Arts Education: Preparation, MS

Contact:

James H. Rolling Jr., Comstock Art Facility Rm 054, 315-443-6779, jrolling@syr.edu

Program Description

The Arts Education: Preparation, M.S. program meets the academic requirements for New York State initial teaching certification in Visual Arts (all grades). Arts Education program coursework emphasizes diverse creative processes as laboratories for the exploration of the materials and forms through which human beings have historically shaped enduring ideas, negotiated identity, and organized all that we know and value.

The program emphasizes three distinct areas of study:

arts & design practices as a means for personal agency and social responsibility,
developing arts & design curricula for teaching and learning in multiple contexts, and
interdisciplinary research promoting creative leadership and social entrepreneurship.

This program is designed for students with no education background who already have an undergraduate degree in a studio arts, media arts, or design; or a degree in another area with sufficient credits in these arts areas. This 39 credit hour program awards the M.S. degree from the School of Education, in cooperation with the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA). VPA programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The School of Education is accredited for teacher preparation and other professional school personnel programs by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Acquire knowledge of each student, and demonstrate knowledge of student development and learning to promote achievement for all students

2. Know the content they are responsible for teaching, and plan instruction that ensures growth and creative achievement for all students

3. Implement instruction that engages and challenges all students to meet or exceed the learning standards

4. Work with all students to create a dynamic learning environment that supports creative achievement and growth

5. Use multiple measures to assess and document student growth, evaluate instructional effectiveness, and modify instruction

6. Demonstrate professional responsibility and engage relevant stakeholders to maximize student growth, development, and learning

7. Set informed goals and strive for continuous professional and creative growth

Graduate Program requirements - 39 credits minimum

Emphasis on socially responsible approaches to artmaking and design, unconventional field placements and partners, and an interdisciplinary approach to the arts in relation to the humanities and sciences are woven throughout the program coursework. Students majoring in Arts Education must take the following requirements and specialized course electives. Courses are shown in the order a full-time student typically would follow, opting to begin in May of one summer, and finish in the subsequent summer. A fall semester start would require more time to complete, as student teaching would take place in the spring semester of a second year.

First summer

EDU 606 - Understanding Learning and Teaching 4 credit(s)
RED 625 - Literacy Across the Curriculum 3-4 credit(s)
Art & Design Education Elective

Fall semester

AED 534 - Creative Processes and Curriculum Structures 3 credit(s)
AED 617 - Philosophy & Foundations of Art Education Practice 3 credit(s)
EDU 601 - Methods and Practice in Teaching Art 4 credit(s)
EED 640 - Participation in the Professional Development School 0-1 credit(s) Section titled Safe and Healthy Learning Environments

Spring semester

EDU 508 - Student Teaching 2-15 credit(s)
SPE 612 - Adapting Instruction for Diverse Student Needs 3 credit(s)
EDU 508 is taken for 9 credits and completed at two different K-12 levels.

Second summer

AIC 612 - Methods in Creative Leadership: Talent/Agency 3 credit(s)
Research course from one of the following:
AED 798 - Making Methodology: Exploring Arts-based Research 3 credit(s)
EDU 603 - Introduction to Qualitative Research 3 credit(s)
EDU 778 - Narrative Inquiry in Research and Creative Practice 3 credit(s)

Intensive Examination

The final requirement of master’s degree study also requires the completion of an Intensive Examination. Completing a take-home Master’s Examination can fulfill this requirement. However, with departmental approval, a Master’s thesis or special project is also an option in this program.

Art and Design Credits required:

Art and design content is met by either an undergraduate degree in an appropriate arts area, or a degree in another area with 36 semester hours of art content. The art content should include at least 9 credits of art history; depth of study in a two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or time-based mode of artmaking; and breadth of study through a variety of other studio, design, and/or media arts courses. Typically, a 3.0 average in these courses is required.

It is expected that students will enter the program with most of these requirements completed. However, if not, all requirements must be completed before a master’s degree can be granted.