MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ART EDUCATION PROGRAM

The Department of Art presently offers a broad-based master’s degree which accommodates specializations in art education and/or studio arts (ceramics, painting, illustration, sculpture, printmaking, or others). Both concepts and technical excellence are stressed. The M.S. in Art Education program is designed primarily to meet the needs of experienced art educators who have completed an undergraduate program in the field. The program does not lead to teaching certification.
 

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Students accepted into the program are expected to:

  • engage in aesthetic inquiry to understand their creative practice and the practice of other artists through the process of creating, looking, reading, and writing about these practices; and

  • increase or develop an understanding of creative idea development, direction, and production by either:

    • creating a significant, coherent, highly resolved body of work for exhibition, with accompanying exegesis, (Plan C) or

    • writing a traditional thesis that applies methodologies appropriate for art education to examine topics and/or issues within the discipline (Plan A).

COURSE AND CAPSTONE REQUIREMENTS

TOTAL CREDITS: 33 credits, including thesis/Plan A or exhibition or project/Plan C

  • Professional Education (12 credits):

  • ART 500 Problems in Art Education

  • ART 598 Research in Art Education

    •

  • ART 597 Exhibition Research (Plan C) or ART 599 Thesis (Plan A)

  • One of the following: EDF 500, 516, 524, 525, 538, 583

  • Art Concentration (21 credits):

  • Department offerings, as approved by faculty advisor

    •

    • Note: No more than nine credits at the 400 level, as approved by the graduate advisor, may be counted toward the graduate planned program of study.
     

    Degree Candidacy
    After completing 15 credits of coursework, the student must apply for Degree Candidacy. The student must present a resume, statement of purpose, and a portfolio of at least five pieces to a committee of the advisor and two other faculty members selected by the student and approved by the advisor. After 27 credits, the student must undergo a final review, including committee approval of the thesis (Plan A) or exhibition/special project (Plan C). The comprehensive exam option (Plan B) is not available. Please follow the directions on page 12 concerning the planned program.

     

    ADMISSION to the PROGRAM

    In addition to fulfilling the admission requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, applicants must successfully pass a portfolio review and essay evaluation to be fully admitted into graduate programs in the Department of Art. For complete information regarding the format and content of the portfolio and essay requirements, interested applicants should visit the School of Graduate Studies’ website at www.ccsu.edu/grad and click on “Additional Application Materials.” Interested applicants can contact the Department of Art directly at 860-832-2620.

      

    PORTFOLIO: GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

    The portfolio must consist of 15–20 digital images in jpg or jpeg format of the applicant’s artwork in a variety of media that demonstrate the applicant’s best studio practice. It is important that no work submitted be copied from photographs or other works of art. Multiple views are recommended for original work in sculpture, ceramics, 3D design and/or crafts.

     

    PORTFOLIO: CONTENTS

    If you are applying for Master of Science in Art Education and intend to focus on a particular studio area such as drawing, ceramics, painting, etc., the portfolio should include a series of at least five pieces which show a consistent direction, for example, invented figure compositions, portraits, landscapes and/or abstractions, etc.

     

    GRADUATE ADMISSION ESSAY

    Applicants must submit a completed essay describing their backgrounds and interest in the program. On the initial page, an applicant should include his or her name and the program to which he or she is applying (Master of Science in Art Education or Post-Baccalaureate). The essay should be two pages, double-spaced. In the essay, applicants should:

    1. give a brief account of their backgrounds in relation to education, occupation, and activities relevant to the field of art and art education;

    2. discuss the reasons for choosing an advanced degree in art, some of the ideas in which they are currently interested, and

    3. include a brief discussion of the work that was submitted for the portfolio review.

    Where to Submit Additional Application Materials

    The portfolio and essay should be sent as a package directly to the Department of Art at the same time that materials are submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office. Send the portfolio and essay package to:

    Central Connecticut State University

    Department of Art, Maloney Hall

    RE: Graduate Admission Materials

    1615 Stanley Street

    New Britain, CT 06050

     

    ADMISSION DATES
     If the date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or Holiday please submit the Friday PRIOR to the due date.

    The Department of Art expects to review portfolios and essays for:

    *       Fall acceptance: February 12, April 12, and July 1
            [note: By July, course selection for the FALL will be EXTREMELY limited.]

    *       Spring acceptance:  October 12 and December 1
            [note: By December, course selection for the Spring will be EXTREMELY limited]

    Advisement Links