Art & Art Education, Bachelor's/Master's Combined Program

Our combined program in Art and Art Education is designed to provide students currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art, Art History or Digital Art at UNCW the opportunity to also complete a master’s degree in art education within a five year period (including one summer).

The key feature of the program is that undergraduate students can take graduate courses for up to 6 credits, and they will count toward both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. 

Graduate courses in art education are offered online with in-person field experience and a semester-long full-time internship in NC public schools during the final semester.

This program is designed for students currently in a B.A. program in Studio Art, Art History or Digital Art at UNCW who have:

1. Completed a minimum of 9 hours of 300-400 level courses in the degree content area at the time of application.
2. A minimum accumulated grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 at time of submission of the application to the Graduate School.
3. Will have completed all the requirements for their undergraduate degree by the end of the spring semester of their senior year.

The MAT cohort begins summer 1, so students must be fully admitted before then.

View More

Art Education MAT Program Details

Students currently in the B.A program in Studio Art, Art History or Digital Art at UNCW are eligible to apply for the BA/MAT program. Admission to the program is a two-step process.

Junior or Senior Year – Initiate the Application Process

Students interested in the BA/MAT program should initiate the application process in their junior or senior year to begin taking graduate-level courses the following semester. To begin, you should request permission from the Art Department chair and the graduate program coordinator to apply up to 6 hours of graduate-level credit earned during your junior or senior year towards your future master’s degree in Art Education. The earliest semester to begin taking graduate-level courses is the second semester of junior year and students must have completed a minimum of 9 hours of 300-400 level courses in their degree major.

During your final semesters, you will complete all courses in your major required to graduate, plus 6 hours of graduate credit.

Spring of Senior Year – Apply to the MAT program

To apply for the MAT program, students submit the standard Graduate School application and supplemental documents for the MAT Art Education program. This includes:

• An application for graduate admission.
• Official copies of transcripts of all college work (undergraduate and graduate).
• Three professional recommendations.
• A letter of interest describing your professional goals, educational goals in pursuing graduate study, and philosophy of teaching.
• Art portfolio: include 8-10 visual artworks with 100-word artist statement. Portfolio should be in PDF format in one document or website format. If the work is a digital work, the length should not exceed 10 minutes each. Please provide a link for viewing the work online.

Program Coordinator

Dr. Christine Liao
liaoc@uncw.edu 
910.962.3556

Steps for Admission to Combined Programs

1. Undergraduate Application:If you are not a current UNCW student, submit the appropriate application to the Undergraduate Admissions Office.
2. Communicate:Communicate your interest to participate in the combined program with your undergraduate advisor and the coordinator of the graduate program. This includes reviewing the process to be considered for the combined program and discussing when to apply to the Graduate School.
3. Combined Program Approval:The graduate coordinator will review your request to participate in the combined program. Approval to apply for the combined program does not guarantee admission to the Graduate School.
4. Junior Year:During your junior year, you will work with your undergraduate advisor and the coordinator of the graduate program to identify which graduate courses you may take as an undergraduate student.
5. Senior Year: During your senior year, you will work with the graduate program coordinator to obtain approval to take graduate courses as an undergraduate student.
6. Graduate School Application:UNCW's Graduate School requires that your bachelor's degree be awarded prior to the first day of graduate classes for the term that you begin the master's degree program. Apply to take graduate classes for the term you begin the master's program.
7. UNCW Graduate School Contact Info:Email gradschool@uncw.edu with questions prior to submitting the graduate application as the application fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.