Master of Arts in Art
The Master of Arts in Art program offers three concentrations: art history, studio art, and art education. For detailed information about the programs, visit the M.A. in Art website. The program is housed in the Department of Art, which is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
Art history is designed for persons interested in professional, academic, museum studies, or arts management careers and prepares students for doctoral study. It offers a broad-based study of the history of visual expression and opportunities for advanced research projects. Art historians analyze and articulate the meaning and form of human experience as embodied in works of art. The field encompasses the world of art and architecture as it exists today and has been understood visually and verbally in the past.
Studio art prepares persons to practice art in a professional capacity, to teach art, and for further study toward the terminal Master of Fine Arts degree. It offers professional development in a major art field and skill development for certified teachers of art. Major studio fields include drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, illustration and graphic design, sculpture, and ceramics. This concentration is designed for those with the potential to sustain productive careers as artists and who will continue to produce, exhibit, and approach their work critically.
Art education provides advanced experiences specific to art instruction for persons who come from a wide range of educational settings. Students gain a better understanding of the history of art education, various teaching philosophies and curricular approaches, theories of teaching and learning, assessment of children’s art progress, teacher and program assessment, and research. This concentration does not lead to teaching licensure.
Admission Requirements
Prospective applicants are encouraged to schedule an interview with the program coordinator before applying, although this is not required. All application materials are due by April 1 for the fall semester and November 1 for the spring semester.
Official transcripts, GRE scores (if used), and letters of recommendation should be sent to the UALR Graduate School. Other requirements should be sent to the program coordinator in the Department of Art.
Admission requirements are as follows:
- Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale). A B.A. or B.F.A. in art is preferable but other experiences will be considered.
- Two letters of recommendation (optional for students who have taken art courses at UALR during the three years previous to the application)
- Statement of objectives and goals (500-1,000 words)
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score is optional and may be submitted to bolster the application. (Application forms for some financial aid offered through UALR require information about the GRE score.)
Art History Additional Requirements:
- Undergraduate research paper. (preferably treating an art historical problem but may be in a related area such as literature, history, cultural or intellectual history, anthropology, or aesthetics)
- 18 undergraduate art history hours.
Studio Art Additional Requirements:
- CD Portfolio of 20 images
- 36 undergraduate art hours, including 15 in the major area and 9 in art history (18 major area hours for illustration and graphic design)
Art Education Additional Requirements:
- CD Portfolio of 20 images. (Not more than 8 images of the 20 may be of the students’ work. The applicant’s work must be clearly labeled.)
- 21 hours of studio art and a minimum of 9 hours in art history.
3D Studies
- Digital portfolio of 20 high-quality images (detailing a minimum of ten artworks) with the majority of the works in the medium of focus*
- 24 undergraduate art hours, including 9 in art history** is preferable but other experiences will be considered
*To be considered for admittance, the portfolio must show proficient skills indicating the ability to conduct self-directed work in the intended area of focus. The applicant may choose to include work from additional mediums. The portfolio should be of an overall high quality in every medium show.
**Admittance requires 9 hours of art history. Students that do not have the prerequisite hours will be required to complete these prior to enrolling in the seminar. Remedial hours cannot be counted as credit hours toward the M.A. degree.
Transfer Credit
Up to six graduate hours with grades of B or greater earned in the past five years may be transferred from another accredited institution.
Special Students
Students admitted to the Graduate School as a special student, but not the art program, may enroll in courses only with the coordinator’s and instructor’s permission. If later admitted to the art program, the student may not apply more than six hours (with grades of B or greater) toward program requirements.
Graduate Assistantships
A limited number of graduate assistantships are available. Contact the program coordinator for information.
Program Requirements
All students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. Only twelve hours at the 5000 level may count toward the degree; all remaining hours must be 7000-level. Grades of “incomplete” are discouraged, and students with one or more “incompletes” may be restricted in the number of hours they may take in a subsequent semester. An Advancement to Candidacy Examination or Critique is required. Students are also expected to participate regularly in special seminars and workshops and to attend lectures and gallery openings organized by the department.
Studio Art (ARST)
The studio art concentration requires at least 36 graduate credit hours, including 18 hours in a major studio field (or 12 major and 6 minor hours); 9 art history hours; 3 approved liberal arts hours (may be upper-level undergraduate); 3 elective hours; and ARST 7399 Thesis . A foreign language is not required.
Students work with a faculty advisor in the major studio field to design a course of study. Courses are divided into Level I and Level II. The Advancement to Candidacy Critique must be passed before enrolling for ARST 7399 Thesis .
The Advancement to Candidacy Critique, which is open to all faculty, is scheduled when all Level I courses have been completed with a cumulative 3.0 GPA. The student’s portfolio and all work in the program are reviewed by a faculty committee of at least three persons selected by the student in consultation with the major field advisor and program coordinator. The committee may recommend that the student continue to Level II, repeat some or all of Level I, or be dismissed from the program.
The thesis topic must be approved by the candidate’s advisory committee. Thesis includes a written component, an exhibition, and oral defense. Each of these components must follow departmental guidelines and Graduate School thesis standards.
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