About the Program

Requirements for the Art Academy’s MAAE degree are as follows:

• 33 credits of coursework
  
  • 18 credits of studio coursework
  • 9 credits of art education
  • 6 credits of art history
• course journals and appointments with faculty
• candidacy review
• final portfolio presentation

Requirements for the MAAE program

Coursework
Studio courses are designed to help each student formulate a personal philosophy that guides his or her art-making process. The program offers studio courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, digital photography and digital media.

Art Education Seminars explore issues in contemporary art education and help students develop the necessary skills to create meaningful and stimulating art curricula. The seminars investigate current and proposed theory and practice in K-12 art education. They enable artist/educators to identify, examine, and assess their own views on art education and implement those views in their classrooms.

Art History courses build skills in critical reading and writing, important elements in the formation of a rich idea base for art education. The courses examine contemporary art issues and explore art in a historical context.

Journals and Appointments
Journals are required for all graduate-level courses and are presented at the candidacy review and the final portfolio presentation. In the journals, students describe the experiences that shape them as an artist and educator, as well as the links they perceive between their MAAE coursework and their classroom teaching. The journals provide a record of growth throughout the three-year program, as well as a vehicle for self-examination.

Appointments are a required component of all studio courses. Each summer, MAAE students must make individual appointments with all studio faculty to review completed work and work in progress. The appointments provide critiques and feedback from a variety of sources.

Candidacy Review
When approaching completion of 15 credits, students apply for Advancement to Candidacy. They must submit concise written, oral, and visual pieces to demonstrate the quality of work and progress in the program. For students completing the degree in three years, this review occurs during the second summer.

Final Portfolio Presentation
Final portfolio presentation occurs as a student approaches completion of all required coursework. The portfolio consists of written, visual, and oral components that demonstrate the candidate’s examination of art teaching, ideas, processes, and products. The written component documents the candidate’s personal growth during the program and synthesizes what he or she has learned. The visual component includes work produced during the program. The oral presentation coincides with the candidate’s exhibition, held during the final summer.