Program Requirements

The program requirements are based on the following principles:

1. Students study with a wide variety of professors.
2. Students have the opportunity to have regular elective choices of seminars throughout the College of Fine Arts and Ohio University.
3. Doctoral students in Interdisciplinary Arts are regularly in the classroom with other students who are engaged in  graduate study of the arts.
4. Students gain a strong scholarly expertise in one area and a secondary scholarly expertise in another area.
5. The program is imbued with the interdisciplinary study.
6. Students have the opportunity to study and engage in the practice of the arts in order to understand the crossover between theory/criticism/history and  practice.
7. The education is inquiry based, from the seminars to individual, independent research. Students learn how to conduct interdisciplinary research on a given project, with the goal of applying the techniques to further studies.
8. Scholarship is fostered at the graduate level. Students are expected to submit papers to scholarly conferences (with possible travel funding from the College of Fine Arts) and encouraged to submit articles for publication.
9. Students are encouraged to submit articles for publication.

Requirements for Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Arts

Curricular Requirements

Six seminars in primary area (any area from aesthetics/theory, Africa arts, film, music, performance studies, theater and visual arts), three of which must be taken in Interdisciplinary Arts and at least  two of which must be taken from outside Interdisciplinary Arts.

Three seminars in secondary area (any area from aesthetics/theory, African arts, film, music, performance studies, theater and visual arts), two of which must be taken in Interdisciplinary Arts and one which must be taken from outside Interdisciplinary Arts.

Three seminars in aesthetics/theory/criticism (IART 741, IART 742, and IART 743 or one theory/criticism seminar included in the primary or secondary area).

One Critical Theory seminar (IART 744).

One Transnational and Global Theories seminar (IART 747).

Four Interdisciplinary Arts Seminar.

The above seminars should include one from each of the historical periods, in addition to a course in an area of non-western art.

Two research/teaching skills courses (IART 700).

Language Requirement

Students are required to have reading knowledge of two foreign languages. This requirement may be fulfilled in one of the following ways:

1. Certification of completion of a language requirement for a bachelors or masters degree.
2. Examination administered by a relevant language department or program.
3. Test scores from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) that certify reading proficiency in a foreign language.

Please note: English, which is the language of instruction, cannot count as one of the foreign languages.

Students may take coursework during their residency at Ohio University to prepare for language examinations.

Examinations

1. The student should gain broad knowledge of the canons of two disciplines and will be tested through  diagnostic and qualifying examinations.
2. All students take a diagnostic examination within the first week of classes in their primary area. This diagnostic examination will be used for advising purposes, and subsequent coursework, independent studies, and/or qualifying examination may be required.
3. A student may enter with little knowledge of his/her secondary area. This knowledge can be gained through three quarters of sitting in on undergraduate or graduate survey courses offered by the given school. At the end of the first year, the student takes the qualifying exam in the second area. That student is therefore prepared for taking graduate-level seminars in this secondary area in the second year, as well as taking part in interdisciplinary arts seminars.

Diagnostic exam in primary area: First week of fall quarter.

Qualifying exam in secondary area: At any time prior to the end of spring quarter of first year.

Comprehensive Examination: The goal of the comprehensive examination is to test the student on what he/she has learned during their period of coursework. This should include history, criticism, theory, analytical vocabulary, knowledge of the discipline and bibliography. The student takes the comprehensive examination during fall quarter of the third year of study.

Dissertation

The dissertation subject should be inherently interdisciplinary. The given thesis should be proven through the combined methodologies, subjects and/or theories of two or more arts, or discipline(s) outside the arts. The dissertation may focus on one art discipline and integrate another discipline or disciplines in or outside of the arts. These guidelines should be viewed as inclusionary rather than exclusionary.

Residency Requirement

Minimum residency requirements are stated in the Ohio University Graduate Catalog. It should be noted, however, that a minimum of two years is necessary  for completion of all requirements.