Program Overview

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Art Education - B.F.A.

Overview

Earn your B.F.A. in Art Education and become a dynamic pre-K-12 visual arts educator! Our program blends hands-on studio practice with learner-centered teaching, equipping you with the skills to inspire creativity in diverse classrooms. You'll master traditional and digital media; explore art history and aesthetics; and develop inclusive, engaging instructional strategies. With a strong focus on cultural awareness, student development, and creative expression, you'll graduate ready to create meaningful and transformative learning experiences through art.

Contact Information

• Linda Hoeptner-Poling | |
• Speak with an Advisor
• Chat with an Admissions Counselor

Program Delivery

• Delivery: In person
• Location: Kent Campus

Examples of Possible Careers

• High school teachers in traditional, special needs, and technical schools, plus museums, community, and enrichment programs
• Middle school teachers in traditional, special needs, and technical schools, plus museums, community, and enrichment programs
• Preschool and elementary teachers in traditional, special needs, and technical schools, plus museums, community, and enrichment programs

Accreditation

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents, and adult students.

• First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum, and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
• First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State's campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull, and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
• International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State's English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
• Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing, and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.
• Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

• ART 10022: 2D COMPOSITION (3)
• ART 10023: 3D COMPOSITION (3)
• ART 10024: DIGITAL MEDIA (3)
• ARTE 31001: ART EDUCATION: FOUNDATIONS AND CONCEPTS - ELEMENTARY (3)
• ARTE 31092: ART EDUCATION: TEACHING PRACTICUM (ELR) (3)
• ARTE 41002: ART EDUCATION: FOUNDATIONS AND CONCEPTS - SECONDARY (ELR) (3)
• ARTE 41004: PRE-KINDERGARTEN-12 DESIGN EDUCATION (3)
• ARTE 41009: ART EDUCATION MAJOR REVIEW (1)
• ARTE 41192: ART EDUCATION: FIELD EXPERIENCE (ELR) (WIC) (3)
• ARTE 41525: ART EDUCATION: INQUIRY INTO PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE (3)
• ARTE 41592: ART EDUCATION: STUDENT TEACHING AND SEMINAR (ELR) (9)
• ARTH 22006: ART HISTORY: ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL ART (KFA) (3)
• ARTH 22007: ART HISTORY: RENAISSANCE TO MODERN ART (KFA) (3)
• ARTH 32066: ART AND THEORY SINCE 1940 (3)
• ARTS 14000: DRAWING I (3)
• ARTS 14001: DRAWING II (3)
• ARTS 24010: INTRODUCTION TO FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY (3)
• ARTS 24040: INTRODUCTION TO PRINT MEDIA (3)
• ARTS 24061: INTRODUCTION TO PAINTING (3)
• ARTS 25400: CERAMICS I (3)
• ARTS 34061: INTERMEDIATE PAINTING (3)
• Art (ART), Art Education (ARTE), Art History (ARTH), or Studio Art (ARTS) Elective (1-3)
• Art (ART), Art Education (ARTE), Art History (ARTH), or Studio Art (ARTS) Upper-Division Elective (30000 or 40000 level) (3)
• Art History (ARTH) Upper-Division Elective (30000 or 40000 level) (3)
• Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA)
  • CI 47330: READING AND WRITING IN ADOLESCENCE/ADULTHOOD (min C grade) (3)
  • COMM 15000: INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) (3)
  • CULT 29535: EDUCATION IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY (min C grade) (3)
  • EPSY 29525: EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY (min C grade) (3)
  • ETEC 39525: EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY (min C grade) (3)
  • PSYC 11762: GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) (3)
  • SPED 23000: INTRODUCTION TO EXCEPTIONALITIES (DIVD) (min C grade) (3)
  • UC 10001: FLASHES 101 (1)
  • Kent Core Composition (min C grade) (6)
  • Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning (3)
  • Kent Core Humanities (3)
  • Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines) (3)
  • Kent Core Basic Sciences (must include one laboratory) (6-7)
  • Kent Core Additional (3)

Progression Requirements

• Students must meet all professional requirements for admission to advanced study. Students will meet with an academic advisor to discuss the application for advanced study.
• Students must have a minimum 2.500 overall GPA and 2.500 major GPA for admission to advanced study, student teaching, and graduation.

Graduation Requirements

• Graduation Requirements Summary
  • Minimum Major GPA: 2.500
  • Minimum Overall GPA: 2.500
• Students must receive a rating of "satisfactory" on selected works exhibited during their portfolio review.
• Students must complete over 120 field hours through a variety of teaching experiences (i.e., when they are out in schools or other educational settings) within their teacher education program.
• Student must satisfy all professional disposition assessments at least three times throughout their teacher education program, which includes student teaching. Professional dispositions are the professional attitudes, values, and beliefs demonstrated through both verbal and non-verbal behaviors as educators interact with students, families, colleagues, faculty, and communities.
• Students must pass ARTE 41009, a course that examines the student's knowledge, proficiency, and ability to apply concepts in art and visual arts education.
• Students must pass the Kent Summative Teacher Education Project (K-STEP) designed to develop and evaluate their ability to plan for instruction, use instructional strategies, and assess student learning during their final student teaching experience.
• Students must successfully complete student teaching, the culminating experience in the preparation of the student teacher candidate.
• ARTH 12001 is designed for non-art majors and will not fulfill major requirements for art majors.

Licensure Information

Candidates seeking Ohio licensure are required to pass specific assessments in order to apply for licensure. The following Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) examinations are required for licensure: OAE 004, the visual art content assessment; and OAE 006, the pre-K-12 multi-age visual arts pedagogy assessment. See Ohio Department of Education-Educator Preparation website for more information on assessments specific to licensure type. Taking and passing the licensure tests prior to graduation is encouraged, but not required.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

University Requirements

All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.

• Flashes 101 (UC 10001) (1 credit hour)
• Course is not required for students with 30+ transfer credits (excluding College Credit Plus) or age 21+ at time of admission.
• Diversity Domestic/Global (DIVD/DIVG) (2 courses)
  • Students must successfully complete one domestic and one global course, of which one must be from the Kent Core.
• Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) (varies)
  • Students must successfully complete one course or approved experience.
• Kent Core (see table below) (36-37 credit hours)
• Writing-Intensive Course (WIC) (1 course)
  • Students must earn a minimum C grade in the course.
• Upper-Division Requirement (39 credit hours)
  • Students must successfully complete 39 upper-division (numbered 30000 to 49999) credit hours to graduate.

Kent Core Requirements

• Kent Core Composition (KCMP) (6)
• Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning (KMCR) (3)
• Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (KHUM/KFA) (min one course each) (9)
• Kent Core Social Sciences (KSS) (must be from two disciplines) (6)
• Kent Core Basic Sciences (KBS/KLAB) (must include one laboratory) (6-7)
• Kent Core Additional (KADL) (6)

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Construct lesson plans that reflect learner-centered pedagogy that is culturally responsive, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate.
2. Incorporate the use of evidence-based instructional strategies, resources, and instructional technology as part of the learning activities aligned with goals, objectives, and/or standards in the lesson plans.
3. Apply evidence-based instruction to meet a diversity of students' needs.
4. Practice reflective teaching in the classroom to accommodate all students using effective strategies, resources, materials, and accommodations to adapt instruction to meet the needs of individuals and groups of students.
5. Implement formative and summative assessments that align conceptually to the lesson objectives and are designed to be appropriate to address individual student differences and minimize bias.
6. Demonstrate professional teaching dispositions.
7. Apply creative, technical, procedural, and interpretive skills through a range of studio art and design experiences.

Program Policies

Dual Degree/Double Major

• Students are permitted to double major in more than one division of the School of Art or complete more than one concentration in the same division.
• Students enrolling in more than one major within the school must complete all course requirements in each major. If the two majors represent different degree programs, a minimum of 140 credit hours must be completed.
• Students enrolling in a double concentration within the B.F.A. program must complete at least 12 upper-division credit hours within each concentration. In addition, all reviews must be passed and a senior project must be completed in each concentration.

Exhibitions

• Students enrolled in a B.F.A. or B.A. program in studio art, and in the B.F.A. in art education, must receive a rating of "satisfactory" on selected works exhibited during their portfolio review.

No-Credit Courses

• Some courses do not generate credit within particular programs. ARTH 12001 does not generate credit for majors within the School of Art, but can be used to fulfill Kent Core requirements. Check course descriptions carefully for more information.

Physical Activity and ROTC Courses

• No more than 4 credit hours of Physical Activity, Wellness, and Sport (PWS) courses or the first 16 credit hours of ROTC courses—Aerospace Studies (ASTU) and Military Studies (MSCI)—may apply to the 120 credit hours required for graduation.

Requirement Audit

• Upon completion of 60 credit hours, each student is required to contact the College of the Arts Advising office to obtain a current evaluation of progress toward completion of the student's chosen degree program. Requirement evaluations are not a substitute for meeting with a faculty advisor. Students may access GPS (Graduation Planning System) audit through their FlashLine account, which provides them with information about their academic progress. Questions about GPS audits are answered in the College of the Arts Advising office.

Requirements for Admission to Advanced Study for Art Education and Music Education

• Admission to advanced study is required of all art education and music education majors and minors prior to enrolling in upper-division education courses. Upon completion of coursework, as determined by program area, students should have satisfied the prerequisites for admission to advanced study. Students must submit an application for advanced study by the second Friday of the term during which all prerequisites for advanced study will be completed, and at least one semester prior to beginning any coursework for which "Admission to Advanced Study" is a prerequisite. Students at the Kent Campus apply for Advanced Study through the College of Education, Health, and Human Services Student Portal, which can be accessed through the Vacca Office of Student Services web page. Students completing a licensure program at a regional campus should check with that campus for instructions on how to apply for "Advanced Study." Please note: Admission to advanced study is required for students pursuing an undergraduate major that leads to teacher licensure. Please be aware that reapplication may be necessary if postponing advanced study coursework or if withdrawn for one year or more.

Transfer Students to the School of Art

• Transfer students with more than two studio art courses should submit a portfolio of work for proper placement. The director of the School of Art may impose additional requirements considered reasonable and necessary. Transfer credits are evaluated consistent with the state Transfer Articulation Guidelines (TAG), although each student will be evaluated individually in terms of their ability to perform within the program. Transfer students should make every effort to complete admission requirements before the deadlines and see an advisor in the School of Art for an evaluation of the portfolio and schedule planning before registration.

Full Description

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art Education prepares students to effectively teach visual art by applying a learner-centered pedagogy to embrace the many dimensions of human intelligence and aesthetic education.

Art educators understand child development to successfully engage learners in the complete artistic process of thinking—perceptual, imaginative, formative, expressive, and communicative—by combining a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas. They organize and evaluate teaching activities for creating and analyzing works of art and design from contemporary and past cultures. This involves using a variety of media, technology, and community resources and making connections between visual art and other disciplines, as well as assessing the learning outcomes of their students.

In addition, art educators are prepared to meet the needs of all students with an understanding of the value of diversity. They create safe and equitable learning environments in which to nurture lifelong skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and constructing meaning.

Graduates of the degree program will be eligible to be certified for pre-K-12 visual art teacher licensure.

Study Abroad/Away Opportunities:

• Travel opportunities to New York City and Paris
• Study abroad through Kent State's Florence program in Florence, Italy (full semester or summer art and design experience)
• Ohio Art Education Association and National Art Education Association Travel Studies

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.