Master's Programs
The Division of the Arts & Humanities offers Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees that combine rigorous academic study with creative exploration that moves nimbly across disciplines. Rooted in interdisciplinary inquiry and close mentorship, our Master’s programs challenge students to engage complex problems in culture, history, creativity, and human experience. Students have the flexibility to pursue interests across fields while developing advanced research, writing, interpretative, artistic, and technical skills.
Doctoral Programs
For more than a century, the University of Chicago has been a leader in graduate education, training generations of scholars whose work has transformed their disciplines and public understanding alike. The doctoral programs in the Division of the Arts & Humanities advance a tradition of academic excellence through rigor, cross-disciplinary study, and sustained mentorship. Students work with distinguished faculty and creative practitioners, engaging a vibrant community of inquiry.
Faculty, Lecturer, and Instructional Professor Awards
Each year the Division awards two teaching prizes at the annual June Convocation. Department chairs are notified of the competition for each in the winter and spring quarter, but additional details are below.
Arts Research & Teaching
UChicago Arts promotes research and teaching as central to a transformative academic experience that blends creative practice with rigorous inquiry. Drawing on the University’s rich tradition of cross-disciplinary innovation and its vibrant South Side setting and legacy, we foster an environment where faculty and students explore the arts through scholarly investigation and hands-on creation. Our integrative arts philosophy connects theory and practice, encouraging artists, scholars, and students to challenge conventions and contribute new perspectives to campus and beyond.
Exploring Chicago and the University
The city is famous for its modern architecture and open green spaces, remarkable for a city of such scale, and boasts a flourishing arts community renowned for theater and music.
Creative Citizenship
Creative citizenship promotes the idea that everyone who participates in our programs—students, faculty, and community members—gains a deeper understanding of the essential role creativity plays in individual and collective life. This understanding could enable participants to apply these capacities in their professional and community roles. As makers, audiences, or advocates for the arts, participants also recognize that arts and cultural organizations are fundamental to civic vitality.
Dean's Office Staff
The Dean’s Office steers the Division’s strategic vision, ensuring the continued vitality and centrality of humanistic scholarship and the arts at UChicago.
The Graduate Council
The Graduate Council is the representative student government for graduate students and focuses on building community across graduate divisions, helping students get the funding they need to further their academic and professional pursuits, and working with administrators to improve graduate student life. Additional information about the Graduate Council can be found here.
Academic Year Representatives 2026-2027
TBD
Arts & Humanities Division Graduate Student Council
This advisory council serves as a voice for Arts & Humanities students to provide input and suggestions regarding policies and procedures within the Division directly to the Dean of the Division, Debbie Nelson and is responsible for the allocation of the Student Services Fee for student/academic programming within departments. Meetings are held once per quarter and representatives are selected by an application process and/or the individual departments.
Student Leadership Opportunities
The Division of the Arts & Humanities at UChicago offers graduate students the opportunity to develop leadership skills, which can be critical for personal and professional development, through a myriad of activities and programming. While many departments have ways for students to get involved within their specific department, there are two main opportunities for students to become connected from a divisional standpoint.