The graduate program offers financial assistance on a competitive basis; the major criteria for awarding fellowships and other financial aid are academic excellence and scholarly promise, but need is also taken into consideration.

Students aspiring to pursue their PhD at CWRU should expect the program to be highly selective, object-oriented in all phases of work, and accelerated in pace.  We enroll up to three new doctoral students each year,  offering a financial aid package of full tuition and a $25,000 a year stipend, for five years. Doctoral students work as teaching and research assistants in years one, two, and four, and as interns at the CMA in their third year of the fellowship.

Competitive fellowships are also offered for master’s degree students in Art History and Art History and Museum Studies. Our largest awards are named fellowships. Barbato Fellowships are given to 1-4 entering MA students a year; one Keithley Fellowship is also offered each year. These fellows received full tuition support and a $15,000 stipend, with the requirement to work as a teaching assistant or research assistant during the fellowship period. Up to one Cleveland Museum of Art Fellowship is offered each year.  The MA student holding this fellowship works in a curatorial department at the CMA rather than as a research or teaching assistant. In addition to the standard application to the graduate program, applicants for the Cleveland Museum of Art Fellowship should provide an additional essay outlining their interest in this museum fellowship and their qualifications for it. A committee of art history faculty and Cleveland Museum of Art professionals will choose the finalist among the applicants. Other fellowships of varying amounts are also offered by the department.