Main Office
Art Building, Room 217
Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #305100
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-4777
E-mail: aeah@unt.edu
Web site: www.art.unt.edu
Graduate Faculty: Abel, Bain, Baxter, Broome, Davis, Donahue-Wallace, Kalin, Owen, Shabout, Way.
Generally speaking, the discipline of art education concerns itself with the theory and practice of teaching art to others. At the undergraduate level, a degree in art education prepares one for a career as an elementary, middle and/or high school art teacher and for careers in community art programs and other educational facilities. A master’s degree in art education allows students to further their knowledge of art education practice and research and to focus on a specific type of art education (such as art museum education). Students pursue a doctorate in art education to research and develop new theories of art teaching and learning and to prepare themselves to be researchers and professors at colleges and universities.
Art historians research and publish to enhance understanding of art and its place within society. Studying the art and architecture of diverse world cultures and periods, art historians examine the historical, social and cultural significance of art works for their creators and users. As an interdisciplinary, liberal arts major, a degree in art history prepares students for varied careers in the art world and beyond. Holding an advanced degree allows students to pursue careers in museums, galleries and university teaching.
The Department of Art Education and Art History is staffed by 12 full-time faculty who pursue a broad array of research questions using diverse methods of data collection and analysis. Faculty work closely with students on research projects and publications, providing valuable experience for developing scholars. Additionally, there is an active visiting artists/scholars program that exposes students to scholars from around the globe.
In art education, faculty research focuses on art museum education, art teacher preparation and placement, and arts leadership. Recent projects include studies of the legal issues affecting art teachers, pre-service teacher mentoring, the use of technology in the art classroom, training leaders in the arts, and art museum educators and social justice. The graduate art education program works closely with the North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts (NTIEVA), one of the six regional centers for excellence in visual arts education. The Priddy Fellowship program in arts leadership, funded by the Robert and Ruby Priddy Charitable Trust, is housed at NTIEVA.
The research agendas of the art history faculty span the globe and address a broad chronology. Faculty research examines Jain cave temples in India, Spanish and French Romanesque architecture, 18th-century French fashion plates, British art in the late 20th century, modern art in the Arab world, art history pedagogy, and printmaking in colonial Mexico. Several art history faculty members participate in the women’s studies, studies in sexualities, and international studies programs. Teaching students how to become active researchers is a crucial component within the art history program and students are encouraged to work independently and to collaborate with faculty.
Applicants must meet requirements for admission to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. Applicants to the MA programs in art history and art education must submit a recent term paper or a sample of professional writing. Applicants to the PhD program in art education must submit at least two samples of academic or professional writing, or one sample of academic or professional writing and a slide portfolio of approximately 20 appropriately labeled slides of recent artwork. All applicants should submit a statement of objectives, a minimum of two letters of recommendation (three letters of recommendation for the PhD program) and Graduate Record Examination scores.
Prospective applicants for graduate degree programs must obtain admission forms from the UNT graduate dean and information from the College of Visual Arts and Design at www.art.unt.edu. Admission deadlines are as follows:
The Master of Arts degree is offered with majors in art education and art history. Students seeking the MA in art history must have completed the equivalent of the Bachelor of Arts with a major in art history as offered at UNT or have demonstrated success in a minimum of 21 undergraduate semester hours of art history course work. Art history majors must demonstrate competency in a foreign language relevant to the chosen area of study in art history prior to undertaking the Research Project. The MA with a major in art history requires 21 hours of course work, of which at least 15 hours must be in art history courses, including 3 hours in AEAH 5848 (Seminar in Art History). Another 6 hours must be taken either in art history or in a minor field selected in consultation with the major professor. The MA with a major in art history additionally requires 3 hours in research methods, 6 hours in AEAH 5849 (Research Project), and participation in the graduate colloquium in the semester preceding enrollment in AEAH 5849.
The MA with a major in art education offers three separate program options. All options require applicants to have completed a bachelor’s degree in the visual arts or a related field, to be admitted to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies, and to have submitted GRE scores. Additional background requirements depend on the option the applicant intends to pursue, as follows:
Applicants who do not hold a degree in a visual arts field may be required to take undergraduate leveling courses in the area(s) of deficiency. These courses would have to be completed before beginning any graduate level work in art education.
The MA with a major in art education requires a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of graduate course work for completion of the degree. Because Options II and III include certification, required course work for these options may reach a maximum of 42 hours. Specific course requirements depend upon which option is pursued and whether or not the student pursues a thesis. Options I and III may be completed with or without a thesis. Students pursuing Option II must complete a thesis unless special permission has been granted from the Department of Art Education and Art History. Any student electing to pursue the non-thesis route must successfully pass a comprehensive exam or complete AEAH 5849, Research Project.
For detailed program information, see the program web site at www.art.unt.edu.
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) with a major in art education is designed for individuals who wish to teach pre-service art education or art museum education at the university level or to pursue scholarly inquiry and/or leadership roles in public and private education settings. Applicants to the program must have completed the equivalent of a master’s degree in art education and have obtained teacher certification in art. Those who do not hold a master’s degree in art education or have never obtained teacher certification may still be accepted to the program but may be required to complete a minimum of 9 semester hours of art education leveling course work.
The program consists of a 24-hour doctoral core of art education courses, 12 hours in a minor field, 6 hours in research methodology, 12 hours of dissertation and the remaining hours in electives for a minimum of 60 credit hours. Proficiency in a foreign language or satisfactory completion of a 6-credit-hour tool-subject must also be demonstrated. Tool-subject course work is determined in consultation with a student’s major professor.
Doctoral degrees are conferred in recognition of scholarship as shown by (1) the satisfactory completion of a prescribed course of study, (2) the ability to function at a professional level in the designated area of major, (3) the completion of examinations showing a satisfactory grasp of the field of specialization and its relation to allied areas and (4) the preparation of a dissertation demonstrating ability to investigate a problem with originality and independent thought. The candidate must earn a minimum of 60 hours of graduate credit beyond the master’s degree and must complete the doctoral residence requirement.
Successful completion of a qualifying examination determines admission to candidacy. Once admitted to candidacy by the dean of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies, the doctoral student must conduct independent research in the field of specialization and submit a dissertation. The final oral examination will be a defense of the completed dissertation.
For additional information concerning doctoral study in art education, contact the College of Visual Arts and Design, Department of Art Education and Art History.
Each student is expected to make satisfactory progress toward the completion of the doctoral program. Satisfactory progress towards the PhD with a major in art education is defined as the following:
Should a student not meet any of the above standards, he or she may be counseled, evaluated as unsatisfactory, placed on academic probation and/or dismissed from the program.
Any PhD student not meeting satisfactory progress will be notified in writing by the department chair. After receipt of notice of probationary status, the student is required to seek formal counseling with his or her PhD major professor to discuss his/her progress. The student will then be given the following long term/semester to correct the situation. The following are criteria for probation:
Any PhD student who does not correct the infraction which caused him or her to be placed on probation within the probationary term/semester will be subject to removal from the program. The department chair will notify the student of his or her dismissal in writing with a duplicate for the student’s file and the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. Such notification will cite the reason(s) for removal.
Any student wishing to appeal his or her dismissal from the doctoral program may petition the Graduate Faculty Committee within 30 days of the notification or attempted notification of the student’s removal.
*Note: Receipt of two or more grades of C or lower in any two art education courses, whether in the same term/semester or in separate terms/semesters, is an automatic cause for dismissal from the program.
In cooperation with the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies, the College of Visual Arts and Design and the Department of Art Education and Art History offer a graduate academic certificate in art museum education. The graduate academic certificate in art museum education is intended to provide professional training for post-baccalaureate students who desire careers in areas of art museum education or expertise in the use of art museums as educational resources. Those who complete the program will possess the skills to develop and implement education programs for art museum audiences of varied ages and backgrounds.
The program consists of 18 credit hours, which includes a 6-credit-hour museum internship. The graduate academic certificate may be pursued on its own or in conjunction with a graduate degree program in the College of Visual Arts and Design.
Eligibility for the program is extended to those who meet at least one of the following academic requirements: (1) be a current student enrolled in a UNT graduate degree program in art education, art history or studio, (2) hold a bachelor’s degree with at least 12 credit hours of post-baccalaureate graduate studies, or (3) hold a master’s or doctoral degree in art education, art history, studio or related field. Contact the Department of Art Education and Art History for application information.
The certificate in arts leadership is designed to provide graduate students in the visual arts and music with special preparation in arts leadership. Within a broad definition of leadership as “a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal,” the certificate in arts leadership addresses four essential components: (a) opportunities to become a credible professional, (b) opportunities to become thoroughly grounded in the issues facing the arts and arts education, (c) opportunities to understand the broad spectrum of constituents with whom arts leaders must interact and (d) opportunities to develop specific leadership skills.
[Attribution: Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, 3rd ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage, 2004), 3.]
Admission to the certificate in arts leadership requires an undergraduate degree in either visual arts or music, and either a master’s degree in visual arts or music or current enrollment in a master’s or doctoral degree program in visual arts or music at the University of North Texas.
Each term/semester the department is able to provide a limited number of area assistant/teaching assistant/teaching fellow positions for graduate students. If interested, the student should fill out an application and turn it in by the deadline listed on the college web site.
The Department of Art Education and Art History has a limited number of scholarships of up to $1,000 each. Students interested in applying should consult the college web site.
The Priddy Charitable Trust Fellowships in Arts Leadership are offered in collaboration with the College of Visual Arts and Design and the College of Music at the University of North Texas and position students to forge the alliances, create the collaborations, and produce the materials that will ensure quality arts education well into the 21st century. The Priddy Charitable Trust Fellowships in Arts Leadership provide support to students in visual arts and music for graduate study in either the College of Visual Arts and Design or the College of Music at the University of North Texas. The program offers tuition, fees, a stipend, health insurance, and a travel allowance. For more information, visit www.art.unt.edu/ntieva/pages/fellowships/fel_priddy.html.
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
The “Course and Subject Guide,” found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
Date of initial release: July 1, 2009 — Copyright © 2008 University of North Texas
Page updated:
February 23, 2010
— Comments or corrections: catalog@unt.edu
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