Art and Art Education, Bachelor’s/Master’s Combined Program

Program Coordinator: Dr. Christine Liao

The combined Art and Art Education Bachelor’s/Master’s program is a rigorously designed academic pathway that enables students to acquire both their B.A. in Studio Art, Art History, or Digital Art and M.A.T. in Art Education within a five-year framework* and prepares students to meet the licensure requirements and be eligible to obtain North Carolina K-12 Art teaching licensure. This program offers the opportunity for students to initiate their graduate coursework during their undergraduate years, seamlessly integrating undergraduate and graduate learning experiences. (*It might take longer if students do not obtain their B.A. on time or do not follow the suggested graduate course sequence. Students should consult the graduate program coordinator to plan for their graduate study.)

Program Feature:

Provide students with a pathway to an art-teaching career and be qualified to teach art in NC K-12 public schools and other avenues of art education.
Students can enroll in graduate-level courses while completing their undergraduate studies.
Students can double-count 500-level courses for up to 6 credit hours toward both degrees as approved by the program coordinator.
Art Education MAT is an online master’s program with in-person field experience and a semester-long full-time internship in NC public schools during their final semester.

Eligibility Criteria

Students currently enrolled in the B.A. in Studio Art, Art History, or Digital Art in junior or senior year
Completed a minimum of 9 hours of undergraduate courses at the 300-400 level in the degree major before start taking graduate courses.
Demonstrate a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher at the time of submission of application to the Graduate School.

Admission Requirements

Students who meet the eligibility criteria may initiate the application process for the program in their junior year or senior year to begin taking graduate-level courses the following semester. The earliest semester to begin taking graduate-level courses is the second semester of junior year and students must have completed a minimum of 9 hours of 300-400 level course in degree major.
Students should fill out the appropriate forms to obtain permission from the department chair and the graduate program coordinator to apply for up to 6 credit hours of graduate-level courses toward their master’s degree before taking graduate courses.
Departmental permission to apply to the bachelor’s/master’s combined program does not guarantee admission to the Graduate School. Admission to the Graduate School is contingent upon meeting eligibility requirements at the time of entering the graduate program. Acceptance will be provisional and contingent on meeting specified degree requirements, including completion of the bachelor’s degree.
Students must submit a standard application to the Graduate School by the posted deadline for the semester in which they intend to enroll. Students must enroll in the Graduate School in Summer I the year prior to graduation.
The Graduate School application requirements:
- An application for graduate admission
- Official transcripts of all college work (undergraduate and graduate)
- Three professional recommendations
- Two to three-page typed letter of interest which includes a description of the applicant’s professional goals, educational interests in pursuing graduate study, and philosophy of teaching.
- Art portfolio: include 8-10 visual artworks with 100-word artist statement. Portfolio should be in PDF format in one document or website format. If the work is a digital work, the length should not exceed 10 minutes each. Please provide a link for viewing the work online.

Program Course and Exit Requirements

The Art Education MAT program is an intensive online program designed to include Summer courses. Students must be able to take full-term Summer courses during the summer of the year before their intended completion of the master’s program.
The program includes field experience requirements in the AED 503 course. Students will be placed in three different levels of public schools (elementary, middle, and high school) in their chosen county. Students must fulfill the field experience hours and requirements in the three schools required by the course.
The AED 504, Art Education Student Teaching, course (full-time internship) is a full-time commitment during the last semester in the master’s program. Students will be placed in an NC public school of their chosen grade level and county. Students will be at the school from Monday to Friday during school hours during the last semester of their program.
The AED 503 course is typically offered in the Fall semester, and the AED 504 course is typically offered in the Spring semester. Students must complete all other required courses before they can start their internship.
Students must consult the program coordinator before taking any graduate courses.
Students might be able to double-count for up to 6 credit hours of graduate-level courses toward their undergraduate major requirements upon approval by the department chair.
The master’s program’s exit requirement is to complete an action research or arts-based research project and successfully pass the oral defense.

Art Education M.A.T. Program Courses

AED - 500 - Art Education Foundation and Curriculum
AED - 501 - Art Education Pedagogy and Assessment
AED - 502 - Media Arts, Media Literacy, and Technology in Art Education
AED - 503 - Art Education Issues, Research, and Practice
AED - 504 - Art Education Student Teaching
or EDN - 530 - Non-Licensure Student Internship (Program Approval Required)
AED - 505 - Seminar on Teaching, Learning, and Leadership
EDN - 500 - Human Development and Learning
EDN - 509 - Education in a Multicultural Context
EDN - 520 - Instructional Development

EDN 500, 509, and 520 can be substitued with other 500 level education or art courses approved by the program.