COURSE CURRICULUM

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Art Education is a 120-credit-hour professional degree designed to prepare students for careers as licensed art teachers in elementary, middle, and secondary schools. The program combines comprehensive training in studio art, art history, educational theory, and classroom practice, ensuring graduates develop both artistic expertise and effective teaching skills. Students complete 54 credit hours of art and art history coursework and must earn a grade of C or higher in major courses, with some courses requiring higher performance standards. The curriculum begins with foundation studies in drawing, two-dimensional design, three-dimensional design, and introductory art and design principles, followed by a Mid-Program Review that assesses students’ readiness for advanced coursework. Students also gain a strong understanding of art history through studies in visual culture, contemporary art, and upper-level art history courses. Studio experiences include photography, life drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, community arts engagement, and electives in areas such as jewelry design, fiber arts, digital media, graphic design, sculpture, and digital studio practices. Advanced art emphasis courses allow students to further develop expertise in a chosen media area or graphic design field. The professional education sequence focuses on preparing future teachers through coursework in creativity, elementary and secondary art education methods, diversity and inclusion, exceptional learners, educational assessment, philosophy and ethics of education, and cross-cultural aesthetic inquiry. A major strength of the program is its extensive field-based learning experiences. Students participate in preteaching internships and complete supervised teaching internships at both elementary and secondary levels, gaining valuable real-world classroom experience before graduation. These experiences help students develop instructional strategies, classroom management skills, curriculum planning abilities, and confidence as educators. The program concludes with a teaching internship seminar and teacher licensure capstone requirements. Graduates are prepared to teach visual arts in PreK–12 educational settings and may also pursue careers in museums, community arts programs, educational organizations, and cultural institutions. By combining artistic development, educational preparation, professional field experiences, and applied learning opportunities, the BFA in Art Education provides a strong foundation for successful careers in art teaching and creative education leadership.