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Pratt Institute

Program in Art and Design Education

Brooklyn, NY

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Overview

Historic School with Academic Variety

The creative spirit of New York City's historic Pratt Institute is infused in its art and design education program -- where teaching is respected as a creative process unto itself. Students benefit from small class sizes -- with an average class ratio of  9:1 -- combined with the academic variety afforded by the second largest independent college of art, design, and architecture in the United States. Pratt Institute in total serves approximately 4,150 students across 4 different schools; the graduate school itself is home to about 1,230 students.

Multi-disciplinary Art and Design Education Program

The graduate art and design education program strives to prepare artists and designers to serve learners in settings as diverse as urban schools, museums, early childhood classes, and community programs. In addition, students may use the curriculum as a springboard toward complementary careers such as arts administration, design, instructional technology, visual literacy, art therapy, and special education.

The art and design education curriculum draws extensively from other creative disciplines, inspiring budding teachers through fields such as literature, folklore, philosophy, and anthropology. Students learn to bring art and design teaching to life through techniques of narrative, autobiography, play, and performance.

Examples of classes include "Literacy and Language Acquisition in the Art Classroom," "Play and Performance: From Childhood to Pedagogy," and "The Teacher in Film and Fiction."

Multi-faceted Faculty

The faculty brings wide ranging practical experience into the classroom. This multi-faceted approach is exemplified by the department's chair, Aileen Wilson. Her teaching explores K-12 art education as part of an expanded artistic practice through examining the ways in which contemporary art practices, processes, and materials can be adapted for use in K-12 settings, and how classrooms can function as ‘studios’ generative of new ideas and approaches.

Professor Heather Lewis's teaching and research integrate the history of education, art and design, and urban development through the prism of New York City's urban communities and their changes over time. Assistant professor Theodora Skipitares is a multimedia artist, whose work has been exhibited and performed throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. She has won awards for design and playwrighting.

Visiting professors add their influences, with their backgrounds in areas such as performance studies, philosophy, and graphic design.

Program Geared Toward Certification

The masters program is geared toward initial (entry-level) certification for classroom teaching, the first step toward attaining a professional (highest level) teaching certificate. 

Unique Practice Teaching Opportunities

Practice teaching takes place in the creative "laboratory" that is Pratt's Saturday Art School, a popular 100-plus year-old tradition among New York City children. Student teachers test ideas and develop their personal teaching styles as they work with preschool through high school children.

The Pratt students, supervised by faculty, engage their young art students through a wide variety of media, techniques, and approaches such as visual storytelling, explorations in sculpture media, cartooning, illustration, printmaking, creative writing, performance, and even puppetry.

International Perspective

Pratt graduate students comprise a cosmopolitan community -- 48 percent of the students come from 50 countries -- and, as a whole, come from a broad spectrum of career and educational backgrounds.

Green Urban Campus, Conveniently Located

Pratt is located in Clinton Hill, on a 25-acre campus of green lawns, trees, and historic buildings in a premier renovated Victorian neighborhood in Brooklyn. Students can enjoy a traditional campus experience while being just 25 minutes from midtown Manhattan.

Valuable Professional Connections

The school's convenient proximity to Manhattan enables Pratt to attract acclaimed artists to teach and participate as visiting lecturers. As a result, students make valuable professional connections throughout their academic careers.

In addition, Pratt's large active alumni base of about 26,000 includes such notable artists such as cartoonist/playwright Jules Feiffer, actor/playwright Harvey Fierstein, fashion designer Betsey Johnson, painter Peter Max, and actor/director Robert Redford.

Pratt alumni work in settings such as public and private schools, exhibition design, curriculum planning, arts administration, publishing, and community arts programs. A sample of employers includes the NYC Board of Education, The American School in Tokyo, Phoenix Public Schools, Wadsworth Atheneum, Baylor University, and Arcadia University.

Commitment to Sustainability

Pratt Institute has made a determined commitment to sustainability and, as such, has been recognized by "The Princeton Review" and the United States Green Building Council as one of 286 "Green Colleges." In support of this commitment, Pratt is working to: reduce its greenhouse gases by 30 percent, envision plans for a carbon neutral campus, build campus-wide intelligence around sustainability, and ensure that ecological literacy becomes a central tenet of design education.

Scholarships Available

All accepted graduate students may be considered for merit-based scholarships, most of which are one-year scholarships. Amounts range by department. Assistantships and endowed scholarships are also available, according to particular criteria.

A Variety of Housing Options

Apartment-style graduate housing is available on a limited basis in the residence halls. Off-campus options include apartments, sometimes in New York's unique brownstones and loft properties.

Degrees & Awards

Degrees Offered

Degree Concentration Sub-concentration
Advanced Certificate (Adv C)
Master of Arts (MA)

Degrees Awarded

Degree Number Awarded
Master's Degrees 16
Other Advanced Degrees 1

Earning Your Degree

Part-time study available? Yes
Distance learning programs available? No

Degree Requirements

Degree Requirement
Master's Degrees Thesis Required

Admissions

Acceptance Rate

23
Applied
14
Accepted
7
Enrolled
61%

Applying

50
Application Fee - Domestic
90
Application Fee - International
Yes
Electronic
applications accepted?

Application Deadlines

Type Domestic International Priority date
Fall deadline January 5th January 5th No
Spring deadline October 1st October 1st No

Entrance Requirements

Exam Details
Master's Degree Requirements Portfolio

International Students

Exam Details
TOEFL: Required TOEFL Paper score: 600
TOEFL IBT score: 100

Tuition & Fees

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Tuition & Fees

$35,226
Tuition & Fees
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Financial Support

Financial award applicants must submit: FAFSA
Application deadlines for financial awards February 1
Types of financial support available Health Care Benefits
Institutionally-sponsored Loans
Scholarship and/or loans
Graduate Assistantships
Career or field-related internships
Federal Work-Study
Financial support for part-time students

Student Body

14
Total Graduate Students
7%
International Breakout (representing other countries)

Race/Ethnicity

Hispanic/Latino 21.43%
Black or African American 7.14%
White or Caucasian 57%
American Indian or Alaska Native Not Reported
Asian 7.14%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Not Reported
Two or more races Not Reported
Unknown Not Reported

Gender

Male (14%)
Female (85%)

Location & Contact

Address 200 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, NY  11205
United States
Contact Aileen Wilson
Chairperson
Email: awilson@pratt.edu
Phone: 718-687-5602
Fax: 718-636-3632

Pratt Institute
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