Master of Arts in Teaching - Art K-12
[Laura Lyons]
Sage offers a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Art Education for students who wish to pursue a career as a k-12 art educator. Designed to add breadth and depth beyond the undergraduate art program, the program includes art content courses in which candidates develop a meaningful studio practice while broadening their understanding of art criticism, aesthetics, contemporary practice and global art. Pedagogy, methods and research are taught through education courses, and candidates put their knowledge into practice through internships or student teaching experiences in area schools. The MAT in Art Education program, accredited by NASAD, is a comprehensive program that combines the concerns of both practice-oriented and research oriented programs. Its purpose is to educate and inspire competent art teachers so they, in turn, can educate and inspire their own students.
One and Two Year Sequences, Individual sequence
Internship and Student Teaching
Certification
The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree leads to certification in Art Education (grades K-12). In addition to the degree program, candidates for certification must also complete three NYS Teacher Certification Examinations, (visit NYSTCE for additional information) the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST), Assessment of Teaching Skills Written (ATS-W) and the Content Specialty Test (CST) in visual art. These tests may be scheduled at any time during the program, but should be completed by the time of graduation so that the candidate will be eligible for certification at graduation.
When candidates apply for graduation (October 1 for December graduation, February 1 for May graduation and June 1 for August graduation), their files are reviewed to determine eligibility for degree completion. Also at that time, candidates will begin to complete their applications for certification, including the required criminal background review through the Department of Criminal Justice Services which involves submitting fingerprints, for which packets may be obtained in the Esteves School of Education Office. Information about the requirements and application for certification may be located at The TEACH website.
Upon satisfactory completion of the criminal background check, submission of the three required NYS Teacher Certification Examinations, submission of the application for certification with payment and including the Sage transcript showing the conferral of the M.A.T. degree, the candidate is eligible for NYS initial teacher certification in the designated program area.
Application and Admission
Candidates for the Master of Arts in Teaching are expected to have an undergraduate degree in Art. Those who do not have a major in the discipline but have completed a degree in a related area or have completed a minor rather than a major in the discipline may apply to the program and additional coursework will be identified to assist the candidate in developing the equivalent of a major in the certificate area. The requirements for admission include a 3.0 in the major, two satisfactory letters of reference, one from a professor in the discipline, a career goals statement, interview with an advisor and a portfolio review.
Portfolios should include 12-20 pieces which demonstrate competence with a variety of mediums and show evidence of advanced work. Contact Kelly Jones (jonesk4@sage.edu) to schedule a review or for more information.
The application for admission to Sage Graduate School may be found online or may be requested by mail by calling SGS Admission at 1-888-VerySage or 518-292-8615. When applications are complete, including portfolio review and submission of the Written Critical Analysis, the file is forwarded to the Esteves School of Education for a recommendation regarding acceptance. When the file is complete, a decision is generally made within a week.
A provisional admission is offered to students who meet most of the admission requirements but who may need to complete additional undergraduate requirements or pre-requisite courses. Candidates who do not meet the admission requirements but who show promise, may be invited to complete coursework that will allow them to build a record of achievement that will support admission to the program. For further information regarding these decisions and options, prospective candidates should contact the M.A.T. program advisor Prof. Kelly Jones (jonesk4@sage.edu).
One year, Two year and Individual Sequences
One year sequence
Candidates in the one year sequence complete practicum teaching through internships at area schools throughout the entire school year while completing all coursework during the evenings. This full time model offers students the opportunity to practice coursework content immediately in classrooms.
By mid-August, candidates must have completed all undergraduate requirements (e.g., language, additional coursework required in the major area), pre-requisites (EDU 201, 206 474/574 and a Developmental Psychology or Human Development course). EDU 201 and 206 are offered both Summer I and Summer II, as well as Fall and Spring semesters, with evening and weekend sections requiring 50% online study via Moodle. EDU 474/574 is offered twice in Summer II, on Monday-Wednesday evenings, 6 to 9, and on the 2nd, 4th and 6th Saturdays in Summer II. The Saturday section requires 50% online study through Moodle. It is to the candidate's advantage to complete the pre-requisites during their undergraduate program, if possible. If there are questions about which course at other institutions will satisfy pre-requisites requirements, the candidate should email the M.A.T. advisor (jonesk4@sage.edu), including the course description, for prior approval.
Internship: Candidates in the one-year program enroll in an internship in the Fall and Spring semesters. The internship involves a day placement in the schools from September through June. Internships will include a K-6 placement and 7-12 for Art Educators.
With all the pre-requisites and undergraduate courses complete by mid-August, candidates will complete their program in this sequence:
| One Year Plan | |
| Semester | Art |
| Summer III (last two weeks of August, each evening, Monday through Friday, 5 -8:30) (subject to change) | MTA 578* (3 cr.) |
| Fall | MTA 502 (3 cr) |
| ART 520 MTA 511 |
|
| Internship (3 cr) | |
| 12 credits | |
| Spring | MTA 594 (3 cr) NOT to be substituted with EDU 594 |
| ART 511 & 521 (6 cr) | |
| Internship (3 cr) | |
| 12 credits | |
| Summer I | ART 557 |
| 3 credits | |
| Total cr | 30 |
Fieldwork: All candidates for certification in any area must complete 100 hours of fieldwork, generally required before student teaching. In the one year M.A.T. sequence, candidates may not have completed all of their fieldwork before beginning their internship. In this circumstance, candidates must complete the required hours by the end of the Fall semester. The fieldwork hours will be scheduled in addition to the internship hours.
Required workshops: The three workshops, (1) Reporting and Identifying Child Abuse and Maltreatment, (2) School Violence Prevention, and (3) NCR 317 Health Education Standards, must be completed before the candidate begins the internship. The first two workshops are available on-line (see Student Resource webpage in Esteves School of Education for providers of these two workshops). The NCR 317 will be offered during the week immediately preceding the beginning of the internship.
Internship seminar meeting: M.A.T. candidates attend a two-day required seminar immediately preceding the beginning of the internship semester, during which they will participate in activities designed to prepare them for their internship placement, the preparation of the portfolio, meet with their college supervisors and review the assessments and policies that are used during the internship by cooperating teachers and college supervisors. Candidates will also meet five times or more per placement, as scheduled by the Director of Student Teaching Placements and the college supervisors..
Two year sequence
Candidates in the two year sequence will complete any undergraduate liberal arts requirements (e.g., language other than English), the pre-requisites and the content area courses in the first year, during the Summer, Fall, Spring or following Summer. The content area courses are only offered once per year, so it is very important to complete these when they are offered. The pre-requisites are offered every semester, including summers, and some of them may be completed at other institutions. Candidates should forward course descriptions from other institutions to their advisor to receive prior approval of the content.
By mid-August of the second year, candidates must have completed all undergraduate requirements (e.g., language, additional coursework required in the major area), pre-requisites (EDU 201, 206, 474/574 and a Developmental Psychology or Human Development course) and the content area courses (ART 511, ART 520, ART 521, ART 557). EDU 201 and 206 are offered both Summer I and Summer II, as well as Fall and Spring semesters, with evening and weekend sections requiring 50% online study via Moodle. EDU 474/574 is offered twice in Summer II, on Monday-Wednesday evenings, 6 to 9, and on the 2nd, 4th and 6th Saturdays in Summer II. The Saturday section requires 50% online study through Moodle. It is to the candidates advantage to complete the pre-requisites during their undergraduate program, if possible. If there are questions about which course at other institutions will satisfy pre-requisites requirements, the candidate should email the M.A.T. advisor (jones4k@sage.edu), including the course description, for prior approval.
Fieldwork: 100 hours of fieldwork must be completed before student teaching. In the event that candidates are unable to complete these hours before beginning the second year of the program, the hours must be completed during the Fall semester, before the Spring student teaching begins.
Required workshops: The three workshops, (1) Reporting and Identifying Child Abuse and Maltreatment, (2) School Violence Prevention, and (3) NCR 317 Health Education Standards, must be completed before the candidate begins the internship. The first two workshops are available on-line (see Student Resource webpage in Esteves School of Education for providers of these two workshops). The NCR 317 will be offered during the week immediately preceding the beginning of the internship.
Student teaching seminar meeting: M.A.T. candidates attend a two-day required seminar immediately preceding the beginning of student teaching, during which they will participate in activities designed to prepare them for their student teaching placement and the preparation of the portfolio, meet with their college supervisors and review the assessments and policies that are used during student teaching by cooperating teachers and college supervisors. Candidates will also meet weekly during each placement, as scheduled by the Director of Student Teaching Placements and the college supervisors.
The content area courses are offered according this schedule:
| Year I - Two Year Plan In addition to all pre-requisites: |
|
| Semester | Art |
| Fall | ART 520 (3 cr) |
| Spring | ART 511 & 521 (6 cr) |
| Summer I | ART 557 |
| Year I credits | 12 |
Student teaching: Candidates in the two-year program enroll in student teaching in the Spring semester. Student teaching requires two placements, a K-6 placement and a second placement in grades 7-12 for Art Educators.
With all the pre-requisites, undergraduate courses and content area courses complete by mid-August, candidates will complete their program in this sequence:
| Year II two year plan | |
| Semester | Art |
| Summer III (last two weeks of August, each evening, Monday through Friday, 5 -8:30) (subject to change) | MTA 578 (3 cr) |
| Fall | MTA 511 Art (3 cr) |
| MTA 502 (3 cr) | |
| Spring | MTA 594 (3 cr) NOT to be substituted with EDU 594 |
|
EDU 663 Student Teaching K-6 (3 cr) EDU 664 Student Teaching 7-12 (3 cr) |
|
| Year II credits | 18 |
| Total credits | 30 |
Individual sequence
Some students may wish to complete their program over a period longer than two years, especially if extensive undergraduate coursework is needed to complete the equivalent of an undergraduate major or concentration. For example, an individual with a degree in Graphic Design may wish to prepare for the M.A.T. in Art Education and might need to complete additional coursework in studio art or art history to be eligible for the program. This candidate would complete the undergraduate courses in studio art in the first year, the pre-requisites and content area courses in the second year, and the courses in education and the student teaching in the third year.
Other candidates may wish to hold the internship or student teaching until all coursework has been completed. Often those who have full-time employment and family responsibilities will wish to maintain their employment until all coursework is finished and complete a student teaching experience in the year after completing all course requirements.
Candidates who wish to complete an individual sequence will meet with their advisor to develop a plan and schedule.
Internship and Student Teaching Placements
All interns and student teachers complete two placements at two different grade levels. Interns complete the experiential component of their program through assignment to the schools in half days for a full academic year, September through June. Student teachers complete the experiential component of their program in two full-time placements, each lasting for seven weeks.
Interns and student teachers will complete one of their placements in a NYS-identified high-need school. The second placement will be in another setting selected on the basis of availability, quality of experience, the potential to expand the candidates experience and other factors that affect the cooperative relationship between candidates, the college and the school.
Candidates are supervised by college supervisors and may expect an initial visit and three supervisory visits during each placement in which written feedback will be provided. The cooperating teacher and the college supervisor provide narrative evaluations which may then be placed in the candidates Career Services placement folder to support the candidates search for a position when the program is complete.
Applications for the internship or student teaching are submitted according to the following schedule:
Internship applications for the following September through June placement must be submitted by the second Friday in June.
Student teaching applications must be submitted by the second Friday in October for the following Spring and by the second Friday in March for the following Fall.
Separate grades are given for each internship or student teaching placement, for the internship or student teaching seminar and for the internship or student teaching portfolio. The Internship and Student Teaching Seminar and Portfolio courses are zero credit and will be graded as Pass/Fail, but must be satisfactorily completed before graduation.
Program of Study
The program of study outlines the candidate's program requirements, including undergraduate coursework and pre-requisite courses, if any, as well as the courses and internship/student teaching required for the masters degree.
Each candidate accepted to the program is expected to return a signed program of study. Click here to see a copy of the program of study.
