Boston University's online Master of Arts in art education provides all the resources of a world-class university with a curriculum designed specifically for the artist-teacher. Typical courses include History of Art Education, Teaching Art to Special Populations, Child Growth and Development and Art Curriculum Planning. Students can complete the program entirely online, except for an on-campus, nine-day intensive in-studio summer session that is highly recommended, yet optional. Students who do not opt for the on-campus studio session may fulfill the degree requirements by transferring credits from another studio program or participating in one of two study-abroad programs. The two-year program culminates with a master's research project designed to tie classroom theory with best practices.
Adelphi University in Long Island, New York, offers a two-year Master of Arts in art education for applicants with an undergraduate degree or equivalent in visual arts seeking certification in visual arts education. The curriculum includes fundamental courses in art education, as well as philosophies and theories of learning and development in the visual arts. Students spend their first semester getting grounded in arts education in courses such as The Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Art Education and Child Literacies: Literature, Culture and the Arts. The next two semesters require extensive fieldwork in areas that include Classroom Management, Artistic Development Across the Lifespan and Instruction and Assessment in the Visual Arts. Students spend their final semester student teaching.
The Arizona State University Herberger Institute School of Art offers a Master of Arts in art education. This research-oriented degree offers a broad-based curriculum in studio art, art history and art education. According to the school's website, the degree "focuses on contemporary issues about the understanding of art in a cultural context (art history, criticism, aesthetics), the construction of meaning through the production of art and issues that might arise within or outside a traditional school setting." The program is offered in both teaching certification and non-certification tracks. Certified graduates can teach art in K-12 schools, while non-certified graduates may go on to work in museums, art or community centers or in a number of government agencies. Graduates also may choose to continue their education with postgraduate research.
Ranked #1 on U.S. News & World Report's list of best graduate fine arts schools, the Rhode Island School of Design offers two graduate degrees for artists who want to teach: the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.), a one-year program that prepares graduates for K-12 certification in teaching art; and the Master of Arts (M.A.) in art + design, a two-year, practice-based program comprised of one year of study at the school followed by a year of distance e-learning thesis research. The M.A. offers three tracks: Community Arts for graduates interested in working urban, out-of-school settings; Museum Education for students seeking careers as museum educators; and Professional Development for art and design educators.
Third on U.S. News & World Report's ranking of best fine arts schools, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago offers a 36-credit-hour Master of Arts in art education for teachers, museum educators, artists and other arts professionals. Taking full advantage of the school's location in the heart of Chicago's cultural center, the program requires students to participate in fieldwork or an internship with one of the city's many cultural institutions or community-based organizations. Students have worked at institutions that include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Field Museum of Natural History and the Chicago Park District.
The University of Florida's online Master of Arts in art education is a two-year, 36-credit-hour program that offers students broad flexibility to tailor the program to their particular areas of interest. The curriculum is enhanced by three studio courses: two on-campus, intensive summer sessions and one online digital studio course. Students can choose from a rotating selection of studio sessions, including sketchbook, printmaking, digital photography, digital video, design and painting. Students pursuing certification to teach in the state of Florida complete three additional courses and an internship in the program's EPI (Educator Preparation Institute) track.
U.S. News & World Report ranked the Maryland Institute College of Art fourth of 220 graduate programs in visual arts. This B.F.A./M.A.T. (Bachelor of Fine Arts/Master of Arts in Teaching) pre-professional program prepares students to become artist-teachers approved for certification in grades pre-K-12. Two internships and student teaching provide real-world classroom experience. Students who enter the program as freshmen or sophomore undergraduates can complete the program with one year of graduate school. Those who begin the M.A.T. after completing their B.F.A. usually require two years of graduate studies to complete the program.