At Mason, the Art Education Program is offered at the graduate level and leads to a graduate degree: the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Art Education. The 30 credit MAT is designed for individuals with BFA or equivalent degrees, whose passion for the visual arts as well as teaching children and youth is based on a solid background of skills, knowledge and experience. For more information on the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Art Education: arteducation.gmu.edu

While there is no specific art education concentration at the undergraduate level, Mason’s BFA program provides the solid grounding in visual arts practice and knowledge that is vital to the development of a well-qualified art teacher. You can choose any of AVT’s undergraduate concentrations and successfully prepare yourself to teach art. It is important to include a variety of studio disciplines in your undergraduate curriculum, so be sure to choose your electives and breadth/experience classes carefully to take a variety of 2D and 3D media as well as art history and critical theory.

With careful planning, students working on a George Mason University BFA can integrate the five pre-professional, Foundations of Art Education courses required for MAT Admission right into their curriculum as shown below:

General Education:
37 credits (AA, AS or AA&S from Virginia Community College System or a prior batchelor’s degree may reduce these requirements.)

AVT BFA Core Coursework:
53 credits (including the following courses that must be completed in order to apply for the MAT)
AVT 396 Introduction to Art Teaching and Learning
AVT 493 Teaching Visual Thinking Through Media, PK-12
AVT 494 Teaching Critical Response to Art, PK-12

AVT BFA Studio Art Concentration:
24 upper division credits in one of the following areas: digital arts, graphic design, painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, sculpture, or interdisciplinary arts (InterArts).

Education Courses:
6 credits (The following courses must be completed in order to apply for the MAT)
EDUC 301 Educationally Diverse Populations
EDUC 302 Human Growth and Development

Admission to the MAT program will require a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA. Candidates for the MAT program will be selected through a comprehensive review of all application materials by a department committee. Meeting minimum criteria does not guarantee admittance to the program.

Course Descriptions: Foundations of Art Education

AVT 396 Introduction to Art Teaching and Learning (3:3:0) Prerequisite: Junior standing, completion of ENGL 302 and completion of at least 20 credits of AVT coursework (including AVT 307), or permission of the art education advisor. Explores art-teaching profession through readings, discussion, hands-on activities, and visits to diverse area public schools. Students discover a variety of ways that art is taught and evaluated to meet the multiple educational needs of today’s PK-12 students.

AVT 493 Teaching Visual Thinking Through Media, PK-12 (3:3:0) Prerequisite: AVT 396, or permission of the art education advisor. Students investigate range and appropriateness of media and materials that encourage creative expression in the art classroom for PK-12 students and expand the artist-teacher’s visual repertoire. Incorporates art history, criticism and aesthetics, as well as language arts and other content areas that challenge students’ artistic growth and human development.

AVT 494 Teaching Critical Response to Art, PK-12 (3:3:0) Prerequisite: AVT 396, or permission of the art education advisor. Students develop visual literacy and critical thinking skills for application to the PK-12 classroom by examining diverse theoretical models and applying strategies to expand knowledge about art and artifacts. Course methods include intensive writing, readings, discussions, museum work, research and Internet skills, and studio work.

EDUC 301 Educationally Diverse Populations (3:3:0). Introduces the psychological, sociological, educational, and physical aspects of diverse populations in today's schools for early and middle education. Emphasizes litigation and legislation pertaining to the education of diverse populations. School based field experience is required during the course.

EDUC 302 Human Growth and Development (3:3:0). Examines human development through the life span with special emphasis on the cognitive, language, physical, social, and emotional development of children. Emphasizes contemporary theories of human development and their relevance to educational practice. School-based field experience is required during the course.