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Education | Faculty of Education Simon Fraser University Calendar | Spring 2025

Arts Education

Master of Arts

The master of arts (MA) degree signifies the acquisition of advanced knowledge in the student's field of specialization and competence in conducting significant and original research in education. This program is for students who wish to continue developing critical knowledge of arts theory and practice related to education, program development, and learning and teaching and is suitable for those working in schools and other arts-based contexts.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must satisfy the University admission requirements as stated in Graduate General Regulations 1.3 in the SFU Calendar. In exceptional circumstances, applicants who do not meet these requirements may be considered if superior scholarly or professional achievement is demonstrated.

Admission is granted to a specific degree and to a particular program or specialization. Application information is available from the Faculty of Education.

Program Requirements

This program consists of courses and a thesis for a minimum of 43 units. Normally, students enter through the MEd program and may move to the MA program after completing four courses with faculty approval. Other courses may be required depending on thesis interest.

Students must complete five of

EDUC 843 - Embodiment and Curriculum Inquiry (5)

The scholarship on embodiment and its implications for the body as a site for knowledge and its relationship to contemporary curriculum inquiry will be studied with specific emphasis on the area of performative and narrative inquiry and arts education. Central to this course will be the investigation of embodiment from both a philosophical perspective and a literary/poetic perspective. Equivalent Courses: EDUC712.

EDUC 848 - Ideas and Issues in Aesthetic Education (5)

This course relates critical ideas in aesthetics to questions concerning the nature, purpose, and provision of the arts (visual art, music, drama, dance, literature) in education.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
G001 Ching-Chiu Lin
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 4:30–9:20 p.m.
Burnaby
EDUC 849 - Artists, Society and Arts Education (5)

A major survey of the educational theories and practices of musicians and artists generally from medieval times to the present. The special focus will be on modern responses of musicians and artists to modern demands for mass arts education. Material will be drawn from Europe, North America, Asia, and other parts of the world where mass arts education provision occurs.

EDUC 852 - Inquiry, Creativity and Community: Drama in Education (5)

This course involves an exploration of basic issues and questions which underlie the nature and provision of drama education in the schools. It includes a critical examination of the claims made in the theoretical literature regarding the nature and aims of drama education and an exploration of the implications for drama education curriculum and pedagogy. Equivalent Courses: EDUC721.

EDUC 868 - Curriculum Theory and Art Education (5)

The course examines and relates conceptions of creativity and response in the visual arts to the fundamental questions of curriculum theory.

EDUC 869 - Music Education as Thinking in Sound (5)

This course presents the theory and practice of music education based on theories of auditory perception, musical theory, and various cross-cultural perspectives on musical behavior.

and a thesis

EDUC 898 - Master's Thesis (18)

The thesis is a research investigation designed to generate and/or examine critically new knowledge in the theory and/or practice of education. The thesis should normally be completed and approved in three terms. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
G001 TBD
G002 TBD

Thesis

Normally, before the fifth course, a master's thesis research plan is presented to the tenured or tenure track member of the faculty whom the student proposes to be supervisor. The supervisor and at least one other faculty member chosen in consultation with the supervisor constitutes the supervisory committee. The master's thesis is examined as prescribed in Graduate General Regulations 1.9 and 1.10.

Program Length

Students are expected to complete the program requirements within nine terms.

Academic Requirements within the Graduate General Regulations

All graduate students must satisfy the academic requirements that are specified in the Graduate General Regulations, as well as the specific requirements for the program in which they are enrolled.