Displaying items by tag: MATFA
Is the UOnline Master of Arts Teaching—Fine Arts Program for you?
By Pam Davis, reposted from UOnline
Are you looking for a master’s program that would allow you to not only keep working, but gives you immediate tools you can utilize in your classroom? What would a magical program like that look like?
Let me introduce you to that exact program: UOnline’s Master of Arts in Teaching—Fine Arts (MAT-FA). Do you want to know if this program is right for you?
Read on to get the inside scoop and see!
“I would say, well, to do it... it's already helped me reinvigorate my own outlook, my own motivation.”
- Nick, MAT-FA student
What is the Master of Arts Teaching- Fine Arts?
The MAT-FA is a two-year, 30-credit, primarily online program, with a short on-campus residency each summer. It is an interdisciplinary degree that prepares and trains educators to work authentically alongside children, youth, and adults in a variety of educational, community, and artistic contexts. It emphasizes research and methods-based arts teaching techniques across the fine arts.
This unique program brings all the art forms together. Students within the program, as well as the faculty, have a variety of artistic backgrounds across the fine arts. This includes music, theater, dance (movement), visual arts, and film and media. Students can learn both from each other and from the expert faculty working in the same medium. This broad spectrum of expertise is used to build the curriculum, implement it, and support students as they complete the program.
The curriculum of the MAT-FA was meant to be utilized immediately and in real-time by students as they work on both their degree and their real-life jobs. With this goal in mind, it’s been refined and polished down to the essentials without fluff or filler so that students can get the highest quality information and have the best experience in the most efficient time possible.
A lot of online programs were created with the in-person experience in mind and then, when the pandemic hit, there was a scramble to create an online version. That isn’t the case with the MAT-FA program. It was envisioned as a hybrid online course from the beginning and created to take advantage of that platform while still creating a community among the students enrolled. This hybrid format allows students all over the country to enroll and fit it in around their current jobs.
Who is MAT-FA meant for?
The short answer: anyone with a background in the arts who has a passion for students, teaching, and the arts!
The longer answer is, well a little longer. You’ll need at least one of the following:
- A bachelor’s degree in a specific art form.
- A state arts endorsement in theatre, dance, visual arts, film, or music.
- A cognate education degree suitable to the study of arts teaching; or
- Commensurate arts teaching experience (meaning you’ve taught in the field and gotten real-world experience!)
If you have one of the above, the next thing you need is a commitment to the demands required of a graduate program. One of the benefits of the MAT-FA is that you can utilize everything you’re learning in your classroom immediately. You don’t need to be a licensed teacher or even a full-time educator to be accepted to the program.
It helps if you want to find a community of like-minded people; the friends, mentors, and colleagues you’ll come across in the MAT-FA program will support you while you’re taking the classes and long after. Speaking of mentors, do you want to learn from the best of the best in fine arts that the University of Utah has to offer? This program has tenured faculty that are still active in their field and from a variety of backgrounds.
This program is meant for you if you’re ready to dig a little bit deeper and build yourself. Who are you as an educator and a creator? You’ll find that out as you actively participate in the curriculum and implement it. This isn’t sitting behind a desk and watching, this is getting your hands dirty and learning.
So, is the MAT-FA meant for you? If you’re a seasoned artist and teacher and you’re ready for a new adventure of self-discovery to expand your skills, then the answer is a resounding YES!
What does the application process look like?
Ready to apply? Applications for UOnline’s MAT-FA program are accepted between August and March (for exact dates please visit the UOnline Master of Teaching—Fine Arts webpage) with an application fee of $55. To apply you need to go to this webpage to fill out the information and send your application materials.
The application materials required for UOnline’s MAT-FA program are:
- Statement of Purpose: a written statement where you describe your background, interests, and goals in the study of arts education. This is where you let the program know why you want to be there and why you belong.
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae: listing your educational background and experience within the arts.
- Letter(s) of Recommendation: one letter of recommendation is required, with a second one being optional. This letter will be requested by the MAT-FA program after you supply their information and they’ll submit the letter directly to the program.
- Arts Teaching Portfolio: this includes three lesson plans, a 5- to 8-minute video of you teaching within your medium, images of youth work and/or performances conducted alongside various community members, and (optionally) any other creative work that you want to include that relates to your teaching in the arts.
- Current Background Check: students must submit documentation of a cleared background check prior to recommendation for admission into the program.
After submitting everything via the application website above, top applicants will be interviewed by the Arts Education Committee.
Putting everything together for this application can feel a little daunting. But if you infuse it with your passion for your art, the passion for teaching, and show that you know what you’re doing, you’re sure to create something spectacular.
What are you waiting for?
If you’re looking for a way to move up in your career, become a better teacher, and find a community of fellow artists then UOnline’s Master of Arts in Teaching—Fine Arts could be exactly what you need! Check out the website and start working on your application today.
Questions? Reach out to the UOnline team at .
The Masters of Arts in Teaching Fine Arts (MAT-FA) program at the University of Utah continues to draw accolades nationally as a top online program.
A recent ranking from Online Schools Report identified the program as #3 in the 10 Best Online Master's in Art and Art History Programs. The ranking considered department size, median debt, department popularity, online presence, admission rate, and student satisfaction.
Additionally, EducationDegree.com ranked the MAT-FA program #17 of Best Online Master’s Degrees in Education for 2021.
"The two-year program prepares educators to provide a high-quality education in all sorts of arts, including both performing and visual. Courses focus on building skills such as methods-based arts teaching, curriculum planning, and art teaching theory." EducationDegree.com wrote.
They went on to say: "The University of Utah online program combines traditional learning online learning, which allows students to study at their own pace, with an interactive online experience, including group projects, discussion forums, and peer reviews. Online students also have access to the same instructors and academic advising resources as in-person students."
Learn more about the program here!
Masters of Arts in Teaching Fine Arts
University of Utah
#3 in 10 Best Online Master's in Art & Art History Programs
Online Schools Report
#17 Best Online Master's Degrees in Education 2021
EducationDegree.com
When it began its first year, the Master of Arts in Teaching Fine Arts program at the University of Utah was already rated #11 in the top 50 Online Master’s in Education Programs by TheBestSchools.Org.
Recently, that ranking got a significant bump.
In the latest report, MAT-FA is now ranked #7, placing it among many prestigious peer institutions in the nation’s top ten.
Now in its third cohort, MAT-FA is home to 32 students pursuing Master's degrees. In May of 2020, 20 students graduated from the first cohort, and this spring 15 more graduates will join them. MAT-FA graduates recently received their educator license lane change, earning them salary increases.
Our alumni share that beyond an increased capacity to teach the arts in public K-12 schools and community spaces, they experience a strong ability to advocate, understand and implement policy, and to pursue administrative positions.
Here’s what our students had to say:
“The MAT-FA program allows practicing artists and teachers, like me, the flexibility to complete a graduate degree while continuing to do the work we love. With the support of committed faculty and classmates from each of the fine arts disciplines, my education in this program h
as helped me articulate, refine, and build beyond my professionalization to improve the quality of my students' learning in more meaningful and empowering ways.”
- Kelly Brooks, second-year MAT-FA student.
“Upon starting the program online in the summer I was immediately engaged by the fabulous faculty and inspirational classmates. The content was valuable as a student studying the foundations of arts education, but even more beneficial was the direct connection to my new work as an online/virtual music educator in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
- Judson Armstrong, first-year MAT-FA student.
“As a high school theatre educator, I spent years searching for my "dream graduate program" and I found it with the MAT-FA program at the University of Utah. The hybrid online model is an amazing mixture of engaging in-person learning and rigorous online content that works with my busy schedule as a full-time teacher and single mom.”
- Jana Timpson, second-year MAT-FA student.
For more information about the Master's of Arts in Teaching Fine Arts at the University of Utah, click here.
The Masters of Arts in Teaching - Fine Arts program transformed my thinking (and you can apply now)
By Laura Decker
I decided to apply to the Master of Arts in Teaching - Fine Arts (MAT-FA) program because I was interested in deepening my development as a fine arts educator. The program's hybrid online/in-person structure was a perfect fit because I worked on a public school schedule. I also knew that taking classes as a cohort is a lot about developing relationships. It was important for me to get to know my classmates during the summer intensive before starting the program's online component.
Through the MAT-FA, I learned how to implement community building strategies and design participant-centered, art-making educational experiences.
Through the MAT-FA, I learned how to implement community building strategies and design participant-centered, art-making educational experiences. Before I was a student in the program, I saw art education as black and white--either teaching art skills or using art to integrate other subjects. The MAT-FA transformed my thinking from that rigid lens into more of a prism in which all of these moving parts (art forms, curriculum design, and the participants themselves) work together to make something beautiful.
Now, my visual art lessons are more interactive, collaborative, and, most importantly, student-driven. Just this week, I was teaching an introduction to perspective drawing, which can be pretty formulaic and boring. Still, I hooked my students by drawing from their interests to determine the scene we would do for our initial draw-along. The result was a crazy combination of the Wild West, a giant city, mountains, the beach, and a castle. It was the most fun I've ever had teaching perspective drawing, and every single student loved it. In some ways, I feel like this lesson encapsulates the MAT-FA program--it's lots of fun, makes you think outside the box, and changes the way you think about teaching.
Applications for MAT-FA Summer 2021 are now open!
Calling all Arts Educators! Complete your degree at the University of Utah while continuing to work full-time.
The Master of Arts in Teaching with an emphasis in Fine Arts (MAT-FA) is a two-year, primarily online program, with a short on-campus residency. Our program focuses on the development of rigorous pedagogical expertise required to improve the delivery of high-quality arts experiences. The MAT-FA is for teaching artists seeking a graduate-level degree that emphasizes advanced coursework and pedagogy related to teaching in and across the arts.
Click here to learn more and apply.
How do we effectively create inclusive arts integrated learning spaces for all students?
On Tuesday, January 14th at the Arts Education Research Symposium, the College of Fine Arts alongside principals, district leaders, and community arts colleagues, will tackle this very question. The goal? To network, share research, prompt discussion, and forge partnerships in an effort to continually create environments in school where all learners are included and can thrive.
As Kelby McIntyre-Martinez, Assistant Dean for Arts Education & Community Engagement, explained: “The inclusive arts landscape has drastically changed over the last decade, and so has our K-12 student body. As we work towards creating educational spaces that truly include all learners, it is vital that our educational systems and teacher preparation programs implement relevant methodologies that are innovative, mutually beneficial, and celebrate each child’s abilities and unique contributions.”
The Arts Education Research Symposium will include a short, interactive STEAM performance and movement workshop led by the Deaf Children’s Theatre Touring Company, Sunshine 2.0, from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
Following, local administrators and Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program specialists will share best inclusive practices. Speakers will include: principal Lori Reynolds and specialist Jonathan Hale from Sprucewood Elementary in Canyons School District, principal Ann Kane and specialist Rachel Lankford from Mill Creek Elementary in Granite School District, and elementary teaching and learning director Melissa Hamilton of Murray School District. These leaders will present arts inclusion research projects that have seen incredible results within their own schools and districts.
Research has shown participation in educational inclusive arts programs contributes to individuals’ skill development, which in turn can lead to confidence building as well as increased social and academic participation (Hillier, Greher, Poto, & Dougherty, 2012). Knowing this, how might we better prepare arts educators to adapt, differentiate and modify instruction across the arts more effectively?
“This past academic year, school administrators, in partnership with the College of Fine Arts, identified that inclusive art making and the sharing of best practices across the region was a top priority,” McIntrye-Martinez explained. “The Arts Education Research Symposium is specifically designed to address the interests and needs of our partner school districts.”
Join us in this inspiring opportunity to connect and create.
Arts Education Research Symposium: Inclusion Through the Arts
Tuesday, January 14th at 8:45 am – 12:45 pm (light breakfast & lunch provided)
Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts and Education Complex at 1721 Campus Center Drive
The U's MAT-FA program ranked as the 11th best online Masters of Education Program in the nation
We are thrilled to annouce that the University of Utah's Master of Arts in Teaching with an emphasis in Fine Arts (MAT-FA) has been ranked as the 11th Best Online Master's Program in the nation TheBestSchools.org. The criteria for putting a school on this list includes the reputation of the school and its faculty, its dedication to a broad liberal arts education, its accreditation, and its overall academic caliber compared to other institutions of the same type within the same state.
The U’s online master of arts in teaching fine arts degree includes 30 credits of coursework, and participants can complete the program in two years. The program emphasizes pedagogical knowledge and skills applicable to fine arts instruction. Students complete 18 credits of content to support two 12-day summer residencies on the university’s main campus. The remaining 12 credits consist of online classes completed during the fall and spring semesters. Students also focus on areas of fine arts teaching theory and practice during three teaching practica at local or regional partners. This program offers licensed educators the opportunity to enhance their current skills and advance in the field. Professional artists, arts education scholars and researchers, curriculum designers, directors, and arts advocates can also benefit from enrolling in this program.
“I haven’t found another master degree program like this. It focuses solely on teaching in and through the arts. I am a single mom, so the hybrid-online structure allows me the opportunity to continue working and providing for my family. This program has inspired me as a teacher in the field of arts education in ways I didn’t even imagine.” Heidi Green, Elementary Music Education Teacher.
“This is one of the first programs that dealt with teaching the arts. I researched the faculty and realized the broad spectrums of expertise they bring in the field of arts education, knowledge that I am really excited to learn.” Chad Zielinski, Secondary Visual Art Teacher.
Want to learn more about the program? Vsit here.