Art Teacher Education
The Art Education Program prepares students with visual arts backgrounds to become New York State certified visual arts teachers, Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. Students learn to be reflective, socially engaged artist-educators and advocates who have an expansive view of the role of art making in the school and school community. The program offers students the opportunity to learn from working artists in alternative arts learning environments as well as art teachers in traditional art classrooms.
There are four degree programs offered in Art Education. The Undergraduate Art Education Major (BFA) and the Graduate-level Post-Baccalaureate (“Post-Bac”) Certification Program both prepare students to qualify for New York State Initial Certification to teach Visual Arts (PK-12). The MAT program offers a rigorous Graduate-level curriculum that includes the requirements for both New York State Initial and Professional Certification in Visual Arts (PK-12). The MSEd program offers advanced Graduate courses to initially certified art teachers pursuing their New York State Professional Certification in Visual Arts (PK-12). Each program is described below.
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education (BFA)
The Undergraduate Art Education BFA degree program is provided in collaboration with the Art Department in the School of the Arts. The program is designed for candidates who are interested in becoming initially certified as Visual Arts (PK-12) teachers in New York State.
Students must be at least second semester sophomores studying Studio Art in the Art Department to begin taking courses in the School of Education. In addition to satisfying the Studio Art credit requirements in the Art Department (48 credits), students enrolled in the Art Education BFA degree program must complete 30 credits in education courses. Students must have an advisement appointment with the Art Education Program Advisor before declaring this major.
Graduate Initial Certificate in Art Education (Post-Baccalaureate)
The Post-Baccalaureate (“Post-Bac”) certificate program is a 27 credit Graduate-level program that is intended for applicants who would like to complete the institutional program requirements to be recommended for New York State Initial Certification in Visual Arts (PK-12).
In order to matriculate into the program, applicants must have earned at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Applicants must have completed 30 credit hours in a combination of studio art and art history courses. This program is recommended for candidates seeking New York State Certification in Visual Arts (PK-12) who already hold an advanced degree (MA or MFA) in Studio Art.
Master of Arts in Teaching Degree in Art Education (MAT)
The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program is designed to fulfill both New York State Initial and Professional Certification requirements in Visual Arts (PK-12). This 45 credit program allows students to first complete their Initial Certification requirements (27 credits) and begin their careers as teachers. Then students can complete the remaining 18 credits towards the Master’s degree and obtain their Professional Certification. Admission criteria are similar to those for the Post-Bac program (refer to the section above).
Master of Science in Art Education (MSEd)
The Master of Science in Art Education (MSEd) degree program is for applicants who have obtained their Initial Certification in Visual Arts and are seeking New York State Professional Certification in Visual Arts (PK-12). This flexible 33 credit program allows students take a combination of education, studio art and art history coursework according to their personal and professional interests. The program culminates in a written, research-based thesis that explores a topic of interest to the student. All the courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening to meet the needs of full-time art teachers who enroll as part-time Graduate students.
In order to matriculate into the MSEd program, applicants must have earned at least a baccalaureate degree in Art or Art Education from an accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.0 at the undergraduate level. Students applying to the program must also have a New York State Initial Certificate in Visual Arts (PK-12), or the equivalent from another state.