Arts Education

1. improve their teaching skills, strategies, and knowledge about teaching art at K -12 levels,
2. learn about contemporary art and art education theory and practice,
3. gain expertise in elective areas they choose such as studio art, art history, museum studies, and new technologies.

We also have a fifth year K-12 visual arts certification program at the graduate level that does not require earning a master's degree, although some students enroll in a master's degree along with certification.

1. teach in art education programs in institutes of higher education at both graduate and undergraduate levels,
2. conduct research and contribute to the literature in art education,
3. become knowledgeable about art teacher preparation, related educational areas and contemporary art education theory and practice, and
4. become professionalized through presentations at conferences and publication in literature related to art education.

Our program is individualized so that students can minor in subjects they wish to study further such as museum education, studio art, art history, new media, and multi-cultural and global education.

An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher is expected, along with a goal statement and two letters of recommendation. The GRE is required as an indicator of potential academic ability. A high score on the GRE can compensate for a GPA below 3.0.

For entrance into the doctoral program, A GRE score of 1500 or higher, a high GPA, and a minimum of three years of teaching experience at the elementary through higher education level is required. A background in studio art and art history/criticism also is desired. Applicants must present three letters of reference and a goal statement that indicates congruence with the goals of the doctoral program. For international students who will not be teaching in the United States, the 3 years of teaching experience is sometimes waived. In addition, a TOFEL score of 550 or above is required of all international students who are not native English speakers.

There are two configurations for doctoral programs in education at Indiana University: a 90 credit post-bachelor’s Ph.D. or Ed.D program and a 60 credit hour post-master’s Ed.D program.

For the 90 hour program credits earned toward a master’s degree may be applied.

For the 60 hour program a master’s degree is required, but master’s course work may not be counted toward the Ed.D degree. In the 60 hour program, fewer credit hours are required in the inquiry core, major area, minor area, electives, and dissertation research.

The research focus of the Ph.D. program is on answering questions about educational phenomena. The research focus of the Ed.D program is on data collection and analysis for the purpose of answering practical questions in the field of art education. Those who earn an Ed.D are being prepared for a future career with emphases on teaching and those who earn a Ph.D. and are preparing to conduct future scholarly research.

In the Art Education program, doctoral students are required to take one course in strategies in educational inquiry, and two to three other courses from among the following categories: statistical techniques, alternative inquiry approaches, measurement, evaluation, and design, and historical, philosophical, and theoretical inquiry.

Three hours of pre-dissertation research is required of all doctoral students. In addition, art education doctoral students are required to take a course in preparation for writing their doctoral proposals.

The Art Education Program is one of five programs housed in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the School of Education at Indiana University.

What is their place in your program? Our program is individualized and students take courses in all master’s and doctoral programs based on their interests and past experiences. Teacher education is highlighted in all master’s and doctoral programs. All master’s and doctoral students also are required to be computer literate, take courses in computer graphics, and participate in interactive communication within and outside their local environment. Multi-cultural, global education, program assessment, and critical pedagogy are emphasized in courses that doctoral students take in their program of studies. Doctoral students also have opportunities to join faculty members in conducting research in a number of the areas mentioned.