an independent and original study (master thesis) in the field of Art History and being able to present this study in national and international platforms
Program Coordinator
Head of the Department
Links