Art Education

Master’s and Doctoral Programs

Graduate opportunities

The graduate Art Education program at the University of North Texas produces nearly half of the state’s university-certified art educators and offers the state’s only doctoral degree in art education.

Our comprehensive curriculum examines global artistic production, relevant technologies, critical methods, learning theories and innovative approaches. This allows you to further your current knowledge of art education, learn new practices or prepare for a career in academia.

The Department of Art Education and Art History administers course work leading to a Master of Arts degree or a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Art Education. Each program provides flexibility to focus your studies on a particular interest area based on your career goals.

At the master’s level, degree tracks are available for:

• K-12 certified art teachers wanting to enhance their knowledge (Option I)
• students desiring careers as educators in an art museum (Option II)
• students wishing to obtain EC–12 teacher certification in art while acquiring a graduate degree in art education (Option III)

The doctoral Art Education program is individualized according to student interest and faculty expertise. In consultation with a faculty advisor and committee, Ph.D. candidates design original research projects that contribute to the theory and practice of art education in schools, museums and communities.

Our students also collaborate with the North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts (NTIEVA), one of six regional centers known for excellence in visual arts education.

The college

The College of Visual Arts and Design is one of the nation’s most comprehensive visual arts schools and is considered one of the best in the Southwest. We have state-of-the-art facilities that include:

• the Visual Resources Collection with 65,000 digital images and more than 1,000 films
• computer labs with new technology and cutting-edge hardware and software
• the Cora Stafford Gallery, providing 2,200 square feet of exhibition space
• 150,000 square feet of specialized classrooms, studios and galleries
• the UNT Art Gallery, which offers 2,500 square feet of exhibition space with a permanent collection of 182 works and a lending collection of 974 works

Other educational resources include the Print Research Institute of North Texas and the Texas Fashion Collection.

You may participate in a variety of cultural and career options available throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth region. We are in close proximity to the African American Museum, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Trammell and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Meadows Museum, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The region is also home to an array of school settings from large urban school districts to small town and rural districts.

An active visiting artists/scholars program exposes you to scholars from around the globe, and learning opportunities extend worldwide. In the past, art education and art history students have visited London and Paris to study art history.

Attending UNT

Admission requirements

You will need to meet the admission requirements for the Toulouse Graduate School as well as submit the following items to the College of Visual Arts and Design. For specific graduate school admission requirements and possible exceptions, visit the Toulouse Graduate School website.

Master’s program

• 500- to 750-word statement of intent outlining your reasons for enrolling in graduate school
• recent term paper or a professional writing sample
• two letters of recommendation from people familiar with your academic record
• professional résumé (optional)

If you do not have the recommended background in the field that you intend to study, you can be accepted on a conditional basis. You will need to complete undergraduate course work in art or art history before beginning any graduate-level work.

Doctoral program

• 500- to 1,000-word statement of intent outlining your reasons for enrolling in graduate school
• professional writing sample
• three letters of recommendation from people familiar with your academic record
• professional résumé
• 15 to 20 slides of recent artwork, ten of which should be in your major area of study, or second professional writing sample
• graduate applicant questionnaire (optional)

Degree requirements

Master of Arts degree

Specific degree requirements vary depending on your degree option. The requirements range from 30 to 36 credit hours.

Doctor of Philosophy degree

• 12 credit hours of doctoral core art education courses
• 12 credit hours in a minor or specialization
• 15 credit hours in research methodology and theoretical framework
• 9 credit hours in electives
• 12 credit hours of dissertation

Graduate academic certificates

Art Museum Education or Arts Leadership

The graduate academic certificate in art museum education provides theoretical grounding and practical experience in the field. Utilizing the rich museum resources of the Dallas-Fort Worth region, you explore and interact with a vibrant and forward-thinking landscape of museum education.

Consisting of 18 credit hours, including a 6-credit hour internship, certification in art museum education provides professional training for a career in art museum education and expertise in the use of art museums as educational resources for school educators. In addition the region’s rich museum resources for study and practice in the field, you will benefit from UNT’s experienced faculty, course offerings and educator-training opportunities.

The graduate academic certificate in arts leadership provides graduate students in the visual arts and music with special preparation in arts leadership. The certificate in arts leadership offers opportunities to:

• become a credible professional
• become thoroughly grounded in the issues facing the arts and arts education
• understand the broad spectrum of constituents with whom arts leaders must interact
• develop specific leadership skills

The certification consists of 18 credit hours, including a 6-credit hour internship.

Financial assistance

We offer teaching assistantships and fellowships, area assistantships, and scholarships to help you pursue your degree. Levels of appointment and positions vary from semester to semester. Students awarded half-time appointments receive state-paid health insurance for themselves, a reduced rate on insurance for spouses and children, and out-of-state tuition waivers.

More information about scholarships, assistantships and fellowships awarded by the college is at College of Visual Arts and Design website using the student services tab.