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Individual thesis research in historical and cultural visualization, enroll consent.

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M.A. in Digital Art History/Computational Media

General info.

• Faculty working with students: 8 core faculty
• Students: 6 students per matriculating class
• Students receiving Financial Aid: None
• Part time study available: No
• Application terms: Fall
• Application deadlines: March 5

Dr. Mark Olson Director of Graduate Studies for Digital Art History and Computational Media Duke University Smith Warehouse, Bay 10, Room A262A Box 90766 Durham, NC 27708-0764

Email: [email protected]

Digital Art History:  https://aahvs.duke.edu/graduate/ma-dah

Computational Media:  https://aahvs.duke.edu/graduate/ma-cmac

Program Description

The Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies offers two types of degrees under the rubric of Digital Art History and Computational Media. The program builds on courses and well-developed strengths at Duke University, and requires ten (10) courses over three or four semesters in addition to summer research.  Students affiliate with an existing faculty research initiative, from which they will develop their own independent research project for the MA thesis, which combines written and digital project-based components.

The Digital Art History track  engages digital technologies in the research and presentation of art historical questions.  Common themes that can be explored are visualizing process, representing change over time, contextualizing displaced objects, and creating biographies of objects or databases/collections of materials. The ideal candidate for the Digital Art History track seeks to engage digital tools in historical questions about works of art, buildings and cities.  The MA provides a springboard for advanced study in art history, archaeology, architectural history, and visual or media studies.  It also prepares students for future work in fields such as museums education and exhibition design, cultural heritage and preservation, public history, city planning, and architectural design. For more information see  https://aahvs.duke.edu/graduate/ma-dah .

Funding may be available in the second and third semesters contingent on excellent work in the first semester of study.

The Computational Media track  emphasizes the study of visualization technologies in the context of media and technology histories, cultural analytics, and new media forms of expression.  Computational Media topics include the manufacture and dissemination of humanities data and its expression, the social and ethical considerations of digital cultural heritage interventions, and the aesthetic and rhetorical value of computational media forms.  The ideal candidate for the Computational Media track seeks deeper understanding of the intersection of quantitative and qualitative modes of historical and cultural research, is actively engaged with hands-on computational media production, and is interested in productive cross-overs between arts and sciences communities. This MA track prepares students for further graduate study in digital humanities and computational media and for training for jobs in media, design, advertising, and technical industries, among others.  For more information see  https://aahvs.duke.edu/graduate/ma-cmac .

The MA program encourages applicants from across the Humanities and Social Sciences whether from established disciplines, such as history, archaeology, and art history, or emerging fields of study, such as spatial history, media arts & sciences, technocultural studies, or cultural geography. See http://aahvs.duke.edu/graduate/MA-historical-cultural-visualization  for more information.

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Application Information

Application Terms Available:  Fall

Application Deadlines:  March 5

Graduate School Application Requirements See the Application Instructions page for important details about each Graduate School requirement.

• Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts required with application submission; official transcripts required upon admission
• Letters of Recommendation: 3 Required
• Statement of Purpose: Required
• Résumé: Required
• GRE Scores: GRE General (Optional)
• English Language Exam: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test required* for applicants whose first language is not English *test waiver may apply for some applicants
• GPA: Undergraduate GPA calculated on 4.0 scale required
• Writing Sample: Required (see departmental guidance below)

Writing Sample

Applicants must upload a writing sample electronically via the Departmental Requirements section on the online application.  The writing sample is intended to convey a sense of the applicant’s capacity for scholarly writing. Generally, applicants submit an academic paper that they may have written for an undergraduate course, or an excerpt from a longer work (e.g. an honors thesis), of approximately 10-20 pages.

Optional Components Applicants are encouraged to upload or link to a representative digital art history/computational media work sample or portfolio. Links to representative works can be placed as an addendum to the statement of purpose. 

We strongly encourage you to review additional department-specific application guidance from the program to which you are applying: Departmental Application Guidance

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• MA in Digital Art History/Computational Media

​ISS collaborates on and helps support two tracks of the MA in Digital Art History/Computational Media. The program builds on courses and well-developed strengths at Duke University, and requires ten (10) courses over three semesters in addition to summer research.  Students affiliate with an existing faculty research initiative, from which they will develop their own independent research project for the MA thesis, which combines written and digital project-based components.

The Digital Art History track  engages digital technologies in the research and presentation of art historical questions. Common themes that can be explored are visualizing process, representing change over time, contextualizing displaced objects, and creating biographies of objects or databases/collections of materials. The ideal candidate for the Digital Art History track seeks to engage digital tools in historical questions about works of art, buildings and cities. The MA provides a springboard for advanced study in art history, archaeology, architectural history, and visual or media studies.  It also prepares students for future work in fields such as museums education and exhibition design, cultural heritage and preservation, public history, city planning, and architectural design. 

Funding may be available in the second and third semesters contingent on excellent work in the first semester of study.

The Computational Media track  emphasizes the study of visualization technologies in the context of media and technology histories, cultural analytics, and new media forms of expression. Computational Media topics include the manufacture and dissemination of humanities data and its expression, the social and ethical considerations of digital cultural heritage interventions, and the aesthetic and rhetorical value of computational media forms. The ideal candidate for the Computational Media track seeks deeper understanding of the intersection of quantitative and qualitative modes of historical and cultural research, is actively engaged with hands-on computational media production, and is interested in productive cross-overs between arts and sciences communities. This MA track prepares students for further graduate study in digital humanities and computational media and for training for jobs in media, design, advertising, and technical industries, among others.  

The MA program encourages applicants from across the Humanities and Social Sciences whether from established disciplines, such as history, archaeology, and art history, or emerging fields of study, such as spatial history, media arts & sciences, technocultural studies, or cultural geography. 

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• Program Requirements

The Digital Art History/Computational Media MA Program in Art, Art History & Visual Studies (AAHVS) is three or four semesters plus a summer, and starts in the Fall term. Students begin the program by taking the theory/practice Proseminar, and at least one other designated media production or computational practice course, along with additional seminars and electives that fit their thesis project themes. Students must be enrolled in a minium of 9 graduate units (usually 3 courses) per semester, except in their final semesters on campus. Four courses/12 units are often a reasonable load.  The Graduate School has special permission forms for auditing courses , enrolling in a course below the 500 level , taking a course overload , etc. Check their website for the latest info on rules and regulations. 

Updated for Fall 2018: Students may also petition to take advanced undergraduate course credits of Level 200-499, typically from the Sciences or Social Sciences curriculum to acquire the necessary competencies in areas such as Computer Science and Statistics. As of Fall 2018, these undergraduate courses do not count towards the GPA or the course credits required for Graduation. Students must fill out a permission form and get approval of both the DGS and the Graduate School's Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. More info here .

Requirements: 10 Graduate Courses

• Digital Art History/Computational Media Proseminars 1 and 2
• One Practice-Based Course
• Two Graduate Seminars
• Two Lab Practicum Experiences (or additional Practice-focused courses at the grad level)
• One Additional Elective
• Two Thesis Credit Courses

Typical Program of Study

*Students who elect to take four semesters to complete the program should take at least 9 graduate credits (3 courses) in the Fall of the second year to remain in good academic standing. The final semester can then just be registered as Continuation.

**Grad Seminars may also include courses that are at the 700+ level and above w/o the S. Substitutions of topical 500-600 level courses are upon approval of the DGS.

MA Proseminar

The first semester MA Proseminar is a course required for both tracks of the the MA in Historical and Cultural Visualization. The course focuses on theories and practices of digital humanities and computational media studies as they relate to historical and cultural analysis and research. The course typically also includes interested graduate students from around campus as well.

Practice Course

Students in this MA track may take existing AAHVS and Information Science + Studies (ISS) courses in Digital Humanities Practice, Historical and Cultural Visualization, Interface Design, and/or Computational Media, along with subject-area and technical electives relevant to their research topics, to fulfill this requirement. In courses that have both an undergraduate and graduate number, take the graduate version if you want to receive credit.

Core Seminars

Core seminars are relevant seminars taught by faculty in AAHVS. Students are expected to participate in at least two graduate seminars with AAHVS faculty as part of their graduate experience. Often but not always these will be seminars taught by faculty Lab directors. See also Sample Courses and the current Art, Art History and Visual Studies course listings.

Subject Area Electives

Subject area electives will vary based on the the thesis interests of thesis interests of the students involved.  These may include a wide variety of topics inside and outside AAHVS. Often courses listed or cross-listed in Information Science + Studies will be relevant.  Students will selected these courses in consultation with their Faculty Advisor(s).

Lab Practicum Courses

The Lab Practicum experience is typically undertaken in a single Lab both semesters, though some students may benefit from contact with multiple labs. The Lab Director is either the thesis director or a core committee member, depending on the final research topic.

Students will also be expected to participate in relevant workshops offered by the various Labs and in the Libraries as recommended by their advisors, such as:

Summer Research

Students are expected to participate in independent summer research on their projects in pursuit of their degrees. In addition, summers can be an excellent time to develop technical skills further, as well as to participate in project-based internships and training on campus or in the community. Students may apply for summer research support with the Department.

The hybrid thesis is completed in the third semester (optionally continuing through a fourth), with research taking place over the summer preceding graduation. The thesis work will take place via two special independent studies with appropriate faculty members— one theory-oriented class where a written thesis will be developed; and one practice-based class where a digital humanities and or media art oriented project component will be developed with the Lab leader. While each student's project will differ in emphasis, with some more oriented towards historical and critical questions, and others oriented more towards exploration of computational media theories and practices, we do expect written and computational components from everyone's project. The thesis committee should also include one additional member selected from inside or outside our home department, Art, Art History & Visual Studies , on approval.

The program typically culminates in a Thesis Exhibition/Presentation at the end of the third or fourth semester. In special cases, students may petition to complete their degrees after a Fourth Semester, for which they will be required to pay continuation fees (but not full tuition). Students are expected to complete the program within two years.

For more information on Graduate School policies, check our their comprehensive  website .

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G-AHV-AM - Digital Art History/Computational Media - Master's

Degree designation.

Two specialties are offered: a track in digital art history and a track in computational media. Both are eighteen-month to two-year programs. The digital art history track integrates historical disciplines and the study of cultural artifacts with digital visualization techniques for the analysis and presentation of research. The computational media track focuses instead on new approaches to computational processes, and forms of interpreting quantitative and qualitative data. Both programs build on courses and well-developed strengths at Duke University and require ten (10) courses over three semesters in addition to summer research. Students affiliate with an existing faculty research initiative, from which they develop their own independent research project for the MA thesis.

The digital art history track prepares students for future work in fields such as graduate study in Art History and Archaeology, public history, city planning and architectural design, cultural heritage, museum exhibition design, and visualization-based journalism, and provides a springboard for more advanced study in art history, archaeology, architectural history, and visual or media studies. The ideal candidate seeks engagement with the digital humanities, digital art and architectural history, or digital archaeology; this student can conceptualize digital visualization as a part of the research process and for the publication or presentation of scholarship. Common themes that unite the various projects are the visualization of process, the representation of change over time, the recontextualization of displaced objects, and the biographies of objects. The digital art history track encourages applicants from across the Humanities and Social Sciences, whether from established disciplines, such as history, archaeology, and art history, or emerging fields of study, such as spatial history, media arts & sciences, and cultural geography.

The computational media track explores research and presentation strategies enabled by the information sciences, new approaches to computational processes, and new forms of interpreting quantitative and qualitative data. The goals of the program are for students to understand the critical affordances and potential of digital media, to develop competencies in data-driven and computational approaches to knowledge production, and to develop a hybrid theory-practice MA thesis that demonstrates their expertise in action around a particular subject. Students in this track affiliate with an interdisciplinary Lab focused on digital archeology, generative media arts, art history, law, and markets, digital humanities, physical computing, or information science and studies as a way to learn new technologies and situate their work within a specific research domain. The program’s skills-centered instruction, combined with the requirement for lab affiliation and collaborative research and the emphasis on theoretical analysis, will produce graduates who not only have hands-on know-how and technical skills but who have developed a sophisticated understanding of informational globalization and a rapidly changing world.

For more information, visit the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies graduate web page: aahvs.duke.edu/graduate/degree-programs .

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