Graduate Programs
Graduate Coordinator: Marjorie Williams-Smith
E-mail: mwsmith@ualr.edu
Master of Arts
The Master of Arts in Art Program offers three concentrations: art history, studio art, and art education. The program is housed in the Department of Art, which is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
Art History
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
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
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 childrenʹs 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. Applications received after these deadlines will be considered only for provisional enrollment.
Admission requires
- Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, with a cumulative GPA of 2.7 (4.0 scale) or 3.0 in the last 60 hours
- Two letters of recommendation (optional for students who have taken art course work 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 the University 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
- Portfolio of about 20 slides or CD 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
- Portfolio of about 20 slides or CD of 20 images
- 21 hours of studio art and a minimum of 9 hours in art history
Official transcripts, Graduate School Application Form, GRE score (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.
Transfer Credit
Up to six graduate hours with grades of B or better earned in the past five years may be transferred from another accredited institution.
Special Students
Students admitted to the Graduate School but not the art program may enroll in courses only with the coordinatorʹs and instructorʹs permission. If later admitted to the art program, no more than six hours (with grades of B or better) may be applied toward program requirements.
Program Requirements
All students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. Only 12 5000-level hours can count toward the degree; all remaining hours must be 7000-level. Grades of incomplete are discouraged and students with one or more 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.