Art Education
College of Arts and Architecture
School of Visual Arts
Bachelor of Science in Art Education Degree
Leading to K-12 School Teacher Certification
The schools option, a certification program accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, is designed to help prepare art teachers for kindergarten through twelfth-grade classrooms. The program is aligned with the nodes in the College of Education. Art teachers with certification can be employed in elementary, middle, junior, and senior high schools. They normally teach several classes a day and work for nine to ten months each year. Elementary art teachers may move from school to school and classroom to classroom within a school district.
Career Opportunities
Current opportunities for employment in teaching are good, but obtaining a position may mean going to a geographic area that the student may not have chosen otherwise. Some school boards place an emphasis on the type and quality of an applicant’s professional education. Therefore, the excellent reputation of Penn State’s program is to the student’s advantage in securing a teaching position.
Certification Requirements
Upon satisfactory completion of the art education for schools option, the student may receive an Instructional I Certification issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Although certification requirements vary among states, Pennsylvania certification requirements meet the requirements of at least thirty-three other states. It is usually possible to obtain temporary certification in another state while preparing to meet its additional requirements.
A teacher in Pennsylvania holding an Instructional I Certificate may teach for three to six years on that certificate—regardless of the time he or she starts teaching or the number of interruptions. After six years of teaching, the teacher must apply for an Instructional II Certificate. This requires the teacher to complete 24 credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, to have three to six years of successful teaching experience, and to have the recommendation of his or her immediate supervisor.
Graduate work normally is not required to obtain entry-level positions in this field. Some states, however, require a fifth year of study or qualification for a master’s degree within a certain period of time following the teacher’s initial employment. In addition, many school systems have requirements beyond the state certification requirements. Some systems require additional educational preparation, successful teaching experience, or special personal qualifications. A doctorate is usually required for teaching at the college and university level.
Specific Requirements
The art education program includes large concentrations of courses in general requirements, art studio and art history courses, and professional courses in art education. A minimum of 135 credits is required for the bachelor of science in art education for schools option.
Although art education majors need not become exhibiting artists, they take courses with art majors and must be able to successfully compete with them.
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Students in the art education for schools option take part in a student teaching experience. This is a fourteen-week, full-time program for which the student earns 15 credits. Students are assigned to both elementary and secondary schools. All art education majors in the schools option student-teach in the Pittsburgh public schools in order to ensure that they have opportunities to work with young people from diverse communities. Bridging Classroom Preparation to Classroom Practice in the City of Pittsburgh: Preparation for student teaching in Pittsburgh begins in the introductory art education course, A ED 101S, and culminates with a field trip to Pittsburgh in the capstone and practicum courses (A ED 489 & 490). Current student teachers meet with the upcoming student teachers to share their experiences of the vibrant art scene in Pittsburgh and the enrichment of experiencing cultural diversity in teaching, as well as to answer questions about living arrangements, transportation, and about their student teaching experiences.
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Application Procedures, Deadlines, and Admission Process
Financial Aid
Federal Student Aid
Scholarships
Individual Advising
Teacher Certification Program in Art Education Application Checksheet
Additional Requirements Once Enrolled in the Art Education Major
Undergraduate Courses in Art Education
Teaching and Learning Portfolios
E-mail Contact for Questions
Please note: The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. Please consult the most recent Undergraduate Degree Programs Bulletin for more detailed information.
For More Information: For additional information about this major, contact the School of Visual Arts, The Pennsylvania State University, 210 Patterson Building, University Park, PA 16802-5401; (814) 865-0444.