Graduate Studies

APPLICATION PACKET AND HANDBOOK
This handbook has been developed both for prospective students and enrolled students.
We welcome your questions and suggestions

Introduction to the Art and Visual Culture Education Division

Thank you for visiting us. The Division offers two advanced degrees: Doctor of Philosophy in Art History and Education and Master of Arts degree in Art Education. Both are integral parts of the comprehensive art programs offered by the School of Art. The graduate program is intended to meet the needs of students who wish advanced professional understanding within the field of Art and Visual Culture Education. Students may pursue an M.A. with a concentration in research, in community and museums, or, for students interested in certification to teach in public schools but not currently certified, the M.A. plus certification. The Ph.D. degree is a highly tailored degree meant to build expertise to enter contemporary arenas of art and visual culture education as a researcher, teacher, and leader. In addition, students with a B.A. or B.F.A. in Art may pursue Post-Baccalaureate Certification as an unclassified graduate student or as an undergraduate.

There are exceptional resources available to graduate students in art. The University houses several museums, including The University of Arizona Museum of Art the Center for Creative Photography (one of the worlds leading photography archives and exhibition centers), the Arizona State Museum, and the Joseph Gross, Lionel Rombach, and Student Union art galleries. The University Library has an extensive collection of books, periodicals, and media and is ranked seventeenth among research libraries in the United States. Excellent multimedia facilities are available to students. The Office of Student Computing Resource’s Multimedia Learning Lab (MLL) are well equipped for the art and visual culture education student. The School of Art's visual resources center (slides and digital images) contains over 200,000 slides and a large digital bank. Take virtual tours of the campus, artworks on campus, and Tucson. The city is rich in arts and cultural resources and was recently named as 15th in the nation for its public arts. M.A. students interested in internships are often able to arrange for such experiences in settings such as the Center for Creative Photography, the University of Arizona Museum of Art, the School of Art galleries, and Tucson Museum of Art.


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Admission requirements and procedures for M.A. and Ph.D. applicants:

Admission is a two-part process, and must be completed by October 1 for Spring admission and February 1 for Fall or Summer admission. Applicants missing these deadlines may enroll as Unclassified status for one semester. See section below on Unclassified Graduate Status.


Part I. Graduate College Requirements

All prospective graduate students must meet the general eligibility requirements outlined in the Graduate Catalog of the University of Arizona. The Graduate College requires for admission that all graduates applicants have a minimum of a bachelor's degree from a college or university granting degrees recognized by the University, a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 (based on a 4.0 scale) over the last 60 units of undergraduate course work or a minimum of 12 hours of graduate course work at an accredited institution with a minimum cumulative average of 3.25. Applications and information are available directly from the Graduate School's website. Both the Graduate College and the School of Art applications are fully online. Part II. Art and Visual Culture Education requirements

Students are expected:

Application process for M.A. degree in Art Education and Ph.D. degree in Art History and Education:

  1. Complete the on-line application through the Graduate College at the University of Arizona. We do not accept paper applications).
  2. Send 3 confidential letters of recommendation directly to the School of Art. Please use either our Letter of Reference Form or have referees write a letter addressing your academic abilities and potential. At least two of your referees should come from academics. (Please contact an Art and Visual Culture Education faculty member if this presents a problem for you.) Please have your referees send their recommendations directly to:
    The Graduate Secretary
    Art and Visual Culture Education
    School of Art, PO 210002
    University of Arizona
    Tucson, AZ 85721.0002
  3. Complete an interview with an Art and Visual Culture Education faculty member, in person or by telephone.


Course of Study: Options for the M.A. Degree

Three options are available to students seeking the M.A. Degree:

Option A: M.A. in Art Education, Art and Visual Culture Studies Option
The following courses are required:

For descriptions of these and other courses, please see the University's on-line catalogs at: http://catalog.arizona.edu/allcats.html

Option B: M.A. in Art Education, Community and Museums Option
The following courses are required:

Please note: Students planning to do survey or statistical research are expected to take MUS 551, Behavioral Research in the Arts, as part of their elective credits.

Option C: M.A. in Art Education, Certification Option
Below are listed courses and general information about the certification option. For further information, please see the semester-by-semester guide to completing the MA + certification or contact an art and visual culture education faculty member.
The following courses are required as part of the M.A. program:

Please note: Students planning to do survey or statistical research are expected to take MUS 551, Behavioral Research in the Arts, as their elective credits.

Additional course work for certification, required by the state department of education (in most cases, these will be taken at the undergraduate level and not count towards the M.A. degree):

Certification requires some non-curricular steps, mandated by the Arizona Department of Education for the K-12 Art Endorsement in the state of Arizona:

Additional information for M.A. + certification students:

Upon acceptance to the program, you should obtain an application for the College of Education from an art and visual culture education faculty member. This is required to take course work in the College of Education. Because Art Education is considered an Associate Program of the College of Education, you will remain in the Graduate College but must be admitted to take the education classes that are required for your certification. You must apply for Fingerprint clearance at this time.

As a certification student, you will be required to participate in two portfolio reviews. These reviews are both formative and evaluative, that is, they will help you understand your strengths and areas you need to work on (formative) as well as indicate your eligibility to continue in the certification program.

Most M.A. students pursuing certification take art and visual culture education certification course work simultaneously with their M.A. course work. Some of the course work for certification, including the student teaching semester, is taken at the undergraduate level.
Students enrolled in the College of Education must meet and maintain "Fitness to Teach Criteria."

There are few to no electives available in this option, because they have been used towards certification. If the student wishes to pursue electives, these may be taken in addition to the 30 units required for the M.A. degree.

Art certification in the state of Arizona is a Secondary certificate with an endorsement to teach art K-12. This certificate approximates certification requirements in many states. If you wish to teach outside of Arizona, please consult that state’s department of education website for steps needed to transfer your Arizona certification to teach.

Additional information for all options:
Please see the University's on-line catalog for short descriptions of each of these courses. The catalog can be reached at: http://catalog.arizona.edu/allcats.html.

Each student will be advised by one major professor within the Art and Visual Culture Education Division. In cooperation with the major professor, each student will develop a proposed course of study leading to the M.A. degree. This major professor also holds primary responsibility for supervising the student's work on the thesis or master’s project. In conjunction with the advisor, students in select additional course work from art education, studio art, art history, education, or other related areas. Independent study and internships are also available. This coursework should support the student's proposed research direction.
Upon completion of 15 units of course work, each student must file a Program of Study with the School of Art Graduate Secretary. The program of study includes course work--both taken and projected--a thesis/project title, and identification of the major advisor. Please visit the Graduate College's Forms page to obtain the "Master's/ Specialist Plan of Study" form.

Upon completion of a maximum of 24 units of course work, each student must establish a Thesis/ Research Project committee. The committee, chaired by the student's major professor, must include at least two faculty members from art and visual culture education (the major professor and one other faculty member). A third faculty member may be drawn from the art and visual culture education faculty or from other areas of the School of Art or the University, as appropriate to the thesis/ research project topic. Each student must discuss his/her committee choices with the major professor. The purpose of the thesis/project committee is to direct research, writing, and defense of the thesis/ research project as well as course work leading towards the M.A. degree. The requirement to form a thesis committee at the mid-point of the Master's Program signals an evaluation of a student's performance. The failure to find faculty willing to serve on the thesis/ project committee and/ or a recommendation of termination from the program from the Graduate Committee in Art and Visual Culture Education, that reviews student progress with the major professor, will result in an administrative drop from the program.

[Click here for detailed thesis information]
The thesis or research project must adhere to certain guidelines. These include a proposal approved by all members of the student's Thesis or Research Project committee, the written thesis or research project, and an oral examination defending the thesis or research project. Please consult the Graduate College’s “Degree Certification” links to follow university requirements. An oral examination defending the thesis or major project is required.
Students should bring the "Master's/ Specialist Completion of Degree Requirements" form to their oral examination.

For additional information specific to the Graduate School and getting your degree, please visit the graduate school website at: http://grad.arizona.edu.

You are required to maintain a minimum of a 3.0 grade average in all M.A. and certification course work. It is the policy of the Divisions of Art History and Art and Visual Culture Education that any student receiving two non-passing grades in a course in their major (a grade of C or lower) will be administratively dropped from the program as a degree student.
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Course of study: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Art History and Education, Art and Visual Culture Education Track

The PhD track in Art and Visual Culture Education prepares artist/teacher/researchers who contribute to the research, creative scholarship, knowledge, theory, and practice of art and visual culture education in university, school, museum, community, or other arts leadership positions.  The program is focused on contemporary intersections of art, visual culture, and education in all settings.

The faculty of the Division of Art and Visual Culture Education are dedicated to the development of well prepared scholars in the field, and foster a culture of research and inquiry, professional development, and community within the program.

54 units beyond the M.A. degree (a total of 84 beyond the B.A.) are required to complete the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Art History and Education including 18 units of dissertation research and 36 units of coursework. Candidates are expected to complete a master’s degree before entering the Ph.D. program.

Coursework is distributed over different areas of concentration, with a minimum in each area as follows.

Methods and theory: 9 units
ARE 535: Theory in Art and Visual Culture Education
Two methods courses, chosen from:
ARE xxx: Arts-based Research
ARH 511a :  Theory and Methods in Art History: Renaissance to 1960
ARH 511b: New Theory and Methods in Art History: 1960-Present
ARH 6xx Scholarly and Curatorial Writing [working title; course to be proposed fall 2009)
MUS 551: Behavioral Research in the Arts
MAR 639: Methods of Media History
LRC 576: Teacher Research
LRC 605: Qualitative Methods in Education
TTE 596R: Action Research Workshop
TTE 696A: Research on Teacher Education
TTE 696B: Research on Teaching
EDL 601: Qualitative Methods in Education
HED 602: Research Design in Higher Education
HED 605: Qualitative Methods in Education
Major: 12 units
Coursework in the major area of emphasis, chosen in conjunction with the advisor from current and future course listings in Art and Visual Culture Education, Art History, Art, Theater, Music, Media Arts, Language Reading and Culture, Higher Education, Education Leadership, Public Administration and Policy, Mexican-American Studies, Indian Studies, and other relevant disciplines at the 500 level and above.

Minor: 9 units
Coursework to support the development of a second area of expertise and/or to support the major area of emphasis. Courses are chosen in conjunction with the advisor.

Electives: 6 units
Coursework taken outside Art and Visual Culture Education to support scholarly development.
Dissertation: 18 units

A minimum of 18 hours of coursework outside the dissertation must be in ARE, taken at the University of Arizona.

No foreign language is required in the AVCE Track.

Students not holding a graduate degree in Art and Visual Culture Education will be asked to take 2-3 background courses in Art and Visual Culture Education, including an introductory research methods course.

Additional Requirements

Ideal progress through the AHED PhD, AVCE Track

First year:

Second year:

Third and following years:

 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

In addition to maintaining a minimum 3.00 grade-point average, students enrolled in a graduate degree program at the University of Arizona are required to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress toward degree completion. These are minimum requirements for completing the degree; actual progress may be accelerated. For the AHED PhD, AVCE track, these are as follows:

First year:

Second year

Third year

Fourth year

Fifth year after Comprehensive examinations

Failure to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements is grounds for conversion to graduate non-degree status by the Dean of the Graduate College.
Unclassified Graduate Status
A student who does not meet the admission deadlines for the semester in which she/he wishes to enroll may apply to the Graduate College for admission as an unclassified graduate student. Students may apply a limited number of units in the unclassified status towards their M.A. or Ph.D. degree. Students wishing to receive certification but not work on an M.A. degree may retain unclassified status throughout their certification course work. For information on being admitted as a non-degree seeking student, please visit the Graduate College’s website.
Scholarships and teaching assistantships
A limited amount of money is available from the Graduate School for Scholarships. A minimum 3.0 undergraduate grade point average is required for these scholarships. The School of Art administers the scholarship program.

The School of Art holds an annual Scholarship competition during Spring semester for awards of varying amounts. Awards for art and visual culture education students are made on the basis of slides and paper submitted for admission. To apply, students should contact the Graduate Secretary.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships are available on a selected basis to qualified doctoral and M.A. students and are awarded by the Art and Visual Culture Education faculty. Students should indicate interest in being considered for an assistantship with their application materials. Every effort is made to award assistantships to qualified candidates.


Financial aid
Applicants and students requesting financial aid should contact the Student Financial Aid Office, room 203, Administration Building, Tucson AZ 85721; telephone (520) 621-1858; or online [link = https://financialaid.arizona.edu/]. Financial aid is available in forms including student loans and work study programs. You are advised to apply early.
The Graduate School also provides information on financial aid.

Professional activities
All students, whether post-baccalaureate certification, masters or doctoral level, are invited to begin their professional lives while students at the University. This includes joining the professional art education organizations: National Art Education Association (NAEA) and affiliate Arizona Art Education Association (AAEA); and the University of Arizona Student Chapter of the NAEA. Membership in one automatically creates membership in the other.

NAEA can be reached at:
1916 Association Dr.
Reston, VA 20191-1590
phone: (703) 860-8000
fax: (703) 860-2960
http://www. arteducators.org
Education career services
Education Career Services are located on the fourth floor of the west wing of the Student Union Building, Suite 411 (above the Bookstore): 621-4224; Website: http://www.career.arizona.edu. The Office of Education Career Services provides a wide range of career services to all current and prospective educators, from kindergarten teachers through university professors. Services are provided to graduates of the College of Education as well as school librarians, speech pathologists, rehabilitation majors, sports medicine/athletic trainers, and graduates of other colleges who wish to be employed in higher education. Services range from initial career counseling and planning, including supply and demand projections, to career exploration, job search skills, and placement services, including the maintenance of the educator's placement or credential files.

 

 

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