The Crossroads Cohort is unique as it is the only graduate degree program in the US that is specifically designed to support students engaging with the African diaspora through visual and material studies, whether as art historians or artists.

The program’s cohort format also sets Crossroads apart from other MA programs, where a student specializing in African and African diasporic artwork could be the only one doing so in their cohort of graduate students. In contrast, students in the Crossroads Cohort are able to collaborate with, and lean on their cohort mates as they make their way through classes together.

Moreover, all students admitted to the Crossroads Cohort will receive a full tuition waiver, a graduate student living stipend, paid summer internship opportunities relevant to the field, funding for the capstone project and access to additional research funds.

The Crossroads Cohort was designed for students who are committed to studying and creating artwork that engages critically with the visual and material culture of Africa and its diasporas. The program seeks to provide students with a foundation in Black studies, looking closely at artwork and philosophy by African Americans alongside global experiences of Blackness rooted in the legacies of slavery, so students may confidently and compassionately realize self-driven projects.

Be specific! Tell us why a scholarly foundation in both disciplines is important for you, and what kind of research questions and topics you would like to pursue at Tulane. Your writing sample/portfolio should also be relevant to your intended path of study.

The regular MA in art history allows students to study a wide range of fields, including Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and 19th century Europe, Ancient America, Colonial Latin America, Modern and Contemporary art and arts of East Asia. Students in the regular MA program are still able to take courses and specialize in African and African diasporic art history, though they will not be formally members of the Crossroads Cohort.

The Crossroads Cohort, however, is for students who plan to center African and African diasporic art and artists in their scholarly or artistic work. Students in the Crossroads Cohort would only be able to take a limited amount of outside art history courses, given the rigor of the existing curriculum.

If you want to be considered for the regular Art History MA or Studio Art MFA you need to indicate that on your application.

Our graduate students have gone on to a range of careers following their time at Tulane. Of our MA graduates since 2018, roughly 40% work in arts institutions, e.g., art museums, art nonprofits, galleries, auction houses; 20% go on to enter PhD programs in art history (recent graduates have gone on to PhD programs at Tulane, Princeton, Yale, UCLA, Delaware, UC Berkeley, University of Southern California, Columbia, University of Texas at Austin, and Emory) ; 5% enter grad programs in related subjects such as archaeology/technical art history; 15% work in nonprofits or educational organizations that are not specifically arts focused but may have some arts coverage, e.g., K12, academic publishing, libraries; 10% go into corporations or fields unrelated to the arts, such as healthcare. Recent Tulane art history alumni work at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Gladstone gallery, University of Texas Press, Birmingham Museum of Art, New Orleans Museum of Art and in many arts and cultural organizations and non-profits in New Orleans and across the United States.

The Crossroads Cohort in particular aims to create and sustain a professional network of scholars and artists working in Africana studies and art. These local and national connections will support students and alumni as they navigate the field.

All admitted Crossroads Cohort students will receive full tuition remission and a $20,000 annual living stipend. Additionally, students will receive $2,000 annually to support their independent research or studio projects and will receive $5,000 for a summer internship at a local Black arts and heritage organization, alongside annual sponsored trips to conferences and exhibitions.

In order to apply as an international student (from a country in which English is not the primary/official language) to the Tulane University School of Liberal Arts Graduate School, you must submit a TOEFL or IELTS score to prove advanced language proficiency. Applicants with an expired TOEFL/IELTS score may submit the expired score in the test score section of the application and upload a copy of the expired score report in the personal statement section of the application. The TOEFL/IELTS requirement will be waived ONLY for applicants who have earned a GRADUATE degree from a university where courses were primarily taught in English. Please contact us via email at crossroadscohort@tulane.edu if you have any concerns regarding this requirement.

The Crossroads Cohort is a cohort within a cohort, meaning that Crossroads students are also a part of the respective studio art, art history, and Africana studies communities, taking courses and engaging in activities with fellow graduate students from across the School of Liberal Arts. Graduate-level seminars usually enroll 12-15 students maximum.

As the one academic unit on campus that centers on Blackness and the critical study of race, the Africana Studies Program’s work amplifies the significance of Black history, the beauty of Black creativity, the power of Black resistance, and a commitment to Black freedom. ASP also fosters the critical conversations about systemic and structural racism necessary for cultivating an anti-racist campus community. Through programming like the Black Studies Book Club, ASP strives to create spaces for Black and Brown students to engage with peers and mentors in the field as they navigate life at Tulane and beyond.

No, the GRE is not an application requirement for the Crossroads Cohort.