Education Studies - Visual Arts

Master in Education Studies

Visual Arts

This is an innovative course designed to enable participants to establish, enhance and critically evaluate imaginative and innovative practices in a variety of arts-in-education contexts with increased connoisseurship, confidence and creativity.



What is the Master in Education Studies (Visual Arts)?

Graduates will have the ability to critically appraise and reconceptualise approaches, and to break out of established patterns in order to explore things in different ways. In addition, they will have the expertise to contribute to local, national or international communities of practice within arts and education.



Who is the course for?

Educators and teaching artists who have a particular interest in visuals arts, integrated arts and arts integration practices and those who are interested in developing imagination, ideation and innovation within diverse artsin- education practices.



What will I study?

In year 1, study four discrete modules consisting of a common core module and three specialist visual arts education modules. In year 2, students focus of an area of interest related to visual arts within Education Studies in greater depth, develop research skills and prepare a dissertation on a topic relevant to visual arts education.

Year 1

Module 1 – Introduction to Education Studies

› Pedagogy, learning styles and pedagogical tact

› Character, compassion, care empathy and flourishing

› Well-being and critical thinking in education

› Postgraduate reading and writing



Module 2 – Visual Arts, Inspiration and Imagination

› Inspiration for visual arts

› Theory, practice and challenges pertaining to teaching ‘making and responding’ to drawing

› Changing ideologies and paradigms in visual arts education

› Theory, practice and challenges pertaining to teaching ‘making and responding’ to painting

› Visual arts and imaginative thinking

› Theory, practice and challenges pertaining to teaching ‘making and responding’ to print



Module 3- Visual Arts, Ideation and Integration

› Ideation in visual arts and planning for visual arts

› Theory, practice and challenges pertaining to teaching ‘making and responding’ to collage

› Visual arts integration: Rationale, taxonomy, pearls and perils

› Theory, practice and challenges pertaining to teaching ‘making and responding’ to textiles

› Interdisciplinary skills from visual arts

› Theory, practice and challenges pertaining to teaching ‘making and responding’ to construction



Module 4 – Visual Arts, Innovation and Inclusion

› Inclusion in teaching visual arts

› Theory, practice and challenges pertaining to teaching ‘making and responding’ to clay

› ICT, visual arts and teaching visual arts

› Theory, practice and challenges pertaining to teaching ‘making and responding’ to graphic design

› Innovation in visual arts education

› Theory, practice and challenges pertaining to teaching ‘making and responding’ to new media



Year 2

Dissertation Module

› Research methodologies and research ethics

› The research design process

› Research proposal

› Dissertation

Minimum entry requirements

› An honours degree (level 8) with second class honours or higher and at least three years’ teaching experience or equivalent professional experience.



› In exceptional cases students who meet the honours degree requirement but do not have the necessary experience or who meet the professional experience, but have only a level 7 degree may be considered for the course. Candidates may be shortlisted and invited to attend an interview and complete a written assignment as appropriate.



› English Language Requirement: please check www.mie.ie/englishlanguage

Applications for the September 2025 intake will open in late January/ early February 2025.

How is the course assessed?

Assessment is linked to the modular nature of the course and consists of a variety of assessment methods in year 1, followed by a research proposal and dissertation in year 2.

ECTS Credits: 90

2 years part-time.

Intake: September 2025.