Bard Graduate Center is the home for advanced study of the cultural history of the material world. We offer the MA and PhD degrees in Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture. For over 25 years, our object-based approach to learning has been training future curators, researchers, and educators to ask new questions about our shared history. Founded in 1993 as a program dedicated to the history of design and decorative arts, BGC has expanded to include the crucial perspectives of anthropologists, archaeologists, cultural historians, and conservators to become the leading institute for interdisciplinary inquiry into material culture.
Students in our MA and PhD programs come from all over the world and from a range of academic backgrounds including art history, anthropology, history, literature, and religious studies. Alumni of our programs can be found curating, researching, and teaching at institutions around the world including the Met, the Denver Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the National Trust.
Located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, our New York City location gives our students access to some of the world’s richest collections. Affiliations with institutions and their curators, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of Arts and Design, play an integral role in our curriculum. Our own Gallery is the home of ambitious international exhibitions and provides a physical space for the integration of curatorial work into the classroom.
MA and PhD applications for fall 2024 will be due January 5, 2024.
MA and PhD applications for fall 2024 will be due January 5, 2024.
Application requirements
- Application fee of $70.
- A personal statement of approximately 750 words explaining why you are choosing the decorative arts, design history, and material culture as a field of graduate study. The statement should be specific, especially as to career goals.
- Three letters of recommendation from instructors or professional colleagues.
- A sample of written scholarly work (e.g., a college research paper, published article, or extended catalogue entry). This writing sample should be a research paper, academic in form and tone, that exemplifies your best scholarly work. Please include illustrations if relevant. Students who do not have a term paper to submit should consult the Academic Programs Office about the kind of work that is appropriate.
- An up-to-date resume/CV.
- Official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended.
- International applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English and should take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Other evidence of English proficiency will be accepted only with the approval of the Graduate Committee. Our TOEFL number is 5034. We must have these results by the application deadline date.
- Please note: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are no longer required. If you have taken the exam, you can submit scores to report code number 2020. Only official copies will be accepted. Any GRE submitted for admission consideration should not be more than three years old.
Materials sent via hard copy should be sent to:
MA or PhD Admissions
Bard Graduate Center
38 West 86th Street
New York, NY 10024
All application materials submitted become the property of Bard Graduate
Center. An application is considered incomplete and will not be acted upon
until all materials listed above have been received.
Tuition for 2023-24 is $1,530 per credit. For scholarship information, please see scholarships and fellowships below. A student enrolled full-time in the MA program normally takes 26 credits in the first year and 22 credits in the second year for a total of 48 credits. The number of credits for part-time students varies according to their schedules; however, it is expected part-time students will enroll for a minimum of 6 credits each term. Tuition and fees for a full-time MA program student entering in the fall of 2023 would be:
Year 1: 2023–24
April 15, 2023
- New students’ nonrefundable tuition deposit $515
June 15, 2023
- Fall term tuition (14 credits) $21,420
- Health insurance fee $3,362
- Registration/library fee $340
Dec. 1, 2023
- Spring term tuition (12 credits) $18,360
- Registration/library fee $340
Year 2: 2024–25
July 1, 2024
- Fall term tuition (12 credits) $18,360
- Health insurance fee $3,362
- Registration/library fee $340
Dec. 1, 2024
- Spring term tuition (10 credits) $15,300
- Registration/library fee $340
April 2025
- Graduation fee $120
All numbers are based on 2023–24 rates and are subject to change in subsequent years. The deposit is credited in the fall term. Health insurance fees are accurate at time of printing and subject to change. Students who withdraw from the program before the first day of classes in the fall or spring term will receive a full refund, less all nonrefundable charges. If the date of official withdrawal from the program occurs after the first day of classes, tuition is refunded as follows. For the fall and spring terms, if the withdrawal occurs within the first week of regular classes, 80 percent of the tuition will be refunded; within the second week, 50 percent of the tuition will be refunded; after the second week of term, there is no refund. Tuition deposit, registration and library fee, and health insurance enrollment fee are nonrefundable.
Year 1: 2023–24 (coursework and exams)
April 15, 2023
- New students’ nonrefundable tuition deposit $515
June 15, 2023
- Fall term tuition (12 credits) $18,360
- Health insurance fee $3,362
- Registration/library fee $340
December 1, 2023
- Spring term tuition (12 credits) $18,360
- Registration/library fee $340
Year 2: 2024–25 (coursework and exams)
June 15, 2024
- Fall term tuition (12 credits) $18,360
- Health insurance fee $3,362
- Registration/library fee $340
December 1, 2024
- Spring term tuition (9 credits) $13,770
- Registration/library fee $340
Year 3: 2025–26 (propose dissertation)
June 15, 2025
- Fall term tuition (6 credits) $4,500
- Registration/library fee (2 semesters) $680
Year 4: 2026–27
June 15, 2026
- Registration/library fee (2 semesters) $680
Year 5: 2027–28
June 15, 2027
- Registration/library fee (2 semesters) $680
April 1, 2028
- Graduation fee $120
All numbers are based on 2023-24 rates and are subject to change in subsequent years. The deposit is credited in
the fall term. Health insurance fees are accurate at time of printing and
subject to change. Students who withdraw from the program before the first day
of classes in the fall or spring term will receive a full refund, less all
nonrefundable charges. If the date of official withdrawal from the program
occurs after the first day of classes, tuition is refunded as follows. For the
fall and spring terms, if the withdrawal occurs within the first week of
regular classes, 80 percent of the tuition will be refunded; within the second
week, 50 percent of the tuition will be refunded; after the second week of
term, there is no refund. Tuition deposit, registration and library fee, and
health insurance enrollment fee are nonrefundable.
NB–Bard Graduate Center accepts a maximum of 24 credits from other MA work.
Doctoral students who complete their MA at Bard Graduate Center have all 48
credits transferred and follow a different path.
Bard Graduate Center is able to offer generous funding at both the MA and PhD levels. We are committed to assisting students whose personal resources would not otherwise allow them to continue their education at the graduate level. Institutional aid is available in the form of scholarships, fellowships, and campus employment.
For the MA program, nearly all of an incoming class will receive some financial support. Scholarship offers range from 20% to 100% tuition remission. There are also a limited number of fellowships (research, curatorial, editorial, public humanities, digital humanities, collections) offered at the time of admission. Aid is available for full-time students for two years only. Financial aid packages are automatically renewed at the end of the first year after a review.
The PhD program has a separate funding structure, and applicants are encouraged to inquire with the admissions office ([email protected]) for current levels of funding.
There is no special application for institutional aid, but *all* students who wish to be considered must complete a FASFA by January 15, 2024. Bard Graduate Center’s FAFSA number is 002671. International applicants who wish to be considered for aid should complete the International Student Application for Aid and the Certification of Finances by January 15 (see International Applicants).
Sources of financial support may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Lee B. Anderson Memorial Foundation Fellowship
Supporting outstanding student[s] with an interest in 18th- and 19th-Century American or European Decorative Arts.
Windgate Fellowship in Craft
Supporting MA student[s] with an interest in the history of American craft.
Sybil Brenner Bernstein Endowed Scholarship
Supporting MA student[s] who demonstrates exceptional talent and love of the decorative arts.
Quarter Century Scholarship
Supporting outstanding young scholars whose work and perspectives will broaden the fields of decorative arts, design history, and material culture.
Student apartments are furnished
and, depending on size and design, contain a daybed/sofa, small dining table
and chairs, desk, bookcase, twin or full-size bed, and chest of drawers.
Residents must be enrolled for a minimum of nine credits each semester in order
to remain eligible for housing. The monthly costs of the units are:
Studio Unit: $1,632 / month
One-bedroom Unit: $1,960 / month
Two-bedroom Unit: $1,364 / month (per student)
Costs are accurate as of press time and are subject to
change.
Bard Graduate Center is an international community and we welcome applicants from around the world. The additional application requirements for those from outside of the United States are:
- International applicants who are coming from programs in which the language of instruction was not English must demonstrate proficiency in English by submitting the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. Our TOEFL number is 5034. These scores should be submitted by January 5, 2024. Generally, the minimum score accepted is 100.
- International applicants to the MA program will be considered for financial aid. Applicants should complete the Bard International Student Financial Aid Application by the program application deadline. This should be emailed to [email protected]. Applicants in need of a visa must demonstrate that income from all sources is sufficient to cover expenses during the period of residency in the United States. To this end, international applicants must complete a Certification of Finances. Evidence of financial responsibility must be demonstrated by one of the following: affidavit from a bank, certification by parents or sponsors of their ability to provide the necessary funds, or certification by employers of anticipated income. Detailed information will be sent upon acceptance into the program.
In the spring we host Tuesday Tours, a student-led tour of our academic building and the student apartments at Bard Hall. Dates will be announced later in the fall on the Meet the BGC page.
Can’t make it to an open house or Tuesday Tour? Contact us at [email protected] to schedule a visit and building tour. We’re happy to arrange it!
What degrees does BGC
offer?
We offer both the MA and PhD in Decorative Arts, Design
History, Material Culture. Students are able to explore the cultural history of
the material world in a wide range of courses and methodological approaches.
The MA program is a two-year terminal degree consisting of coursework, an
internship, and a qualifying paper. The PhD program is four to five years and
includes coursework, three field exams, and a dissertation.
Is it possible to do
a program part-time?
Yes, and this may be done at both the MA and PhD levels.
However, part-time students may not be eligible for financial aid, and will
receive reduced support at the doctoral level.
I saw your classes
listed online. Is it possible to sit in on one?
No. All students must be enrolled in either the MA or PhD
program in order to register for classes at BGC. Students in select graduate
programs around New York that are part of our consortium may also take classes.
Is there a foreign
language requirement?
Not for admission into the program, but all MA students must
pass a timed translation exam in either French, German, Italian, or Spanish (or another language by petition) before they begin their second year. Doctoral students must show proficiency in
two languages, typically French, German, Italian, or Spanish, but other
languages may be substituted depending on research areas. Doctoral students
must fulfill this requirement by the time they have finished their coursework
and exams.
Are GRE scores required?
No. For those applying for the fall of 2021 and beyond, GRE scores are no longer required. We will still consider scores less than three years old if an applicant wishes to submit them as part of their application.
Are there required
courses for the MA and/or PhD program?
Yes. All MA students take the year-long course “Objects in Context: A Survey of the Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture,” its companion seminar “Writing Objects,” and the one-semester “Approaches to the Object.” MA students also satisfy a chronological and geo-cultural distribution requirement. Additional requirements include completing a professional internship and satisfying a digital project requirement.
Doctoral students may be required to take “Objects in Context” and “Approaches to the Object”, depending on their background. They do not have distribution, internship, or digital project requirements.
Are you required to
have an MA to be considered for admission to the PhD program?
No. You may be accepted into our doctoral program without an
MA. You would be required to complete the two-year BGC MA degree with its
attendant requirements en route to the doctoral degree.
Applicants should only complete one application. If you want to be considered for the MA program in the event that you are not accepted into the doctoral program, you can indicate that as part of the PhD application.
How does the Admissions Committee determine acceptance and when can I expect to hear
After a careful first-round review in January, a select number of applicants are invited to an interview with the Admissions Committee. After the interview process is complete (usually early February), there is an admissions meeting (usually mid-February) and final decisions are made based on the applications and the interviews.
If I am accepted and
haven’t yet visited Bard Graduate Center, will there be an opportunity for me
to meet students and faculty before I make my decision?
Yes, we hold an accepted students day for all students
accepted into the MA and PhD programs in March. And if you cannot make an open
house in the fall, you may schedule a visit anytime by emailing
[email protected].
Aside from the
financial aid available, are there other on-campus opportunities to earn money
while I am student?
Yes, most students work campus jobs during their
time here. From working in the Library, the Gallery, the Digital Media Lab,
Public Programs and Education, and Development office, there are a wide range of opportunities. Students may also
work as Faculty Assistants, and work staffing public events.
Further questions
about your application?
Contact Keith Condon, Director of Admissions and Academic Affairs, at 212.501.3056 or [email protected].
