Mar 28, 2024  
Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2018-2019 
    
Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2018-2019 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] See drop-down menu above to access other catalogs.

Creative Arts, MAT


Department: Art and Art History

The Master of Arts in Teaching in Creative Arts degree was developed for PreK-12 visual arts teachers who have an initial license and are seeking a professional license in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Our Mission is to ensure that our MAT graduate students receive a rigorous and comprehensive education, and a focus that provides the education and training to become a successful Artist-teacher. It is the department of Art and Art History’s conviction that the specializations of teaching art in a quality program is most successful and valued when the teachers create their own artwork, have a firm understanding of creative art practices, as well as highly developed conceptual skills – all informing their philosophical and pedagogical approach.

Students within our program will develop technical proficiency in at least one area. They will also become more informed about art history and methodology. These skills will facilitate their studio investigations as they explore personal conceptual interests in depth. All MAT candidates are expected to create a cohesive body of artwork and thesis.

Students should consult the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures  section of this catalog for information regarding graduate program procedures.

Admission Requirements


  • A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 based upon four years of work or a 3.0 undergraduate GPA based upon work completed during the junior and senior years
  • An initial teaching license
  • Three appropriate letters of recommendation
  • Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work
  • A letter of intent (maximum 500 words)
  • 10 to 15 works of art to be submitted in JPEG format (no image to exceed 2MB) with an accompanying image list that includes information on medium, scale and year created
  • An artist statement
  • A visual analysis of a chosen work of art (maximum of 500 words)

Deadlines for application are:

April 1 for Fall semester

October 1 for Spring semester

February 1 for Summer sessions

Bridgewater State University students enrolled in an undergraduate art major may apply in their senior year to the College of Graduate Studies for early acceptance into the Creative Arts MAT program, provided they meet the following criteria:

  • be in possession of or eligible to receive (through completion of initial stage preparation program) an initial stage Teacher of Visual Arts license
  • completed at least one 400-level studio course (excluding ARTS 402, ARTS 404, ARTS 415, ARTS 418, ARTS 492, ARTS 498, ARTS 499)
  • have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8
  • completed an application to the Creative Arts MAT program

Although students may be accepted into the graduate program during their senior year, they will be classified as undergraduate students until all requirements of the Bachelor’s degree have been fulfilled and the Bachelor’s degree has been awarded. Upon successfully completing the undergraduate program, the student then will be admitted and classified as a graduate student in the semester immediately following conferral of the Bachelor’s degree. Students accepted under this program must begin taking graduate courses within one year after receipt of their Bachelor’s degree.

Please note: You must teach for three years to receive your professional license.

Program of Study


Creative Arts content courses (18 credits)


Graduate Committee Review


Students are required to present their studio investigations to the Graduate Committee to receive interdisciplinary feedback about their work and suggestions for further research and exploration. These reviews are to be held after the completion of:

3 ARTS credits
9 ARTS credits
15 ARTS/ARTH credits

Exit requirement (3 credits)


  • Successful completion of a thesis and oral defense is required. Students must follow the guidelines established by the College of Graduate Studies for completing a master’s thesis.

Total minimum credits: 36