Assistant/Associate Professor, Art Education, Director of MAT II Program for Licensed Art Teachers

George Mason University, School of Art is seeking applications for a tenure-track or tenured Assistant/Associate Professor position to support the Art Education Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) programs. George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.

About the Program:

The Art Education MAT program is a thriving graduate program that collaborates with Fairfax County Public Schools, a district with strong commitments to art education and over 1.1 million students, as well as growing connections to other schools and arts institutions in the metro-DC area. There are currently two trajectories in the MAT I program towards PK-12 licensure in VA. The traditional route is for those that already have an undergraduate degree in a related field. We also implemented an Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s program in Art Education with PK-12 licensure in Virginia, which allows our undergraduate BFA students to take graduate courses towards their MAT degree. Upon graduation, undergraduate students matriculate into the MAT program and continue coursework and student teaching, usually for one additional year (4+1). In conjunction with over a 40% increase in undergraduate enrollment, our MAT I enrollment numbers continue to increase. Our Art Education MAT graduates are in high demand and in the past six years, the program has a 100% placement rate of job-seeking candidates.


Currently, we do not have an active graduate program for licensed, practicing art teachers. Northern Virginia boasts over 800 certified art teachers in the surrounding counties, so the intent is to provide dynamic graduate offerings, including summer intensives, that leverage the interdisciplinarity of the School of Art as well as across the university while simultaneously assisting practicing art teachers to maintain active state certification. Therefore, in addition to teaching coursework in the MAT I program, a prospective hire would be tasked with revising and relaunching the MAT II program, including curricular work and related State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) requirements. The newly appointed MAT II Director would be expected to work with the MAT I Director to coordinate course offerings and schedule faculty/adjuncts.


This 12-month position begins August 2023 and carries a 4-course teaching load dispersed over Fall, Spring and Summer with additional responsibilities detailed below.

Responsibilities:

  • Teach courses in the MAT I licensure program, including Supervision of Student Teaching;
  • Design and teach graduate courses for the MAT II program, including hybrid and summer offerings;
  • Sustain an active program of scholarly research in their areas of expertise, produce peer-reviewed publications, and participate in local and national professional organizations; and
  • Advise graduate MAT II research capstone projects/theses, and contribute to interdisciplinary research and teaching within the School of Art.

Required Qualifications:

  • Doctorate in art education or a related field;
  • Successful experience teaching at collegiate and/or PreK-12 level;
  • Established record of research in the field of art education; and
  • Experience advising graduate research, specifically PK-12 practitioners.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated commitment to high-quality teacher preparation;
  • Substantial experience designing and implementing graduate programming, including virtual and/or hybrid;
  • Research inquiry that informs and supports the development of preservice and in-service art educators;
  • Capacity for leadership, and a record of graduate program design with a specific focus on hybrid offerings; and
  • Demonstrated scholarship in arts-based research, action research and/or related methodologies.

Special Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply at https://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application and upload the following documents: Cover Letter; CV; Teaching philosophy addressing DEIA; Links to Scholarly (and creative work if applicable) (as Other doc.); Sample Syllabi (as Other doc.); and List of 3 to 5 Professional References with contact information.

Equity Statement: 

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.