M.A. Program Options — Three Tracks

The M.A. program offers three tracks from which students may choose.

Track 1: Art Education

This general degree option is for art education practitioners, including certified art teachers, who want to enhance their knowledge of contemporary and past art forms and advance their skills in areas of teaching and learning in Art Education through advanced coursework. Students in this track may choose to complete coursework only or undertake a thesis or project as a capstone to their studies. 

Track 2: Art Museum Education

This concentration is designed to provide graduate students with a broad introduction to teaching and learning about contemporary and past art forms in present-day art museum education settings and knowledge of how research informs practice within the museum setting. Those applying for Track 2, Art Museum Education, also must apply for the Graduate Academic Certificate in Art Museum Education. This track includes internships at art museums as a capstone to their studies. Students in this track may also undertake a thesis or project as part of their culminating coursework. 

Track 3: Art Teacher Certification

This option prepares students to pursue teaching careers in EC -12 teaching environments. Students are prepared for all-level art teacher certification while acquiring a graduate degree in Art Education. Those applying for Track 3: Teacher Certification must have taken at least 24 semester credit hours of studio work and at least 12 hours of art history, of which six must be at the advanced level.

Each of the three tracks requires applicants to have completed a bachelor's degree in the visual arts or a related field.

Applicants without the recommended background for the option they intend to pursue could be denied admission or accepted on a conditional basis, provided undergraduate coursework in art and/or art education, as assigned at the time of acceptance, be completed before beginning any graduate-level work. 

How to Apply for the M.A. in Art Education

Applications for the M.A. in Art Education are considered for fall and spring starts. Priority application deadlines to be considered for scholarships, fellowships and assistantships are Feb. 15 for the fall semester and Sept. 15 for the spring semester.

Applying to a College of Visual Arts and Design program is a two-part process. An applicant must apply to both the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies and the CVAD Department of Art Education, as detailed in steps 1 and 2.

Step 1: Apply to the Toulouse Graduate School

Graduate College Requirements

The Toulouse Graduate College sets the guidelines for all graduate programs at the University of North Texas in Denton.  Each graduate program sets its guidelines for its programs in addition to TGS guidelines. It is the student’s responsibility to understand the graduate college, university, and program guidelines. 

All prospective M.A. students must meet the general eligibility requirements outlined by the Toulouse Graduate School at the University of North Texas. 
Please visit the Toulouse Graduate School graduate admissions web page for more information and start your application process. Please note that you must apply to UNT via the ApplyTexas portal. 

Traditional admissions requirements and timelines are on the TGS Traditional Admissions web page.

International admissions requirements and timelines are on the TGS International Admissions web page. International students must send proof of English language proficiency. For more information on fulfilling this requirement, visit the UNT Admissions English Language Requirements web page.

Master's Degree requirements are outlined in the UNT Catalog on the Master's Degree Requirements web page.

If you have any questions about the graduate school application, please call the Toulouse Graduate School by calling 940-565-2383 or emailing GraduateSchool@unt.edu.

Summary

• Submit an online application at ApplyTexas as soon as possible.
• Contact the registrar's office at each college and university you have attended and request that each send an official transcript of your records to the UNT Toulouse Graduate School. Transcripts are required from every college or university you have attended and must arrive by the application deadline.

Sending Your Transcripts

Step 2: Apply to the CVAD Department of Art Education

Department of Art Education Requirements

Department of Art Education Requirements

• Meet the Toulouse Graduate School entrance requirements and deadlines. You’ll need to complete an application with them through the TGS ApplyTexas Portal and submit documents such as official transcripts and, if needed, English language competency. 
• Have earned a B.A. or B.F.A degree from a recognized institution, with a minimum of 3.0 GPA in undergraduate-level studies.
• Apply to the Art Education program by sending the following materials, combined into one PDF document, to cvad.ArtEducation@unt.edu.
• Letter/statement of intent. A one-to-two-page statement of intent outlining your reasons for wishing to enroll in graduate school, and in particular, our M.A. program. This should detail the goals that you hope to achieve by obtaining the degree. It should also detail the track of the art education M.A. you want to pursue.
• Sample of writing. A recent research paper is best. If you do not have a research paper in art, you may submit a research paper from a course in another field, a piece of professional writing, or write a completely new paper. Faculty should be able to gauge your interests, writing skills, research skills, and/or potential for advanced work in the field through this sample. There are no minimum or maximum length requirements for this. 
• Professional resume. Should list all relevant work experience, affiliations, etc.
• At least two letters of recommendation. At least two letters should come from faculty members who can speak to your potential for success in a graduate art education program. These must be on letterhead and submitted directly to the department by the recommender. There is no specific recommendation form required.

Send all the required items as hard copies or via email with attachments to the CVAD Department of Art Education.

Department of Art Education
College of Visual Arts and Design
1155 Union Circle #305100
Denton, TX 76203

cvad.ArtEducation@unt.edu
940-369-7559

Please note that GRE scores are NOT required for admission to the UNT Art Education M.A. program. 

Department of Art Education Priority Application deadlines — to be considered for funding 

Fall admission: Feb. 15. Admission will depend on available space after this deadline. 
Spring admission: Sept. 15. Admission will depend on available space after this deadline. 

Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Schedule of Classes

Please see the UNT Registrar's web page for a comprehensive list of the Art Education schedule of courses. 

M.A. Art Education Marketable Skills

Students in the M.A. Art Education program will acquire the following marketable skills: 

1. Oral and written communication
2. Information analysis
3. Pedagogical EC-12 practices
4. Lesson plan/curriculum development
5. Teamwork 

M.A. in Art Education Program Handbook

The M.A. Program Handbook summarizes the CVAD Master of Arts Art Education Program. We intend that you use the procedures outlined here to plan and fulfill all requirements for the M.A. degree in Art Education.

In addition to the M.A. Art Education Program Manual, you are subject to the policies and procedures outlined in the UNT Graduate Catalog. Visit the UNT Catalog online, select the Graduate Catalog for the correct year, and carefully read the policies and procedures.

Note: The Art Education faculty are always willing to assist you with planning and realizing your coursework and degree requirements. However, the responsibility of meeting all CVAD and UNT Toulouse Graduate School requirements for the degree of M.A. in Art Education rests with you, the student.

For additional information, visit the Toulouse Graduate School website.