Graduate Program in Renaissance Art

Since 1964 the Department of Fine Arts at Syracuse University has conducted a special Master of Arts program devoted to the study of Renaissance art in Florence. This is the only MA art history program accredited in the United States where most of the study—two of the three semesters—is conducted in Italy.

By focusing on Italian Renaissance art, the program allows students to explore one period in depth from a variety of perspectives. Courses promote careful analyses of stylistic and technical information, detailed consideration of original audiences and historical settings, and close readings of Renaissance documents and texts.

The Florence program offers highly motivated students a unique opportunity to carry out advanced research, including first-hand examination of art, architecture, and urban settings. Already at the master’s level, students make original contributions to the field: they collaborate in a research project and present the results of their study at the annual Symposium in Florence. This experience serves as a point of departure for employment in the art world or continued studies in a Ph.D. program.