Graduate Art & Design Education

The department of Art and Design Education is a dynamic and cross-disciplinary department that endeavors to remain at the forefront of the field, while providing a stimulating, challenging and supportive environment for our students, faculty and staff. 

The Master of Science in Art and Design Education, drawing students from the worlds of art, design and architecture, was inaugurated at Pratt in 1994. Through a range of fieldwork experiences, individual study, observation and reflection, along with collaborative and interactive experiences, students gain insight into the possibilities of community and social practice through the design and delivery of educational projects.

Students learn to conceive and develop educational experiences in a reciprocal relationship with community and cultural organizations. They are encouraged to address complex social issues, to experiment with new ideas and materials, and to consider themselves collaborators and partners in addressing the possible role of art and design in social change and transformation. We also have a long and distinguished history of community-based practice. The department’s Saturday Art School has served as a community-based laboratory for teacher training since Pratt’s founding. It currently serves more than 400 pupils of all ages and backgrounds from Brooklyn’s diverse communities and provides scholarships for many families who have limited resources.

Working with various audiences and in a host of different settings including schools, community organizations, shelters, galleries and museums, students with core specialties are provided opportunities to do research and to work with populations that have the least access to art and design education. They teach and are engaged in a number of fields where they are able to intertwine their interests in education with their studio/creative practice. Through their student teaching practica, along with the research and writing of their theses, students become well-versed in specialized domains of their own interest in the field. They and are well-positioned to design and implement educational projects, which will expand their opportunities and build their capacity to participate in the creative industries.

The department offers the following degrees:

PROGRAM I- M.S. in Art & Design Education (Initial Certification)

This 38-credit degree program fulfills the course requirements for Initial Certification. Students may complete the program in a minimum of three semesters, not including summers.

PROGRAM II- M.S. in Art & Design Education (Professional Certification)

This 34-credit degree program is designed for students who already hold Initial (previously Provisional) Certification.

PROGRAM III- Advanced Certificate in Art & Design Education

This Advanced Certificate program is open to individuals who already hold an MFA degree, or to those currently enrolled in an MFA program at Pratt. This program is 24 credit hours and may be completed in two semesters.

Contact Us

Aileen Wilson
Acting Chair of Art & Design Education

316 Steuben Hall

200 Willoughby Ave

Brooklyn, NY 11205

718.636.3637

adeinfo@pratt.edu