Art Education
College of Arts and Architecture
School of Visual Arts
The M.S. degree program in art education is oriented toward research and culminates in a thesis. Students planning to pursue a doctoral degree in art education are strongly encouraged to apply for admission to the master of science degree program.
Required Courses
Candidates enrolled in the master of science degree program must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit at the graduate level. From this, students must take 15 credits in art education. M.S. students are expected to complete the following art education three-course core of nine credits:
Art Education 502: Research in Art Education
Art Education 505: Foundations of Art Education
Art Education 536: Curriculum Development in Art Education, or Art Education 588: History of Art Education
Additionally, M.S. students are expected to enroll in Art Education 590: Colloquium for at least one credit each fall semester.
M.S. students must complete additional credits in art education to total a minimum of 15 credits. All master's degree students must also complete 6 credits of foundational studies at the 400 level or above in areas such as art history, studio, philosophy, educational theory and policy, educational psychology, psychology, and anthropology. The remaining 9 credits are made up of elective studies.
Additional M.S. Requirements
For M.S. candidates, 18 credits of course work must be at the 500 level or above. M.S. candidates must prepare and orally defend a thesis. The requirements also include 6 credits of thesis research as a part of the 30-credit requirement.
Guidelines for the Thesis for the Master of Science Degree in the Art Education Program
The master of science (M.S.) degree is oriented toward research and culminates in a thesis. Click on A Graduate Degree Guide for the Master of Science in Art Education at Penn State for guidance from admission to graduation. The candidate must orally defend her/his thesis. A Thesis Guide, which gives details concerning format, paper, typing, and other requirements, can be accessed in several ways. A copy of the Guide can be purchased at the Thesis Office or accessed at http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/enroll/thesis.html. In addition, several copies of the Guide are available in Pattee Library. Master's degree students will be responsible for arranging their final oral defense.