Analysis of Subject Fields and Methodology in Master’s Theses in the Field of Art Research

The study of art research dissertations in Iran can provide a perspective of art research. The purpose of this research is to analyze the subject and methodology of art research dissertations. Data were collected through a descriptive-analytical method in a library and analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The samples studied include 1732 theses available in the master's degree course in art research from 1996 to the end of 2020. The findings indicate that most of the dissertations in art adopted a descriptive method and the most highly selected subjects were Iranian painting and motifs. Factors such as the subdisciplines of the department and supervisors, access to resources, student’s gender and undergraduate field of study were the most important factors influencing the choice of dissertation subject in art.