2013-2014 University Catalog 
  
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2013-2014 University Catalog

Art Education, MAT

Banner Code: AR-MAT-ARTE

Phone: 703-993-8562

Web: arteducation.gmu.edu

Graduate Program

The School of Art offers a Master of Arts in Teaching in Art Education for BFA students as well as a concentration for licensed art teachers.

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.

The concentration for licensed art teachers is designed for PreK-12 licensed art teachers who currently hold an undergraduate degree in art education and are interested in obtaining a graduate art education degree for further professional development.  Students take graduate art education courses, approved AVT 500 level graduate studio art courses, education courses, and a capstone project.

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 visual 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.

Students interested in pursuing the degree with the concentration for licensed art teachers must meet the above with the following exceptions: admission is contingent upon the completion of a BFA or BA in art or art education with a minimum 3.00 cumulative undergraduate GPA, maintaining a current PreK-12 license to teach art education with at least one or more years of art teaching experience and official passing scores on Praxis I (or SAT equivalent) and Praxis II.  (Exceptions to the Praxis scores will be determined on a case-by-case basis.)

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 (and Praxis II for those who apply to pursue the concentration for licensed art teachers)
  • TOEFL score, if required by Mason policies
  • Portfolio Requirement*:
    • MAT (for BFA students) portfolio must include 15 to 20 images that reflect artistic breadth and depth, including drawing skills of the applicant’s art.
    • MAT with concentration for licensed art teachers portfolio must include 10 images of the applicant’s personal art that reflect artistic breadth and depth, including drawing skills, along with 10 student art works displaying a variety of 2-D and 3-D media.  Student artwork is to be accompanied by a brief description of the lesson content.

*These works must be presented 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’ CD portfolios 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 are required for MAT (BFA student) applicants.

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 matriculates 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.

Academic Policies

Please see College of Visual and Performing Arts  academic policies.

Degree Requirements

Required Core Courses (9 credits)

MAT (for BFA students) Required Courses (21 credits)

Course work meets licensure and Master’s degree requirements.  The listing below follows the recommended sequencing for licensure.

Professional Teaching Portfolio

The comprehensive experience for the MAT (for BFA students) 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

Students for the MAT (for BFA 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 Response 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, judgment and criticism, aesthetics, and 3 hours of related areas of the fine arts.

Notes:

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

▲Licensed Art Teachers Concentration (LAT) Required Courses (21 credits)

Notes:

MAT for Licensed Art Teachers Concentration students must complete a Capstone Project. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, students will select a topic in a personal area of interest in art education pedagogy, carry out in-depth research, and prepare a capstone final project in the form of a written report and visual presentation.

Total: 30 credits

Notes:

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