Tufts University in Affiliation with the School of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The M.A.T. program prepares candidates for teaching art at the Pre-K-9 and 5-12 grade levels and leads to Massachusetts Provisional with Advanced Standing Certification for Teachers of Visual Arts.  After attainment of the provisional certificate and a master's degree, a candidate may enroll in a program of study that leads to Standard Certification.  All Museum School and Tufts University art teacher preparation programs are Massachusetts Department of Education, ICC, and N.A.S.D.T.E.C. approved programs.

The program is intended for candidates who have reached a level of competency and diversity in their art production and who desire to teach art to children and adolescents.  The full program requirements include course work in education, art education, studio art and/or art history, and practicum experiences.  The number of courses taught at each institution, Tufts and the Museum School, is carefully balanced, giving candidates sufficient opportunity to draw upon the resources of each institution.  Art education and studio art courses are completed at the Museum School.  Education and art history courses are offered at Tufts Medford campus.  Tufts and the Museum School share a philosophy in teacher preparation: that teacher candidates must be expert in their discipline and informed and current in their teaching knowledge and skill.

The M.A.T. in Art Education is an 11 course program leading to provisional with advanced standing certification.  The sequence of course offerings for the M.A.T. is linked to the program as a whole, and students are encouraged to complete the program as full-time students.  Preparation for provisional with advanced standing certification and the M.A.T. degree is usually completed over the course of one academic year and one summer session.

Preparation for standard certification may be completed through an individualized plan of study.  Work for standard certification may be completed as either a full-time or part-time program, depending on whether or not the candidate holds a full-time, part-time or no teaching position.

The BFA in Art Education is a course of study for those who want to become artists and teachers of art.  In addition to the same intensive studio preparation that all Museum School BFA students encounter, this program offers extensive and experiential preparation in art education current with contemporary issues. Through careful course planning, students satisfy the requirements for Massachusetts Provisional with Advanced Standing Teacher Certification while fulfilling distribution requirements for the BFA.   The Art Education program seeks candidates who demonstrate the following: an interest in a variety of art media and forms; a commitment to working with young people; professional qualities related to teaching, such as organizational skills and competence in oral and written English, and success in prior academic study.  The program may be completed in four and one-half years.   Program requirements for the BFA in Art Education include 90 credits in studio art, plus 21 academic courses (eight of which are in professional and education areas).  This is an ICC approved Program that prepares students for eligibility for a Provisional with Advanced Standing Teaching Certificate at Pre-K-9 or 5-12 levels in Massachusetts and its reciprocal states.

For more information about the programs of study, please contact Amy Williams, Admissions Office, at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston at 617-369-3625 or e-mail AEW@smfa.edu.