Master of Art Education at East Carolina University

Study Art Education at East Carolina University, a Master degree offered at its main campus in Greenville , United States of America. This Full Time program is delivered on campus in English and takes approximately 2 years to complete. Students benefit from a structured learning experience designed to build both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The next intake is scheduled for August 21, 2026.

About Master of Art Education

Are you called to share your love of art with others? Are you interested in enhancing the skills and tools that will guide children into a lifelong appreciation of the visual arts?

For working educators that hold licensure, the MAEd in art education is an entirely online program created to provide you with maximum flexibility. That said, we'd still like to meet you as you earn your degree. You're welcome to mix online course work with campus classes if you live near enough to do so.

Develop your leadership and mentoring skills, increase your knowledge of art, apply research to real-world experiences to improve classroom practice through action, enhance your skills in data collection and data use for diagnosis, planning, decision-making and evaluation, and build on your current teaching strengths.

Department Website
College Website
How Do I Apply
Apply Now

Program Coordinator: Cynthia Bickley-Green (1318 Jenkins Fine Arts Center; 252-328-1293; [email protected])

The Art Education, MAEd is the professional degree in art education. Applicants for the degree must possess at least the initial teaching license. Graduate certification requires demonstrated competence and recommendations from the certifying institution. The total time limit for completing the requirements for this degree is six years. Students interested in applying for admission to this degree program must submit a portfolio of slides of their work to indicate their competence in art.

The degree requires a minimum of 33-36 s.h. as follows:

1. Required education courses - 15 s.h.

EDUC 6001 - Introduction to Differences in Human Learning in Schools
SPED 6002 - Addressing Differences in Human Learning in Schools
ART 6800 - History and Philosophy of Art Education
ART 6801 - Supervision of Art Education
ART 6898 - Research in Art Education

2. Electives - 12 s.h.

a. Art electives - 9 s.h.

b. Art history elective - 3 s.h.

3. Final product requirement - 6-9 s.h.

(Select one of the following options.)

a. Thesis option - 6 s.h.

The student may choose to do a thesis for 6 s.h. of credit. The thesis must be conventional research dealing with a significant problem in the field of art education.

ART 7000 - Thesis

b. Non-thesis option - 9 s.h.

The student may choose to take, in place of the thesis an additional 6 s.h. of art courses and 3 s.h. of electives and complete an art project with a faculty member. The final product of these courses is a cumulative project that demonstrates professional competence.

For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Master of Art Education at East Carolina University

Entry Requirements

In order to be considered for admission, international graduate applicants follow the same steps as a U.S. applicant with a few exceptions as identified in Red font. Step by step instructions are identified below:

Complete the ECU Online Graduate School Application: One application fee and one set of supporting documents should be submitted for each program of study applying to.
Pay the Application Fee: Payment will be made through the self-service portal prior to submission of the application. The payment portal accepts debit or credit card only.
Provide Foreign Transcript Evaluation:

An official course by course credential evaluation of all foreign transcripts indicating that, at minimum, the US equivalent of a bachelor’s degree has been awarded by an accredited college or university is required.

Provide Official Transcript(s) & Diploma Copy: A copy of your transcript(s) and diplomas showing a full education history issued in your native language as well as a notarized or certified copy in English must be uploaded to your application.
Provide Evidence of English Proficiency: If English is not your native language and you have not completed at least one year of education (minimum of 18 credit hours) at a United States school, you are required to take a standardized English language exam or complete the ECU Language Academy (ECULA).
- Language Exam Options: The Graduate School accepts either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Duolingo English Test or Pearson Test of English (PTE) and scores must be forwarded to the Graduate School by the testing service. The paper- or computer-based TOEFL exam is accepted by request only.
ECU Language Academy: You may choose to attend the ECU Language Academy instead of taking the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE. Also, if you do not obtain the required score on the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE, at least one session of the ECU Language Academy may be required prior to the start of your program. Successful completion of all levels of the ECU Language Academy is required for admission without TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores. More information on the ECU Language Academy, including the ECULA application, is available on the Intensive English Program website. Individual programs may have higher minimum requirements.
Provide Official Standardized Admissions Test Results: If required by the program you’re applying to, please arrange for an official score report to be sent directly to the Graduate School by the testing service (GRE or GMAT). ECU’s institutional code is 5180. ECU does not have departmental codes.
Upload Statement of Purpose: If required by the program you’re applying to, please upload a copy of your personal statement (why you believe you would be a good candidate for the program) to your application. You may want to use resources to help you write a personal statement in English such as this webinar.
Provide Letters of recommendation: If required by the program you’re applying to, please arrange to have LOR’s submitted electronically with the online application. Review your program’s application requirements to determine the number of letters, if any, that they require.
Upload Resume: If required by the program you’re applying to, please upload a copy of your most recent resume to your online application.
Provide Financial information: If/when you are admitted to a graduate program at ECU you will be required to provide certified evidence of financial resources adequate to cover educational costs and living expenses. Documents only need submitted if/when an offer of admission is extended.

English Requirements

PTEMin 65
IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 78

Career Opportunities after Completing Master of Art Education

Graduates with this degree are successful in many fields and careers, including the following:

Art Teacher Education
Education Teachers, Postsecondary
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Vocational Ed
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Vocational Ed

Career Opportunities

ECU has developed resources to help you learn more about career opportunities and job market outlook. In addition, the websites below provide specific information on careers in the various majors from which students may choose:

NC Tower

This website provides graphs and tables of in-depth information on employment rates, wages and ongoing higher education enrollment of graduates from the North Carolina Community College System and from the University of North Carolina system schools. NC Tower includes data on former UNC students who are working in roughly 90% of all jobs in North Carolina. This database excludes information for graduates who are:

Self-employed;
Work for the federal government, including the military: or
Work outside of North Carolina.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook

This website also provides in-depth information regarding pay, projected new jobs, required education, growth rate and on-the-job training information on various occupations.

Degree-specific internships

For information on internship information for specific majors, go to the home page of the department in which the major is located and, as available, find the link to the information on internships in that major.

Fee Information

Application Fee 75

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in a graduate program at East Carolina University!

Contact information for each program, along with their application deadlines, can be found on the Find Your Program feature.

Ready to apply now? Great!

If you have already created an account and/or are applying to multiple programs, please use the same account. After selecting the program of choice, simply login with your credentials.
Use a personal email account (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, AOL) when setting up your ECU application account. Please refrain from creating an account using any ECU associated emails because doing so may prevent you from receiving important email communication from us.

Master of Art Education at East Carolina University

East Carolina University

United States of America, Greenville