Emory University

What you'll study

The curriculum combines practical studio training with coursework and research methods to prepare candidates for independent research and teaching. Typical elements include:

• Studio practice — intensive, independent work in one or more media (painting, sculpture, print, photography, installation, time-based media, or expanded practices), supported by faculty mentorship and critique.
• Art history and theory — seminars that situate practice within historical movements, contemporary theory, visual culture studies and critical discourse.
• Research methods — training in qualitative and theoretical methodologies, archival research, curatorial practice, and practice-as-research approaches appropriate to arts scholarship.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration — opportunities to work with scholars and practitioners in related fields such as film studies, performance, anthropology, digital humanities and curatorial studies.
• Professional development — preparation for academic and non-academic careers through teaching practica, exhibition planning, grant-writing and public engagement projects.

Entry requirements

Applicants are normally expected to hold a relevant master’s degree (for example an MFA or MA) or demonstrably equivalent professional experience combined with a strong academic record. Typical application materials include:

• A detailed statement of purpose outlining research questions, proposed studio project, and how the PhD would advance your practice and scholarship.
• A portfolio of recent creative work that shows technical ability, conceptual development and a coherent research trajectory.
• Academic transcripts from all post-secondary study.
• Letters of recommendation from academic supervisors or professional mentors who can speak to your capacity for sustained research and creative work.
• Where applicable, a writing sample or sample of previous scholarly work to demonstrate analytical and critical skills.

Admissions decisions also take account of fit with available supervisors and the department’s research strengths.

Career prospects

Graduates pursue a range of careers in academia, museums and cultural organisations, and the wider creative economy. Common pathways include:

• Academic appointments in studio art, art history or related fields, at colleges and universities.
• Curatorial and collection-management roles in museums and galleries, including exhibition development and programming.
• Leadership positions in arts organisations, cultural policy, public art and community arts initiatives.
• Independent practice as artists with strengthened research profiles, enabling residencies, major exhibitions and interdisciplinary collaborations.
• Roles in arts publishing, criticism, conservation research, and creative industry research and consultancy.

Why study at Emory University

Emory offers a research-intensive environment that supports interdisciplinary artistic inquiry, drawing on strengths across the humanities and arts. Students benefit from access to campus galleries, research centres and collections, and from proximity to Atlanta’s vibrant arts infrastructure, including museums, artist-run spaces and cultural institutions. The university’s emphasis on cross-departmental collaboration, combined with mentorship from faculty engaged in both practice and scholarship, creates conditions for doctoral candidates to develop rigorous, publicly engaged work.