Degree Programs

The first year of study in the Master of Arts Program includes an intensive orientation period held in August. In both fall and spring terms, students register for four courses (12 credits), including the two-semester Survey of the Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture. During the late spring, first-year students earn credits by beginning an internship, usually completed in the summer months. Students also take a methodology and research course in the spring term of their first year to help launch their thesis projects. Students complete the remaining credits of course work during the fall and spring semesters of their second year. In the fall semester of their second year, students continue their thesis research, and in the spring, they complete it. The thesis is supervised by a full-time member of the BGC faculty and is also read by a second person. Full-time students must complete their thesis in the second year. MA diplomas indicate a degree in the history of decorative arts, design and culture.

All MA degree candidates complete an internship that provides practical experience in an institutional or commercial setting. Students often fulfill this requirement during the summer between the first and second years of study. BGC students have been placed at more than two hundred cultural and commercial institutions, including the Brooklyn Museum; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Musée du Louvre; the Victoria and Albert Museum; Waddesdon Manor; the Museum of the City of New York; the New-York Historical Society; the Hispanic Society of America; Historic Hudson Valley; the New Jersey Historical Society; the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; the Lower East Side Tenement Museum; the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art; Merchant’s House Museum; the Museum of American Art; Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden; Wolfsonian–Florida International University; the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation; Metropolis Magazine; Christie’s; Sotheby’s; Formica Corporation of America; Coty, Inc.; Art in General; Philip Colleck, Ltd.; and Masterson Gurr Johns, Inc

Study trips are important features of the master’s degree program. They range from examining museological procedures at exemplary institutions or manufacturing processes in contemporary industries to visiting particular parks, exhibitions, or collections.

August Orientation Session

August Orientation Session is required of all incoming master’s degree students. It is designed to introduce new students to the field, research techniques, and the range of resources available within New York City. Intensive language courses are offered to prepare students to complete the BGC language requirement.

The Academic Programs Office offers three intensive noncredit courses, in French, Italian, and German, to prepare students for the language proficiency examination. Classes meet five days a week, twice a day, for the orientation period. This session does not carry credits.

All students are initially tested for language proficiency upon arrival. Those who require additional instruction will be tested again at the end of the orientation session. All entering BGC students must fulfill the language requirement by April of their first year. In late spring, accepted students receive information about orientation activities.

Bard Travel Program

A unique opportunity for all MA students is the Bard Travel Program. Students in good standing who have satisfied the language requirement are eligible to attend an intensive study trip under the direction of a BGC faculty member. The trip takes place during the spring break and is led by the professor then teaching the Survey of the Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture. The BGC covers airfare, lodging, entrance fees, and ground transportation. In past years, students have traveled to England, Scotland, Italy, Germany, France, China, Japan, Holland, Sweden, and Finland for a unique series of visits to museums, private homes, and collections. Students keep a log and make a presentation while abroad. Details of the Bard Travel Program, including the scheduled time of the trip, are subject to change. Please consult the Academic Programs Office for up-to-date details.

Part-time Study

The Bard Graduate Center accepts applications for part-time study in the MA and PhD programs. To accommodate part-time students, the BGC offers some evening courses. For further information about enrolling part-time at the BGC, contact the Academic Programs Office. Financial aid is generally not available to part-time students. It is not possible to complete the degree by taking only evening courses.

Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree

For students starting in the fall of 2009:
Students receive the master of arts degree in the history of the decorative arts, design, and culture after successfully completing the following requirements:

Please note:
• MA students may transfer a maximum of 12 credits from graduate courses at other institutions with approval of the Graduate Committee. Courses are not transferable until after a student has enrolled.
• Recipients of fellowships or scholarships must enroll for a minimum of 9 credits each semester in order to remain eligible for financial aid.