To best meet the needs of our students, we have decided to suspend enrollment in the Master of Arts in Teachers of Art, Grades K-12, Professional Certification. We encourage you to explore MA in Art, Education, and Community Practice or MA in Teaching Art, Grades K-12, Initial Certification.
Develop your practice as an artist-teacher and prepare to work as a cultural producer, intellectual, and activist in schools, museums, the public sector, or community organizations. Through courses grounded in a progressive social justice approach, you will examine the making and teaching of art as a social act, and consider its philosophical, historical, political, and sociological contexts.
This master of arts program is available for students who already hold initial certification in teaching visual art. Graduates are eligible for New York State professional certification as a teacher of art, all grades (K–12). To fulfill the total requirements for professional teaching certification, students must also complete three years of school experience as a full-time paid teacher, which can be fulfilled while taking courses toward this degree. A degree offering initial teaching certification is also available.
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In order to be considered for admission to this program, you must hold initial teacher certification in art education.
We review all applications individually and holistically, but our expectation is that successful candidates for admission to any NYU Steinhardt MA program in teacher education will have a minimum 3.0 undergraduate grade point average. Special consideration may be granted to strong candidates with a GPA below 3.0.
These instructions and requirements are for all applicants. If you are not a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States, please read the special instructions for international applicants.
Your application will require the following items. The following are acceptable document types for uploads: .pdf, .jpeg, .jpg, .gif, .tiff, .png, .doc, .docx, and bitmap.
You are required to upload a copy of your most recent résumé or curriculum vitae as part of your application.
500 words. We encourage applicants to address the following in their statement: Describe your previous experiences teaching art or in other related fields. Why is it important to teach art in schools? What is the role of art and the artist in society today? Why are you applying to the NYU program in Art Education and how will the program support your personal and professional goals? We strongly encourage candidates to address their interest in the philosophy and focus of the NYU Art Education program as it relates to personal and professional goals.
Submit two letters of recommendation. Be sure to request them well in advance of the deadline. Read detailed instructions.
Your recommenders should be academic and professional colleagues related to your background in art and/or education and teaching.
Upload one official copy of transcripts from every postsecondary institution (college/university) you have attended or are attending. Please note: This includes transcripts from institutions where you received transfer credits or did not complete a degree. Make sure to request an official copy of the transcript(s) in advance of the deadline.
Transfer Credits
We understand accepted transfer credits may be clearly listed on your degree awarding institution’s transcript. The Office of Graduate Admissions still requires a transcript from the initial credit-granting institution where you took the course(s). Delay in listing and uploading these transcripts can significantly delay the application review process.
Institutions Outside the US or Canada
If you completed or are completing a degree at an institution outside of the US or Canada, you are required to provide a WES or ECE international credentials evaluation. Please review our requirements for translation and a course-by-course evaluation of your transcripts.
The GRE or MAT is NOT Required.
See testing requirements.
Please upload a visual portfolio that includes 15-20 images of creative work produced within the last 3-5 years. If you have previous teaching experience, you may submit an additional 5-10 images representing examples of teaching projects and student artwork. We encourage you to select a range of artworks that represent your ideas, strengths, and experience as an artist and artist educator. All portfolios must be submitted via your online application.
Your portfolio should be digital and images should be in .jpg, .png, or .gif format, and no larger than 1280 x 1024 pixels (maximum 5MB). .pdfs no larger than 10MB may be uploaded as well.
Each image should have a title, description, size, and medium entered at the time you upload it.
You may upload videos not in excess of 60 MB. Videos can be a compilation of various works, but the total running time cannot exceed five minutes per video. Genres appropriate to video documentation include video art, performance, and kinetic art, but not documentation of sculptures or exhibitions.
Please include an inventory of images/videos in .pdf format with your name in the top right hand corner and a list of images numbered in the order of viewing. Include title, if any, medium, dimensions, and date.
We do not accept PowerPoint or Keynote presentations. You may also upload an optional artist’s statement in the Portfolio section of the online application.
Optional. Upload the Artist Statement to the Portfolio section of the online application.
You are required to scan and upload evidence of your teacher certification, credential, or license as part of your application. If you are currently in school and expect to receive your teacher's certification after you graduate, you will use this section on the application to upload a note indicating this.
We invite applicants to interview with us as part of the admission process, either in person, on Zoom, or by phone. This interview is a chance to meet our faculty and an opportunity to ask questions about the program and NYU campus. The Art+Education program will contact you by email to schedule your interview after reviewing your application materials.
After you fill in and upload the required information, you can submit your completed application. Your application must be completed, dated, electronically signed, and submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST of the stated deadline.
You will be prompted to pay a $75 application fee, payable by major credit card only. After submitting your payment, you will see your application status change from “saved” to “submitted.” Please print this screen for your records, as it confirms that your application has been successfully sent to our school. If you have problems submitting your payment, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions. Learn more about our fee waiver policy.
If any application materials need to be mailed to our office, mail the materials to NYU Steinhardt, Office of Graduate Admissions, 82 Washington Square East, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10003-6680. Please do not mail your materials in binders or folders. Any mailed materials must be received by, not postmarked by, the stated deadline. Only completed applications will be considered and reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Due to high volume, we are unable to confirm receipt of mailed materials.
Application deadlines are "in-office" deadlines, not postmark deadlines. It is your responsibility to ensure that all materials are in the Office of Graduate Admissions by the appropriate deadline, and we reserve the right to return any application that arrives after the deadline. Only completed applications will be considered. Should a deadline fall on a weekend, the in-office deadline will be the next business day. We advise you to apply early.
Please check the online system to confirm that you have successfully submitted your application. Due to the volume of applications and related materials received, the Office of Graduate Admissions will only contact you if your application was successfully submitted and is deemed incomplete because of missing required materials. Otherwise, you will hear from us when the admissions committee has made its decision.
Deferral policy: NYU Steinhardt does not allow deferrals. Applicants who wish to be considered for a future semester must reapply by submitting a new application with all supporting materials, including letters of recommendation, by the application deadline.
You will be notified about your decision by email. Typically, decisions will start going out in late November for Spring semester enrollment and in late March or early April for Summer or Fall enrollment. You may learn of your decision before or after this timeline.
The Art + Education Programs offer merit and need-based scholarships. In order to be eligible for any financial aid you MUST complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The deadline to submit the FAFSA is March 1 for Fall enrollment. Do not wait to be accepted. You can use tax forms from the previous tax year to submit.
For more information please visit the NYU Financial Aid website, Steinhardt Graduate Financial Aid site, and the NYU Steinhardt Office of Admissions Paying for Your Education site.
