Art Education, MAT

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Banner Code: AR-MAT-ARTE

Phone: 703-993-8562

Web: arteducation.gmu.edu

Graduate Program

The master of arts in teaching in art education is a preservice degree program that prepares students with a BFA degree or equivalent for preK-12 art licensure by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Using a studio-based approach to art education and working closely with area public school systems, the MAT degree consists of 30 credits of graduate art education, school practicum experience, studio work, and preservice teaching internship and seminar.

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the general university admission requirements for graduate study, admission to this program is contingent on completion of a BFA in art or approved equivalent. Also, candidates must have a minimum 3.00 cumulative undergraduate GPA. Eligibility for the MAT in Art Education Program may demand additional course work to establish proficiency in visual arts. Students lacking a strong background in the visual arts or pedagogy will be required to satisfy prerequisite courses prior to the required graduate courses.

Applications will be accepted for fall and spring semesters. The deadline for receipt of application materials is October 1 and March 1. Each applicant must provide the following materials:

Completed application form
Certified copies of all undergraduate transcripts and any graduate transcripts
Statement of intent and professional goals for entering the field
Three letters of reference from faculty members or individuals who have firsthand knowledge of the applicant’s academic or professional capabilities
Official score on Praxis I or SAT equivalent
TOEFL score, if required by Mason policies
Portfolio of 15 to 20 images that reflect artistic breadth and depth, including drawing skills of the applicant’s art. The work should be in Power Point format on a Mac-compatible CD. All portfolios must include a written image sheet with the corresponding number, title, date, medium, and size of each work. Incomplete portfolios will not be considered. Applicants’ portfolio items are considered part of the application for admission and, thus, cannot be returned. Please do not send original materials.

The portfolio and all other application materials should be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Qualified applicants will be invited to an on-campus interview, portfolio review of original art works, and in-person writing sample.

Diversity among students is another consideration for acceptance into the program. Applicants with degrees in areas other than art are welcome, although they may be required to complete undergraduate core, studio, and art history courses.

MAT matriculants who earned a BFA at an institution other than Mason may be required to take additional undergraduate credits as post baccalaureate core requirements before acceptance into the program. Without equivalent courses, they will be required to take two BFA foundational courses in art education and education: AVT 493 and 494.

In addition, applicants who did not take equivalent undergraduate courses must also take AVT 180 Computers in the Creative Arts, plus any additional studio or art history course work to meet Virginia licensure requirements.

Professional Teaching Portfolio and Qualifications Review

The comprehensive experience for the MAT includes the following: (1) a group exhibition, “The Art of Teaching Art Showcase,” in which MAT candidates display and formally present works of PreK–12 student art completed during the internship, along with exemplars of the MAT candidate’s own artwork, and (2) a culminating review of the intern’s competencies as reflected in a professional teaching portfolio, accomplished during the internship seminar course that accompanies student teaching. All process folios, lesson plans, explanations of projects, visual images, and other relevant materials must be made available for the project committee to review. Artworks and all materials should be exhibited in a manner that reveals the student’s aesthetic accomplishments. This exhibition and review will assess the MAT candidate’s final professional teaching portfolio that may be used at interviews for employment. These requirements will be accomplished during the internship seminar course that accompanies student teaching. A committee of MAT faculty will determine whether the student has mastered the field of study. Students who are unable to successfully complete the full student teaching internship in art education and seminar for student teachers will be terminated from the MAT in Art Education Program.

Teacher Endorsement: Art

Students must complete ALL endorsements, including Praxis I, PLUS art education foundational courses AVT 493 Teaching Visual Thinking Through Media PK-12 and AVT 494 Teaching Critical Respond to Art, PK-12, totaling 6 credit hours. (NOTE: these courses may be taken concurrently with other MAT courses.) Students must have a studio major in the Visual Arts and meet Virginia Department of Education’s required semester credit hours in the following specific areas: 12 hours of two-dimensional media, 12 hours of three-dimensional media, 9 hours of cultural context and art history, judgement and criticism, aesthetics, and 3 hours of related areas of the fine arts.

Course work meets licensure and master’s degree requirements.

Recommended Sequence for Licensure:

AVT 595 Intro to Art Teaching and Learning Credits: 3
EDUC 539 Human Development and Learning Credits: 3
EDRD 501 Literacy and Curriculum Integration, K-12 Credits: 3
AVT 691 Elementary Art Education Credits: 3
AVT 692 Secondary Art Education Credits: 3
AVT 695 Internship (Student Teaching) Credits: 5
AVT 696 Student Teaching Internship Seminar Credits: 1

Art Education

The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) offers educational programs through its Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning (ASTL) program for art teachers with current licensure in art education. See the CEHD chapter of this catalog for information on the concentration in ASTL: Art Education (E1-CRIN/AART) and the Graduate Certificate in ASTLE: Art Education (E1-CERG-AART).

Academic Policies

Please see College of Visual and Performing Arts academic policies.

Degree Requirements

AVT 595 - Introduction to Art Teaching and Learning Credits: 3
EDUC 539 - Human Development and Learning PK-12 Credits: 3
EDRD 501 - Literacy and Curriculum Integration, PK-12 Credits: 3
AVT 605 - Issues and Research in Art Education Credits: 3
AVT 667 - Two-Dimensional Art Making: Form, Theme, and Context Credits: 3
AVT 668 - Three-Dimensional Art Making across Cultures Credits: 3
AVT 691 - Elementary Art Education Credits: 3
AVT 692 - Secondary Art Education Credits: 3
Prior to Internship, must pass: Praxis II, VCLA, technology & child abuse standards
AVT 695 - Internship in Art Education (Student Teaching) Credits: 5
AVT 696 - Internship for Student Teachers Credits: 1

Total: 30-31 credits

Notes:

MAT students will receive ongoing evaluation reviews by the MAT faculty to determine whether they have achieved satisfactory progress toward their degree.

All MAT students must pass Praxis II and Virginia Communication and Language Assessment (VCLA) to receive placement for student teaching in the final semester.