Complaint Review: UMass Amherst

The History of Art Department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst introduced a new Master's exam format in 2009, which they do not explain to students. They do not accept theses, papers, or anything except the exam, because they are too lazy to grade papers. That discriminates against students who don't do well on written exams. They refused to give any kind of grading rubric, that is, they did not share information about what kind of exam it was, beyond 500 images to memorize with data.  The one sample problem passed out was criticized as wrong by another professor. If you work and go to school, this Department does not like you, period. The exam is set up so that if just 1 of 12 professors doesn't like it, the student fails, and is not given an opportunity to retake the exam, and gets no feedback whatsoever.

There is no appeal, and they fail over 70% of the students who take it, and these students had at least a 3.5 in their grades in Art History classes. Did I mention that the exam was given next to the field where the marching band was practicing? Can you imagine taking a critical final exam, where you had to memorize 500 art images with full detail, trying to write out answers with a brass band playing? This might as well be the Daffy Duck Art History Department, it's like a department run by Looney Tunes, this isn't even half of the games they play. The students who pass are those whose parents can afford to, and do, make large donations to the school, and who don't have to work, or take financial aid. If you are a student, and working, or on financial aid, they regard you about the way white people regarded black people in the old South. If you are going to spend the money on a History of Art degree, any other school is better, and will not play games like this.