Start your Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) application
Tips & Notes:
Applicants will be interviewed virtually by the MAT Admissions Committee upon completion of their application. All accepted applicants are considered for merit-based scholarships, regardless of country of citizenship.
You can complete an application anytime before this deadline. Complete applications will be reviewed as soon as possible. We aim to schedule interviews within a month of submission and return with an admission decision within two weeks of the interview. We strongly encourage applicants to complete an application on or before this deadline to make time for accepted student events and work with other departments (Financial Aid, Registrar, Business) to complete enrollment.
After the Priority Application Deadline, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis as space permits. Although there are no differences in the admission process, students admitted during Rolling Admissions are not guaranteed decision extensions.
All applicants will be invited to have a brief interview with an MAT Admission Review Committee member, and the Committee expects to return with an admission decision within two weeks of the interview.
All incoming MAT students must start in late-July with the Summer Institute. We do not offer Fall or Spring admission.
A completed MAT application should include your Digital Portfolio, Personal Essay, Curriculum Vitae, two (2) Disposition Checklists from your recommenders, and all transcripts listed in your education history. You can submit your application before recommenders submit your Disposition Checklists, but your application is not complete without them.
Click here to begin or continue your application for MAT at MECA&D (Summer 2023)
You will need to pay a non-refundable application fee of $70 to submit your application. The fee can be paid by credit card within the web application before submission.
Your full curriculum vitae should include education, employment history, exhibitions/publications, and honors. Please upload a PDF version of your CV directly to your SlideRoom application.
In the web application, you will enter the name, title, email and phone number for each of your two recommenders, as well as the nature of your relationships and how long you have known them. The web application will generate an invitation to your recommenders automatically with a link for them to fill out a Disposition Checklist.
Instead of composing a letter of recommendation, your recommenders will complete a form that directly addresses qualities that a strong art educator should possess, such as passion for the visual world, capacity for innovation and intuition, willingness to foster respectful critique, and the ability to reflect.
As you identify your recommenders, be sure to take into consideration whether or not they are able to speak to the above at a professional capacity. Even if your recommender is a friend, refrain from citing them as such in your application as it introduces bias.
It is possible to submit an application without submitted Disposition Checklists, so please be diligent with following up with your recommenders. The MAT Admissions Review Committee will not review incomplete applications.
All applicants should either be a bachelor degree holder or an undergraduate senior with an expected graduation date ahead of our program start date. We ask our applicants to have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 and above from all previous degrees and a minimum of 30 studio credits and 9 art history credits on their transcripts. However, each applicant will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Applicants can either submit unofficial transcripts in the web application as a PDF attachment, or request official college transcripts to be sent to us electronically to admissions@meca.edu, or to the following address:
Maine College of Art & Design
ATTN: MAT Admissions
522 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
Admitted and enrolled students must submit all transcripts included in the application as official documents with conferred dates (whenever applicable) either electronically by the issuing institution through a transcript delivery service, or by mail from the issuing institution’s registrar office.
Note: We reserve the right to rescind offers of admission for undergraduate seniors who do not meet the GPA requirements upon completion of their undergraduate studies.
Applicants will be interviewed virtually by the MAT Admission Committee upon completion of their application. You will be notified via email when the application is approved for the interviewing stage. Please note that you must meet the requirements listed above in order for the Admissions office to move forward with your application.
At MECA&D, we understand applicants come from all walks of life. If you find yourself in the position where you don't meet some of the aforementioned requirements, please be in touch with Joel Tsui, Graduate Admissions Coordinator at joel.tsui-staff@meca.edu to discuss alternatives to demonstrate preparedness in pursuing graduate studies in art education.
Maine College of Art welcomes applications from international students. In addition to the above application process and future communications related to enrollment, below are additional steps required to successfully join us as an international student.
Pay close attention to the following sections. Any delays from filing errors may impact your ability to join our program on time.
Due to the time involved in fulfilling legal requirements, we advise international applicants to complete their applications by the soonest deadline or no less than three months prior to the start of the program. If offered admission, we also advise you to enroll well ahead of the decision due date.
Please note that all dates are in MM/DD/YYYY format, and all currency listed on our documents and website are in US dollars.
In addition to the above application materials, international applicants will also need to have their transcripts evaluated, as well as submit a demonstration of English Proficiency.
Applicants who attended postsecondary institutions outside of the United States are required to have their transcript(s) evaluated by a member of the National Association of Credit Evaluation Services (NACES.org), such as World Education Services (WES.org).
All documents must be in English and converted into a 4.0 GPA scale, therefore official evaluations are required.
If your primary language is not English, you will be required to demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English. The following are acceptable forms of documentation and their minimum test scores, if applicable:
Evaluated transcripts, demonstration of English Proficiency, and other documents can be delivered electronically to admissions@meca.edu, or by mail to the following address:
Maine College of Art Attn: Graduate Admissions 522 Congress Street Portland, ME 04101 United States
In addition to paying the enrollment fee, accepted international students must also submit a completed Declaration of Finances form, a Verification of Finances document and a scanned copy of the passport you intend to obtain your Student Visa with. These documents are required in order for us to issue your I-20 form. Once you have your I-20 form, you can then apply for a Student Visa (F-1) at your local US consulate or embassy.
The United States Citizen and Immigration Service requires that international applicants submit a DOF to MECA indicating that the applicant has financial resources adequate to provide for their expenses without resorting to unauthorized employment.
The amount declared in your DOF must be enough to cover the total sum of tuition, fees and living expenses for one academic year of study. The completed DOF must be dated within a year of initial enrollment at MECA.
You can download the DOF form here:
https://www.meca.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020-DOF-Form.pdf
For your DOF to be processed, all funds declared on the DOF must be supported by a VOF. This can be a bank statement either from your own bank, or your sponsor's bank (e.g. your parents or your partner). All documents must be in English, and the funds declared should be in US dollars or the equivalent under current exchange rates supplied by the bank. The VOF must be dated within a year of initial enrollment at MECA.
For your DOF to be processed, we will need a scanned copy of your passport in color. Make sure the entire page is legible and the information matches what you provided in your DOF.
Note: if your mailing address is different from the address provided in the DOF, please let us know so we can properly mail your I-20 form.
To ensure prompt processing, please submit your DOF, VOF and scanned copy of passport directly to your Graduate Admissions Coordinator Joel Tsui at joel.tsui-staff@meca.edu.
If you have any questions about the application and enrollment process as an international student, you can contact our Assistant Director of Admissions and International Student Counselor Emily Brighi at ebrighi@meca.edu.
For more information, contact admissions@meca.edu or call 207.699.5023
