M.A. – Art & Visual Culture Education
The Master of Arts in Art & Visual Culture Education is intended to meet the needs of students who wish advanced professional understanding within the field of Art Education. You may pursue an MA or, if interested in certification to teach in public schools and not currently certified, the MA plus certification. If you already hold an MA or MFA degree, you may want to be a part of our Doctoral Studies program.
Please speak with an Art & Visual Culture Education faculty member or the Graduate Program Coordinator for more information.
AREAS OF EMPHASIS
- Art & Visual Culture Studies
- Community & Museums
- Teaching Certification
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
30 credits are required to complete the Masters Degree (plus certification coursework, for those opting for the Teaching Certification track).
Please see the Graduate Advising page, and the Art & Visual Culture Education Graduate Handbook for specific program requirements.
Accelerated Master’s degree (UA uNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY)
The Accelerated Master of Arts in Art & Visual Culture Education allows current University of Arizona undergraduate students in the BFA in Art Education, BFA in Studio Art, BA in Studio Art or BA in Art History to use 12 units of graduate coursework towards both their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, giving students the possibility to receive both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in 5 year.
NON-DEGREE SEEKING GRADUATE STATUS
If you do not meet the admission deadlines for the semester in which you wish to enroll, you may apply to the Graduate College for admission as a non-degree seeking graduate student. You may apply a limited number of credits in the non-degree seeking status towards your MA or PhD degree.
Offers the most flexibility to build expertise in an area of interest. You will take core art and visual culture education courses and use electives to build expertise.
| Program Requirement | Description | Required Number of Units |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ARE 530 Research Methods in Art and Visual Culture Education ARE 630 Theoretical and Historical Foundations of Art and Visual Culture Education ARE 633 Issues and Recent Research in Art and Visual Culture Education Choose One: ARE 560 Curriculum Theory in Art and Visual Culture Education ARE 531 Pedagogical Practices in Art and Visual Culture Education | 12 units |
| ARE Electives | ARE 500 - ARE 699 | 6 units |
| Electives | Chosen in conjunction with the student's art and visual culture education advisor. Please note: Students planning to do survey or statistical research are expected to take MUS 551, Behavioral Research in the Arts, as part of their elective credits | 9 units |
| Thesis or Master's Report | ARE 910 or ARE 909 | 3 units |
Please see the Graduate Advising page, and the Studio Art Graduate Handbook for specific program requirements.
Students pursuing the Community emphasis of the AVCE program are given theoretical grounding in conjunction with practical experience. They learn about paradigms of practice such as Community-based Arts Education, Design Pedagogy, Civic Engagement and Social Practice.
Students interact with practitioners in the field through field trips and guest lecturers and get hands on experience through observations, internships, and real projects. Learning to design curriculum, facilitate arts programming, fundraising, and program management, our graduates can expect to get jobs as For-profit and Non-profit Arts and Education organizations; as Program Coordinators / Directors, Outreach Managers/ Coordinators, Teaching Artists; as Community Organizers and advocates in Education, Social Work or Activist organizations, as Gallery Managers, or freelance as Community Based Art Educators. Students choosing to focus on policy might also find employment in local or national Arts Councils and arts and culture branches of government.
The Museum emphasis graduates find employment in museum, galleries, or artist-run center settings. Positions may include museum education assistants/directors, museum education curators, school- museum partnership coordinators, community engagement specialists, arts administrators, visitor experience specialists, heritage interpreters, and gallery managers. Graduates also pursue jobs in local, national, or international museum education associations and governmental departments.
| Program Requirement | Description | Required Number of Units |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ARE 530 Research Methods in Art and Visual Culture Education ARE 630 Theoretical and Historical Foundations of Art and Visual Culture Education ARE 633 Issues and Recent Research in Art and Visual Culture Education Choose One: ARE 560 Curriculum Theory in Art and Visual Culture Education ARE 531 Pedagogical Practices in Art and Visual Culture Education | 12 units |
| Community/Museums Courses | ARE 520 Community, Culture, and Art Education ARE 525 Theory and Practice in Art Museum Education | 6 units |
| Internship | ARE 539 | 3-6 units |
| Electives | Chosen in conjunction with the student's art and visual culture education advisor. Please note: Students planning to do survey or statistical research are expected to take MUS 551, Behavioral Research in the Arts, as part of their elective credits. | 3-6 units |
| Thesis or Master's Report | ARE 910 or ARE 909 | 3 units |
Please see the Graduate Advising page, and the Studio Art Graduate Handbook for specific program requirements.
Provides coursework leading to certification to teach art at k-12 levels in the state of Arizona. The certification is transferable, with minor adaptations, in many other states in the US.
| Program Requirement | Description | Required Number of Units |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ARE 530 Research Methods in Art and Visual Culture Education ARE 630 Theoretical and Historical Foundations of Art and Visual Culture Education ARE 633 Issues and Recent Research in Art and Visual Culture Education Choose One: ARE 560 Curriculum Theory in Art and Visual Culture Education ARE 531 Pedagogical Practices in Art and Visual Culture Education | 12 units |
| Art Education Certification Course | ARE 538 Teaching Art and Visual Culture Education | 3 units |
| ARE Electives | Chosen from 520, 525, 534, 540, 569, 576, 596A, 631, 632 or other numbered courses at the 500 or 600 level, exclusive of 593, 594, 599, 693, 694, 699. | 9 units |
| Electives | Chosen in conjunction with the student's art and visual culture education advisor. Please note: Students planning to do survey or statistical research are expected to take MUS 551, Behavioral Research in the Arts, as part of their elective credits | 3 units |
| Thesis or Master's Report | ARE 910 or ARE 909 | 3 units |
TEACHER CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
| Program Requirement | Description | Required Number of Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ARE 300, Learning Environments in Art and Visual Culture Education EdP 310, Learning in Schools, or EdP 301, Child Development SERP 301b, Inclusive Education for Secondary Students with Diverse Abilities (SERP 301a may be substituted) LCEV 408 Methods of Teaching English to English Language Learners (taught on-line through UA South) ARE OR AVCE 493B Student Teaching in the Secondary School (12 credits) | 23 units |
| Non-Curricular Required Steps | • Participation in and passing the AVCE Portfolio Review two semesters before you student teach. • Meet the University of Arizona Teacher Preparation Programs Professional Standards. • US & Arizona Constitution Exams. This requirement can be met by taking: POL 210 at the UA, POS 210 or a combination of POS 201 and 231 at Pima Community College, POS 220 or a combination of POS 221 and 222 at the Northland Pioneer College or a combination of HIS510 and 511 at the University of Phoenix, or by taking a test. Please contact an AVCE faculty member for information about the test. • Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessment (AEPA) and NES (National Evaluation Series) Assessment of Professional Knowledge tests. Students take the AEPA Assessment Exam in Art and the NES Professional Knowledge: Secondary. Please visit the AEPA test site for details and exam dates. • Fingerprints are required for student teaching. All students must hold an identity verified fingerprint (IVP) clearance card in order to student teach in Arizona’s schools. This requirement should be met two semesters before student teaching. The best route to receiving a fingerprint card is to attend one of the College of Education’s fingerprinting sessions. • Pursuant to University of Arizona teaching preparation agreements across campus, persons pursuing certification to teach art are evaluated in their coursework in part according to national InTASC standards. A link to the standards can be found on the College of Education’s Forms link. Certification students will be asked to sign the UA TPP Professional Standards Contract, found as a link on this page. | NA |
Please see the Graduate Advising page, and the Studio Art Graduate Handbook for specific program requirements.