MA Art Education at University of South Carolina

Programme overview

Advance your art education career with a master's degree program that features a non-thesis track for certified art teachers and a thesis track designed for students continuing their education into a doctoral program. Gain new skills for inspiring young artists through advanced instruction, workshops and conferences. Flexible courses allow you to choose an area of focus, including education, art education, studio and humanities.

Faculty: McCausland College of Arts and Sciences | Department: School of Visual Art and Design | Duration: 31 credit hours | Study mode: full-time | Location: Columbia, SC, United States

What you will study

Learn to make art using two and three-dimensional materials appropriate for use with different age groups. Write arts instruction units on relevant themes with learning outcomes that match assessment. Gain expertise in curriculum development and lesson planning, plus motivational strategies for teaching.

Career pathways

Potential careers include Art Educator, Art Museum Educator, Community Art Teacher, School Administrator.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admissions (University of South Carolina Academic Bulletin): This program is not a teacher certification program and is designed primarily for working art teachers. Required Documents Online Application through the Graduate School Official Transcripts 2 Letters of Recommendation (it is preferable that one be from a professor) Personal Statement Curriculum Vitae/Resume Teaching Certificate (preferred, but not required) Portfolio: Please upload a digital portfolio of 20 images of recent work and an identifying list of works, as a single .pdf document. You may want to include up to five images of students’ artwork from various lesson plans or projects in your portfolio. Note: Successful applicants to the graduate programs in Art Education typically have an undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or higher on a 4.00 scale. However, all parts of an application are carefully considered in admissions decisions.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate applications are accepted for Fall, Spring and Summer terms; Fall applications open the prior September, Spring applications open in January and Summer applications open in May.

The graduate application fee is $50 per primary application, reinstated effective August 1, 2026. Deadlines are programme-specific. The Moore School of Business, the Arnold School of Public Health and the College of Nursing use their own applications; the Moore School charges an additional $50 application fee for graduate programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://www.sc.edu/admissions-at-sc/applications/index.php

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