Art Education

Master's and Doctoral Programs

Graduate opportunities

The graduate Art Education program at the University of North Texas has a proven record of success by producing nearly half of the state's university-certified art educators. It also 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 offers course work leading to a Master of Arts or 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:

• EC-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 your 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 university provides a variety of services exclusively to graduate students. The Toulouse Graduate School offers Thesis and Dissertation Boot Camps and other specialized workshops, many of which are available online for your convenience. The Graduate Student Writing Support office can help you with writing.

The college

The College of Visual Arts and Design is one of the nation's most comprehensive visual arts schools and considered one of the Southwest's best. Our state-of-the-art facilities 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 in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. We're in close proximity to the African American Museum, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Crow Collection of Asian Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Kimbell Art Museum, Meadows Museum and Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The region is also home to an array of school settings from large urban 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'll need to meet the admission requirements for the graduate school and submit the following items to the College of Visual Arts and Design. For specific graduate school admission requirements and possible exceptions, visit the 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 don't have the recommended background in the field that you intend to study, you can be accepted on a conditional basis. You'll 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 (10 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 offers theoretical grounding and practical experience in the field. Utilizing the rich museum resources in the region, you explore and interact with a vibrant and forward-thinking landscape of museum education.

It provides professional training and expertise in the use of art museums as educational resources for school educators. In addition to the region's rich museum resources, you'll benefit from UNT's experienced faculty, course offerings and educator-training opportunities.

The certificate requires 18 credit hours, including a 6-credit hour internship.

The graduate academic certificate in Arts Leadership provides you with special preparation in arts leadership. The certificate, which requires 18 credit hours including a 6-credit hour internship, offers opportunities to:

• 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

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.

Visit our website for more information about scholarships, assistantships and fellowships awarded by the college.