The Educational Specialist (EDS) in Education (Art Education Emphasis) program is offered jointly by the College of Education and the Lamar Dodd School of Art. 

EDS Worksheet

Designed as an advanced course of study in art education, this flexible Educational Specialist (EdS) program is for working art education professionals who already hold a master's degree in Art Education. This program allows students from a variety of art education contexts to further their art education expertise and offers eligibility for a T-6 certificate upgrade to those working in PK-12 schools without the commitment to a doctorate degree program. 

Through this program, students will refine their craft and develop the capacity for leadership by tailoring their studies to their specific contexts, interests, and goals. By focusing on an area of professional emphasis, students will develop specialized expertise that will prepare them to make significant professional contributions in their educational contexts and in leadership roles. Depending on their goals, graduates might pursue higher level professional positions such as curators of education in museums, leaders of community art organizations, or school-based department heads, program coordinators, instructional coaches, and curriculum writers.

The degree requires 30 hours of coursework beyond a master's degree, including the completion of an Area of Emphasis Portfolio. 

 

Highlights:

1. Designed for working art education professionals who already hold a master's degree
2. Offers online, evening, and summer classes in a variety of formats
3. Earns upgraded T-6 Georgia teaching certification for those working in PK-12 schools

Curriculum:

Create your own advanced degree in art education through a combination of upper-level coursework and the development of an Area of Emphasis Portfolio.

As part of your personalized program of study, you will choose courses to fulfill program requirements in three areas: art education, research, and an area of emphasis. Areas of emphasis may include, for example:

• Curriculum theory and design
• Interdisciplinary learning 
• Leadership and supervision 
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Historical research in art education
• Arts-based research
• Art education in museums
• Art education in the community

You will complete 30 hours of coursework comprising:

 courses in art education

• 4 courses in art education
• 2 research courses (one course about research methods and one that allows time for the development of your Area of Emphasis Portfolio)
• 4 Courses (selected in consultation with your advisor) in an area of emphasis

 

Program of Study

First steps:

• Consult the Graduate School’s “to do” list for new students.
• Request to join relevant listservs:

1. Art Education Graduate Student listserv: Send a message to the current Area Chair of Art Education, requesting to be added to the list.
2. Art Graduate Student listserv: Send a message to the current Assistant to the Associate Director of Graduate Studies in the School of Art, requesting to be added to the list.

• Email your assigned EDS Advisor (each new EDS student will be assigned an Art Education faculty Advisor) to discuss course registration.
• To access the online course schedule and register for classes, go to the registrar’s website. The course schedule contains information on registration dates and deadlines. A tutorial is available for students new to the ATHENA online registration system.
• Read the guidelines for the development of your Area of Emphasis Portfolio. This portfolio will demonstrate your accomplishment of the following Educational Specialist in Art Education program objectives: 
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of theory and research in their discipline
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of the research process and capacity to conduct applied research in their discipline
• Students will demonstrate specialized knowledge or skills in one core discipline-specific area.

 

Program Requirements

University-wide Required Courses

As of fall 2022, all graduate students are required to take the GradFIRST seminar (GRSC 7001). This one-credit, seminar style class is designed to introduce graduate students to supplement discipline-specific education with more generalized material meant to help incoming students successfully navigate graduate education at UGA. 

Coursework

Choose 10 courses (30 credit hours) to fulfill the requirements for Areas A, B, and C of the program of study.

• Courses may not duplicate courses taken in other degree programs within the past five years. 
• Courses must be at the 6000 level or above. 
• All courses should be chosen in direct consultation with your Art Education Advisor.
• Although there are recommended courses listed for each of the three areas of the degree, advisors have the discretion to approve courses that are not listed in this document.
• Use the charts below (See Appendix A for simplified chart) to record your coursework.

 

Area A: Art Education (12 credits)

Hours Required	Course Number and Name	Semester Taken and Name of Professor (e.g. Fall, 2020, Hanawalt)
3
3
3
3

 

Key for Art Education Coursework Symbols (use Athena to check times/semesters-offered for courses outside of Art Education):

E: Online Course

*: Evening Course

+: Summer Course

Choose from the following Art Education courses:

ARED 6350S, Elementary Curriculum in Art Education (3 hours)

ARED 6360S, Secondary Curriculum in Art Education (3 hours)

ARED 6010, Art Criticism and Aesthetic Understanding (3 hours)

ARED 7310 or 7310E, Multicultural and Cross-Cultural Study in Art Education (3 hours)

ARED 7500, Introduction to Museum Education (3 hours) or FCID 7010, Introduction to Museum Studies (3 hours)

ARED 7370*, Curriculum Theory and Practice in Art Education (3 hours)

ARED 8410*, History of Art Education (3 hours)

ARED 8430*, Topics in Art Education (3 hours)

ARED 8460*, Theoretical Perspectives in Art Education (3 hours)

ARED 9630*, Writing Critique in Art Education (3 hours) 

 

Area B: Research (6 credits)

Hours Required	Course Number and Name	Semester Taken and Name of Professor (e.g. Fall, 2020, Hanawalt)
3
3	Final Semester: ARED 7650: Applied Project in Art Ed

 

Two courses should be chosen in consultation with your Art Education Advisor:

ARED 7650, Applied Project in Art Education (3 hours; Independent Study)

ARED 8990*, Research Seminar in Art Education (3 hours)

ERSH 6200 or 6200E, Methods of Research in Education (3 hours)

ETAP(QUAL)(ERSH) 7500 or 7500E, Action Research (3 hours)

LLED(QUAL) 8055, Youth Participatory Action Research (3 hours)

LLED(QUAL) 8590 or 8590E, Arts-Based Inquiry in Diverse Learning Communities (3 hours)

QUAL 8400 or 8400E, Qualitative Research Traditions (3 hours)

 

Area C: Electives Related to an Area of Emphasis (12 credits)

Hours Required	Course Number and Name	Semester Taken and Name of Professor (e.g. Fall, 2020, Hanawalt)
3
3
3
3

 

Possible Electives:

ARST courses 6000 or above (must be approved by Art Education Advisor)

CHFD 8920(PSYC), Behavior Problems in Children (3 hours)

CMLT(AFST)(LACS) 6545, Comparative Postcolonial Studies (3 hours)

EDAP 6170, Educational Law and Professional Ethics (3 hours)

EDAP 7020, Instructional Leadership for School Improvement (3 hours)

EDAP 7030, Developing, Supporting, and Sustaining a Positive Learning Community (3 hours)

EDAP 7040, Educational Law and Ethical Leadership (3 hours)

EDAP 7060, Policies, Systems, and Resources for Educational Enterprises

EDAP 7070, Curriculum Development and Evaluation (3 hours)

EDEC 7010, Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education (3 hours)

EDEC 7020, Theory and Curriculum in Early Childhood Education (3 hours)

EDEC 8260, Post-Structural Theory and Early Childhood Education (3 hours)

EDEC(WMST) 8400, Feminist Perspectives in Elementary Education  (3 hours)

EDMG(ETAP) 7060S, Theory and Practice of Service-Learning in P-12 Settings (3 hours)

EDUC 7040, History of Education in the United States (3 hours)

EDUC 7120, Sociological Theories of Education (3 hours)

EPSY 6010, Foundations of Human Development for Education (3 hours)

EPSY 7060, Assessment of Gifted Children and Youth (3 hours)

EPSY 7110, Characteristics of Gifted Children and Youth (3 hours)

ESPY 7240, Creativity: Instructional Procedures and Problem Solving Processes (3 hours)

ESPY 8160, Special Topics in Educational Psychology (3 hours)

ESPY 8220, Theories of Creativity (3 hours)

ETAP 7045, Special Topics in Education Theory and Practice (3 hours)

ETAP 7120, Children’s Social Lives (3 hours)

ETAP 7210, Social Class, Poverty, and Class-Sensitive Pedagogy (3 hours)

ETAP 7310, Critical Studies in Educational Theory and Practice (3 hours)

ETAP 7320, Sociopolitical Perspectives on Assessment (3 hours)

ETAP 7550, The History Teachers and Teaching in the United States (3 hours)

ETAP 7600, Hip Hop Pedagogy: Possibilities, Challenges, and Social Justice (3 hours)

ETAP 7610E, Classroom Management in Culturally Responsive Classrooms (3 hours)

ETAP 7700, Sustainability Education: Promising Practices (3 hours)

ETAP 8045, Special Topics in Education Theory and Practice (3 hours)

ETAP 8140,  Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Learning Environments for Children and Young     

                      Adolescents (3 hours)

ETAP 8150, Research and Theory in Family-School-Community Interactions (3 hours)

ETAP 8180, Research in Multicultural Teacher Education (3 hours)

ETAP 8190, Mentoring in Learning to Teach (3 hours)

ETAP(ECUD) 8460,The Ecological Context of Urban Education (3 hours)

ETAP 8560, New Materialism and New Empiricism in Educational Theory and Practice (3 hours)

ETAP 8585, Foucault and Education (3 hours)

ETAP 8595, Derrida, Deconstruction, and Education (3 hours)

ETAP 8700, Psychoanalysis and Education (3 hours)

JRMC(WMST) 8070, Media Culture and Diversity (3 hours)

LLED 6310, Survey of Children’s Literature, Grades P-8 (3 hours)

LLED 7335 or 7335E, Reading Picture Books (3 hours)

LLED 7710, Writing Cultures: A Poetry Workshop for Creative Educators (3 hours)

LLED 7504, Reflective Practices and Performances in the TESOL and WLE Classroom (3 hours)

LLED 7312,  Children's Literature in the Curriculum, Grades P-8 (3 hours)

LLED 7910E, New Literacies (3 hours)

LLED 8200, Critical Pedagogies (3 hours)

LLED 8330E, Popular Culture in Literacy Classrooms (3 hours)

LLED 8650, Translingual Memoir (3 hours)

LLED 8710,  An Advanced Poetry Workshop for Interdisciplinary Understanding (3 hours)

LLOD(WMST) 8180, Feminist Pedagogy (3 hours)

PSYC 6110, Basic Learning Processes (3 hours)

PSYC 6210, Individual Differences (3 hours)

SOCI(AFAM) 8370, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity (3 hours)

WMST(AFAM) 6060, Black Feminism (3 hours)

WMST 6070, North American Asian Feminisms (3 hours)

WMST 6100, Queer Theories (3 hours)

WMST 6170S, Environment, Gender, Race, and Class (3 hours)

WMST 8030, Transnational Gender Studies (3 hours)

WMST 8100, LGBTQ Studies (3 hours)

 

Research electives (these could fulfill requirements in Area B or C):

ETAP(QUAL) 8100, Historical Inquiry and Research Methodologies (3 hours)

ETAP(QUAL) 8040, Video Ethnography of Education (3 hours)

QUAL 8150 or 8050E, Archival Research Methods in Special Collections (3 hours)

QUAL 8410, Designing Qualitative Research (3 hours)

QUAL 8420 or 8420E, Analyzing Qualitative Data (3 hours)

QUAL 8520 or 8520E, Interviewing Research (3 hours)

QUAL 8525 or 8525E, Narrative Analysis (3 hours)

QUAL 8530 or 8530E, Case Study Research (3 hours)

QUAL 8535 or 8535E, Oral History Research Methods (3 hours)

QUAL 8540 or 8540E, Fieldwork and Participant Observation (1-3 hours)

QUAL(ETAP) 8555 or 8555E, Interpretive Research with Children (3 hours)

QUAL 8575 or 8575E, Mixed Methods Approaches to Research (3 hours)

 

Area of Emphasis Portfolio

Throughout the program, you will be building a portfolio that demonstrates your expertise in an Area of Emphasis. Your final portfolio will be submitted in the form of a website (See Appendix B). You are responsible for collecting and developing the artifacts that will be included in your final portfolio. This is largely a self-guided process that should be worked on throughout your time in the program. 

IMPORTANT: Please be aware that faculty are not contracted during the summer. With this in mind, you should plan accordingly to ensure that you have the support you need for advising, proposals, assessments, or other forms of support during the academic year, which typically runs mid-August to mid-May. Any work you do in the summer months will need to be undertaken independently. This will be especially important for you to keep in mind in the later stages of your degree as you plan a timeline for completing your Area of Emphasis Portfolio, and, ultimately, graduation.

During your last semester, you will register for ARED 7650: Applied Project in Art Education. This course will function as a self-directed independent study, during which time you will complete and refine the requirements for your Area of Emphasis Portfolio.

As previously stated, possible areas of emphasis for your research include, but are not limited to:

• Curriculum theory and design
• Interdisciplinary learning 
• Leadership and supervision 
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Historical research in art education
• Arts-based research
• Art education in museums
• Art education in the community

As a reminder, this portfolio will demonstrate your accomplishment of the following Educational Specialist in Art Education program objectives: 

• Students will demonstrate knowledge of theory and research in their discipline
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of the research process and capacity to conduct applied research in their discipline
• Students will demonstrate specialized knowledge or skills in one core discipline-specific area.

 

The Area of Emphasis Portfolio must include the following Components:

1. Curriculum Vita

2. List of Courses Taken

3. Literature Review 

Complete a literature review specific to your area of emphasis. This should be a revised and refined version of a literature review that you already created in a course (such as ARED 8990, or another course). 

A Literature Review should:

• reflect a deep, systematic inquiry of literature relevant to an area of emphasis
• provide a critical discussion of information from a variety of sources rather than merely a summary of what you have read
• articulate scholarly insights you have gleaned from the review of literature
• be 15-20 pages
• follow APA style

4. Article for Publication

Identify a Journal for publication. Options include, but are not limited to: Art Education, Studies in Art Education, Visual Arts Research, etc. Write an article for the chosen journal, building upon writing you have done in your coursework. The article should focus on the area of emphasis you have pursued. You should use the journal requirements as well as the form of the articles published in the journal as a guide for the content of your article. You are encouraged to select a journal based on how you want your work to be represented. For example, some journals, such as Visual Arts Research, allow articles that foreground visual representation over text.

When writing your article, ground your work in contemporary theory, practices, and research in art education and consider how it will make a significant contribution to the field. Provide clear evidence of specialized knowledge or skills in your chosen area of emphasis. And, as in any scholarly writing in art education, make sure to follow APA style.

Common components of a journal article include:

• Introduction: Provide an overview of purpose, significance, and goals for the article.
• Literature review: Synthesize relevant literature as it relates to the goals of your article.
• Context and implementation
  • describe the context for your work
  • provide details of the topic explored and/or activities implemented
  • include supportive visuals (photographs, charts, tables, drawings, designs for materials and/or spaces, relevant visual culture/art, etc.)
• Key findings or insights
  • Report on what you learned and make connections to literature reviewed.
• Conclusions and implications
  • Tie back to the goals of the article as defined in the introduction and describe implications for future research or teaching.
• References

5. Reflective Essay

In a 5- to 7-page essay, reflect on your experiences in the program by describing the following:

• two to three key discoveries gained in relation to your area of emphasis.
• how this work has prepared you to make significant professional contributions or develop a leadership role in your professional context.

 

Checkpoints for Completing the Area of Emphasis Portfolio

In order to facilitate the completion of the Area of Emphasis Portfolio over the course of the EDS program, the process of completing the portfolio has been broken down into several checkpoints. The checkpoints are as follows:

1. Proposal for Intended Area of Emphasis

At the completion of 6 credit hours, you should discuss your intended area of emphasis with your advisor. Prepare a 1- to 2-page document for your advisor that includes the following:

• Describe an area of emphasis and explain why you are interested in this focus.
• List courses you intend to take in order to support your area of emphasis.

2. Mid-Program Assessment

At the completion of 15 credit hours in the program, you must demonstrate competency for continued study and completion of the Area of Emphasis Portfolio. At this time, you will submit the first three components of your Area of Emphasis Portfolio for review by your Advisor, who will use the rubric provided in Appendix C and will consult with at least one other member of the Art Education Faculty. 

The following requirements (refer to Area of Emphasis Portfolio requirements for details) should be submitted in the form of an in-progress website (See Appendix B):

• Curriculum Vita
• List of Courses Taken
• Literature Review 

3. Completion of the Area of Emphasis Portfolio

During your last semester, you will register for ARED 7650: Applied Project in Art Education. This course will function as a self-directed independent study, during which time you will:

• revise and refine your Curriculum Vita, List of Courses Taken, and Literature Review (submitted for the Mid-Program Assessment) 
• complete your Article for Publication and Reflective Essay 
• prepare your website to include all required components for final submission of your Area of Emphasis Portfolio

4. Final Portfolio Assessment

Upon the completion of your Area of Emphasis Portfolio, you will submit it to your Advisor to be assessed using the rubric provided in Appendix D. You must submit your portfolio to your Advisor no later than the 14th week of your final semester. Your advisor will perform a careful review of the Portfolio, will seek consultation from at least one other Art Education faculty member, and will provide feedback regarding the level to which the portfolio met the criteria for assessment. The Final Portfolio Assessment will result in a Pass/Fail decision that will be recorded on the Report of Final Portfolio Assessment form (provided by faculty) and submitted to the graduate school.

5. Program of Study for Nondoctoral Professional Degrees Form

The Program of Study for Nondoctoral Professional Degrees form must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than Friday of the first full week of classes in the semester you plan to graduate. Consult with your advisor to review your program of study and make sure you have met the course requirements as detailed in this document. The form can be completed electronically. Access this form on the Graduate School website: https://grad.uga.edu/index.php/current-students/forms/ 

6. Application for Graduation Form

The Application for Graduation form must be submitted no later than Friday of the first week of classes in the semester you plan to graduate. These deadlines are published on the Graduate School website. Students must enroll for a minimum of three hours during the semester in which degree requirements are completed. The application for graduation is submitted electronically and requires no signatures at: https://grad.uga.edu/index.php/current-students/policies-procedures/academics/application-for-graduation/  

 

Chart of Checkpoints for Completion of the Area of Emphasis Portfolio

Requirement	Suggested Timeframe	Date Fulfilled
Proposal for Intended Area of Emphasis	At the completion of 6 credit hours
Mid-Program Assessment	At the completion of 15 credit hours
Completion of the Area of Emphasis Portfolio	In the last semester (Register for ARED 7650)
Final Portfolio Assessment	Upon completion of your Area of Emphasis Portfolio; Must occur no later than the 14th week of your final semester. A Final Portfolio Assessment form will be submitted to the Graduate School with a pass/fail determination.
Program of Study Form	No later than Friday of the first full week of classes in the semester in which you intend to graduate
Application for Graduation Form	No later than Friday of the first full week of classes in the semester in which you intend to graduate

 

Appendix A

Course Requirements Worksheet (Simplified)

Area A: Art Education (12 credits)

Hours Required	Course Number and Name	Semester Taken and Name of Professor (e.g. Fall, 2020, Hanawalt)
3
3
3
3

 

Area B: Research (6 credits)

Hours Required	Course Number and Name	Semester Taken and Name of Professor (e.g. Fall, 2020, Hanawalt)
3
3	Final Semester: ARED 7650: Applied Project in Art Ed

 

Area C: Electives Related to an Area of Emphasis (12 credits)

Hours Required	Course Number and Name	Semester Taken and Name of Professor (e.g. Fall, 2020, Hanawalt)
3
3
3
3

 

Appendix B

Information for Creating a Website for the Area of Emphasis Portfolio

In order to submit your Area of Emphasis Portfolio, you will create a website that will showcase all of the required portfolio components. There are many free website builders (e.g. Wix, Weebly, WordPress, etc.) available, and you may choose any that suit your needs.

When you create your website, it is critical that the required components of your Area of Emphasis Portfolio are easy to locate, whether through a table of contents, tabs, dropdown menus, or links.

A Sample Portfolio that shows how your portfolio components can be clearly organized can be found here: https://chanawalt.wixsite.com/edsportfolio. This sample website was created using the Wix portfolio and cv template called “Modern Artist.” You are welcome to duplicate this portfolio format and personalize it to make it your own.

While the website will be used specifically for you to submit your Area of Emphasis Portfolio, you might consider how this website could also become your professional portfolio for the long-term.

There are many resources online for creating teaching portfolios, including:

UGA

• The UGA Career Center website offers a resource page for building digital portfolios.
• The UGA Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offers resources , support, and even a 1 credit course for the development of digital teaching portfolios.

Others

• Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University
• 17 Best Teaching Portfolio Examples that Will Inspire You
• Center for Teaching and Learning at Washington University in St. Louis

You can also find video tutorials and step-by-step guides either through internet searches or through the website builders (e.g. Wix, Weebly, WordPress, etc.) themselves.

 

Appendix C

Rubric for Mid-Program Assessment

Criteria	Not Acceptable	Marginal	Proficient	Exemplary
CV
Clear organization and readability
List of Courses Taken
Complete list of courses taken and how they meet program requirements for Area A (Art Education), Area B (Research), and Area C (Area of Emphasis)
Literature Review
Shows that you have conducted a deep, systematic inquiry of literature relevant to your area of emphasis.
Offers a critical discussion of information from a variety of sources rather than merely a summary of what you have read.
Articulates scholarly insights you have gleaned from the review.
15-20 pages
Follows APA style
Article for Publication
Fulfills expectations in terms of content commonly included in scholarly articles (see list of common components of a journal article in the description of the Article for Publication).
Article is grounded in, and makes skillful use of, contemporary theory, practices, and research in art education.
Article stands to make a significant contribution to the profession.
There is clear evidence of specialized knowledge or skills in the chosen area of emphasis.
The article meets the requirements and expectations of the chosen journal and includes strong visuals (if relevant).
Follows APA style
Reflective Essay
Describes two to three key discoveries gained in relation to an area of emphasis.
Explains how the work done in the program has prepared you to make significant professional contributions or develop a leadership role in a professional context.
5-7 pages
Follows APA style
Area of Emphasis Portfolio as a Whole (In relation to Program Standards)
Demonstrates knowledge of theory and research in art education
Demonstrates knowledge of the research process and capacity to conduct applied research in art education
Demonstrates specialized knowledge or skills in one core art education-specific area

 

Appendix D

Rubric for Final Portfolio Assessment

Criteria	Not Acceptable	Marginal	Proficient	Exemplary
CV
Clear organization and readability
List of Courses Taken
Complete list of courses taken and how they meet program requirements for Area A (Art Education), Area B (Research), and Area C (Area of Emphasis)
Literature Review
Shows that you have conducted a deep, systematic inquiry of literature relevant to your area of emphasis.
Offers a critical discussion of information from a variety of sources rather than merely a summary of what you have read.
Articulates scholarly insights you have gleaned from the review.
15-20 pages
Follows APA style
Article for Publication
Fulfills expectations in terms of content commonly included in scholarly articles (see list of common components of a journal article in the description of the Article for Publication).
Article is grounded in, and makes skillful use of, contemporary theory, practices, and research in art education.
Article stands to make a significant contribution to the profession.
There is clear evidence of specialized knowledge or skills in the chosen area of emphasis.
The article meets the requirements and expectations of the chosen journal and includes strong visuals (if relevant).
Follows APA style
Reflective Essay
Describes two to three key discoveries gained in relation to an area of emphasis.
Explains how the work done in the program has prepared you to make significant professional contributions or develop a leadership role in a professional context.
5-7 pages
Follows APA style
Area of Emphasis Portfolio as a Whole (In relation to Program Standards)
Demonstrates knowledge of theory and research in art education
Demonstrates knowledge of the research process and capacity to conduct applied research in art education
Demonstrates specialized knowledge or skills in one core art education-specific area

 

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This handbook was last reviewed in September 2022 and last revised on December 5, 2022.