Apply to SAIC's Graduate and Post-Bacc programs by January 10 for fall 2025 admission.
MA in Art Education Admissions Information
MA in Art Education Admissions Information
Application deadline: January 10
The Master of Arts in Art Education (MAAE) program prepares artists, educators, designers, curators, teachers, organizers, activists and other professionals seeking to be creative agents of change within a wide variety of cultural and educational contexts. MAAE program focuses include social justice pedagogical practices, socially engaged art, collaborative practices, curriculum and project design for school, museum and community settings, creative youth development, museum education, and design and environmental activism.
Meaningful Careers in the Expanded Field of Art and Design Education
The MAAE program reflects the expanded field of art and design education, preparing candidates for a range of careers in the arts including educational and social service institutions, museums, galleries, universities, cultural centers, community-based organizations, NGOs, and other learning sites. Students graduate from the MAAE program with a deep knowledge of critical theories related to practices of art education, developing and implementing cultural programming, experiences working in diverse communities, and a life-long extended network of SAIC Art Education alums working throughout the world.
Flexible Curriculum Structure
The MAAE is an individualized 36-credit hour program that can be completed full or part-time in which students design a curriculum plan pertaining to their area of interest, career goals, and anticipated completion pace. Our students pursue research and fieldwork in established art education settings as well as in fields such as environmentalism, social practice, science, health, human rights, and literacy.
Chicago as Your Campus
The program’s location in Chicago offers myriad opportunities to interact with the city’s rich and diverse cultures of the arts and arts education. During their research, students actively engage in professional practice at museums, arts education organizations, community and activist organizations or other sites directly related to their career goals or interests.
Sites at which recent MAAE students have worked:
Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago Children's Museum
Chicago Park District
Chicago Public Art Group
Chicago Public Schools
Chinese American Museum of Chicago
Detroit Institute of the Arts
Harold Washington Library
Homan Square, SAIC
Hubbard Street Dance
LGBTQ Center on Addison
Milwaukee Art Museum
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Next.cc
Project Onward
Puerto Rican Cultural Center
South Side Community Art Center
Storycatchers Theatre: Youth Development Organization
Street-Level Youth Media
Young Chicago Authors
Application and Admissions Information
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Priority Deadline: December 1 - $45 Application Fee
Final Deadline: January 10 - $90 Application Fee
Apply online via SlideRoomSAIC requires applicants to apply online. Filing an online application requires a valid credit card and a current email address. You may apply to up to three programs with one application and fee. If you are applying to either the MFA in Studio or the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio you may select up to three departments of entry.
Applications must be submitted prior to 11:00 p.m. (CST) on the appropriate deadline. When you click the "submit" button on the Graduate Application form, you will be prompted to enter credit card information to pay the application fee. Your application form is not fully submitted until you have entered your credit card information.
Under no circumstances will an application fee be refunded. After you submit the application form you will be directed to a dashboard where you can begin working on your ePortfolio(s).
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A conferred four-year baccalaureate degree or its equivalent is required for admission to all graduate programs at SAIC. Transcripts are records of your studies that list the courses you completed, the grades received, and provide evidence of degree conferral. They may include grade sheets, exam results, final diplomas, degrees, or graduation certificates. Official copies are issued in the original language directly by your university. Copies must bear the official stamp or seal of the institution, as well as the signature of the appropriate official such as the dean, rector, registrar, controller of examinations, or office of teaching affairs. Photos, notarized copies, facsimiles, or email transmissions are not acceptable.
Official translations are expected for all educational documents issued in a language other than English. A translation agency or university language department should issue official translations typed on official stationary and the translator must attest proficiency in the original language and indicate their translations are accurate word-for-word.
During the application process an unofficial transcript is acceptable for review pending an Admissions decision. Official transcripts are required upon admission. Include transcripts both official and unofficial from all universities/colleges from which a degree was obtained or prerequisites were fulfilled. You can attach unofficial transcripts as .pdf or .jpg files in the Educational History section of the application form. If you are in the process of completing a bachelor's degree when you apply, a transcript showing your first three years of study is acceptable.
Transcripts are considered official if sent directly from the degree- or credit-granting institution to the SAIC Graduate Admissions Office. Hard copy transcripts are considered official if the documents remain in the registrar's original signed and sealed envelopes. Official transcripts can be sent both in digital and hard-copy format. Digital transcripts can be sent from the degree- or credit-granting institution to gradmiss@saic.edu. Hard copy transcripts can be mailed to:
SAIC Graduate
36 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 1201
Chicago, IL 60603 -
Applicants must submit two statements of 500 to 1,000 words each:
- An autobiographical statement describing formal and informal education in the arts; work experience in the arts; commitment to education, humanitarian, and/or arts advocacy; and artistic accomplishments.
- A statement of career goals and reasons for applying to the program.
A statement of intent is required for all graduate programs though the content varies by department. You will upload your statement of purpose to the Attachments section of your E-Portfolio.
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Two Letters of Reference are required. You are responsible for securing letters of recommendation from persons who are qualified to write about your potential for success at SAIC. If you are currently a student or are a recent graduate, we recommend you request letters of recommendation from current or former instructors.
Letters of recommendation should be submitted electronically via the References section of the application form. In this section you will be asked to provide an email address for each of your references. Once you click "send request," an email will be sent from SlideRoom to your references with instructions on how to submit their recommendations online.
If your references are unable to provide an online recommendation please contact the Graduate Admissions office at gradmiss@saic.edu.
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A current résumé is required. A resume is required for all graduate programs. Upload your résumé to the Attachments section in your E-Portfolio.
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Your portfolio should represent your area of highest achievement in an arts profession. For example, studio-based work accompanied by descriptions; creative or scholarly writing; or documentation of art education projects in schools, museums, or community-based settings.
Your visual portfolio should consist of up to 20 images, or up to 10 minutes of time-based work, or a combination of the two in which one image is equivalent to approximately two minutes of time-based work.
Applicants are required to submit an E-Portfolio, though the content varies by department. Please visit your individual program of interest to find details. You must submit a separate E-Portfolio for each program or studio department to which you apply. After you pay the application fee and submit the application form, an E-Portfolio for each of the programs you selected in the application form will automatically appear in your SlideRoom dashboard.
Submission specifications:
- Images: .jpg, .gif, .pdf (up to 5 MB each)
- Videos: .flv, .wv, .mov (up to 60 MB each)
- Audio: .mp3 (up to 10 MB each)
- Text documents: MUST be in .pdf format (up to 10 MB each)
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TOEFL: 100
IELTS: 7
DUOLINGO: 120International applicants are required to submit evidence of English language proficiency. You are waived from this requirement if you meet any of the following conditions:
- Your native language is English
- You have an undergraduate degree conferred by a U.S. accredited university
- You have an undergraduate degree conferred by a university whose primary language of instruction is English
If you do not meet one of these conditions, you must submit official English language proficiency test scores. You are strongly encouraged to schedule a language proficiency test appointment as early as possible in order to receive official test scores prior to the application deadline.
SAIC accepts official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and Duolingo. The TOEFL Institution Code for SAIC is 1713. Please upload an unofficial copy of your test score results to the International Requirements section of the application form.
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The department conducts interviews by invitation only. Applicants who pass the preliminary review will be invited to schedule an interview in Mid-February. Notification will be sent by late January. For students at a distance or unable to travel, interviews may be conducted remotely.
Take the Next Step
Visit the graduate admissions website or contact the graduate admissions office at 312.629.6100, 800.232.7242 or gradmiss@saic.edu.