The Master of Arts in Art Education is a bold summer intensive graduate degree designed to advance the professional careers of artists and educators who are committed to democratizing access to high-quality arts education in various settings that include schools, museums, and galleries, as well as community and cultural organizations.
Leveraging the expertise in creative thought and action at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), the Master of Arts in Art Education prepares today's teachers and future educators to address ongoing educational challenges.
The program is designed to be completed in four semesters, encompassing two intensive 4-week on-campus summer sessions that are complemented by online courses. Seeking to accommodate the schedule of teaching professionals, this summer intensive format enables deep engagement with studies during the months when educators are typically not teaching.
The curriculum and related experiences promote student engagement with three core aspects of the program:
- MAKING is foundational in art education research and practice. It's a process that involves conceptualizing ideas, creating meaningful art, designing learning experiences, and establishing transformative relationships. Students will have many opportunities to practice making in this program, from creating visual reflections of their own learning experiences, and investigating contemporary and traditional approaches to art-making in studio courses, to connecting artistic and research practices through arts-based research (ABR). These experiences are intended to model current, rich, and in-depth ways to learn about and through the arts.
- CONNECTING refers to creating knowledge and establishing strategic partnerships. One of the goals of the program is to enhance students' understanding of the possibilities of art education today by expanding knowledge about art opportunities and resources in our community. Students will be encouraged to create new links among ideas, concepts, and art experiences, as well as between organizations and individuals. This process can energize professional practice and have the impact of transforming future art educator careers.
- LEADING is the intended outcome of completing this program. The transformational learning, mentorship, and professional community students will experience in this program seek to prepare discerning, strategic, and visionary art educators who will shape future art learning. Leading with creativity and imagination, our graduates are uniquely prepared to harness the power of art to address current issues and promote change.
The 30 credit hour MA degree capitalizes on synergistic relationships among teaching, arts-based research (ABR), and partnerships with community, school, and industry collaborators. A customizable curriculum allows students to tailor their studies to pursue specific interests such as museum studies, creative pedagogy, international arts education, arts writing, and more. Connecting art and education theory with experiential learning, the program prepares individuals to be effective teachers, lifelong learners, flexible thinkers, and creative problem-solvers.
Notable features of the Master of Arts in Art Education program include:
- Dedicated making and learning space for graduate student cohort DAAP Annex;
- Innovative course schedule and summer intensive format conducive to teachers and other professionals' work commitments.
- Graduate students are part of a cohort and mentored by distinguished art education faculty;
- Advantageous location within the College of DAAP, situated within Research I University with world-class faculty and state of the art facilities;
- Experiential learning emphasis includes connections with our regions' rich arts organizations and UC's powerful cooperative education platform.
Ohio Licensure Option
The Master of Arts in Art Education degree may be integrated with the 42 credit-hour Ohio Visual Arts Licensure Program. Some graduate-level licensure courses may be applied toward the requirements for the MA in Art Education degree.