MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING (MAT) | MASTER OF ARTS IN ART + DESIGN EDUCATION (MA)

MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING (MAT): one-year program
The MAT is an intensive full-time (summer through spring) cohort teacher preparation program for artists and designers that culminates in recommendation for K-12 teacher certification. The department seeks candidates for its MAT program who have a passion for art and design, a commitment to the empowerment of children and youth, and who wish to be fully engaged as artist/designer-teachers in the transformation of art education in K-12 schools.

The program’s design is reflective of the department’s commitment to an inquiry-based approach to K-12 art and design education — an approach that puts ideas at the core of teaching. RISD’s MAT program is designed not only to prepare its candidates to be accomplished visual arts educators, but also to be articulate advocates for the role of art and design in K-12 education.

An especially innovative aspect of RISD’s MAT program is its incorporation of digital media technology. This technology is integrated within instruction for all courses, used to archive work, publish curriculum materials, and to support the community of learners. MAT students are increasingly utilizing laptop computers both within the context of their academic studies and as a dynamic presentational tool while teaching. The department considers the laptop computer such an essential tool for the K-12 art + design teacher that it is required equipment for all entering MATs. Specifications concerning recommended laptops and required software will be made available at the time of program acceptance.

The MAT program involves key partnerships with elementary and secondary public schools and has been designed to enable its students to come to understand educational theory through direct experience in a rich variety of authentic teaching situations. These include an urban charter school, The RISD Museum and out-of-school time programs for teens at RISD and in partner high schools. In the MAT program’s final semester, students are assigned to two 6-week, full-time student teaching experiences, one in an elementary public school and the other in a public high school. The program culminates in a degree project that involves an interpretive exhibition and the submission of print and electronic portfolios documenting a candidate’s curriculum design and teaching practice.

MAT applicants please note: the department invites selected program applicants to RISD for a mandatory on-campus interview during early March.

MASTER OF ARTS IN ART + DESIGN EDUCATION (MA): two-year program
The MA program is a practice-based degree for candidates wishing to pursue advanced studies that explore the intersections of teaching in schools, museums, or community-based settings. Candidates enter the MA program for a variety of reasons; typically they are seeking an academic credential that will provide a platform for the next stage in their professional careers. All MA candidates complete core coursework, but then studies are crafted to an individual’s professional goals through the selection of one of two program tracks: Museum Education or Community Arts Education.

In addition to the required core courses offered through the department, an MA candidate’s program of study consists of complementary coursework that may include graduate seminars, studio, liberal arts, and professional practice internships, the selection of which is determined by specific study track requirements. In RISD’s MA program, such coursework selections are considered lenses through which the candidate may view aspects of their thesis research.

All academic coursework is completed in Year 1 of the program, which is followed by two semesters of off-campus e-learning thesis research and writing and the submission of a completed thesis at the end of Year 2. Tuition for the thesis component of the MA degree is based on six coursework credits.

MA applicants please note: the Department invites selected applicants to RISD for a mandatory on-campus interview during early March.

MA Museum Education Track (me)
This MA Museum Education option is designed for those specifically interested in a career opportunity as a museum professional — specifically, as an art museum educator. The focus of this track is, therefore, on teaching and learning within art museum contexts, and the RISD Museum — one of the nation’s leading college museums — becomes the candidate’s educational laboratory.

Practical experience working in an art museum is a key component of this option. All MA’s are assigned to assistantships in the RISD Museum’s Education Depart-ment. Additionally during the winter term candidates pursue a six-week internship in a major art museum. Most recently, MA’s completed internships at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston; the Denver Art Museum; and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. Students have also interned at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

n addition to the MA program’s set of core courses, a Museum Education student’s program of study includes studies in art history and critical theory as well as a seminar, based at The RISD Museum, which examines various functions of museum operations and issues surrounding exhibitions and programs.

MA Community Arts Education Track (cae)
The MA Community Arts Education option is designed to provide a professional qualification for the teaching artist who sees a career in the expanding field of arts learning in community-based arts centers and organizations and in out-of-school time programming. Candidates entering this option are interested in acquiring the foundational knowledge and skills in educational theory and pedagogy as well as knowledge and skills associated with arts-based organizations.

In addition to the MA program’s set of core courses, a Community Arts Education student’s program of study includes professional practice internships which take place in one of a number of community arts organizations or agencies in Providence or in surrounding communities. These include AS220, Urban Arts, RiverzEdge, and CityArts. Additionally, studies include studio, graduate seminars, and liberal arts. The selection is dependent on personal interests and requirements specified for the track.

In addition to academic requirements, MA’s in this option may be assigned as graduate teaching assistants in one of the department’s outreach initiatives for urban children and youth.