This plan prepares you for a secondary education certificate, with a K-12 endorsement in Art.
This program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
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Do you have a flair for the creative and the desire to teach others to unleash their inner artists? No job is more challenging, rewarding, or important than teaching small children. As an art educator, you'll help shape the character and future of every child in your classroom.
This program prepares you to teach art education in K-12 programs. You'll learn the theory and practice of art criticism, history, aesthetics, and studio. You'll also graduate with a degree in education, with skills in elementary and secondary student development and learning, classroom management, and an expertise in teaching children about creating art.
Note: If you want to major in Art Education, you must apply and be accepted to the Professional Teacher Education Program in addition to being admitted to the university.
To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.
The full policy can be viewed here.
In addition to University Requirements:
Candidates in this program are required to demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, professional knowledge, and professional dispositions to be eligible to enter student teaching or internship placements.
Content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge or skills, professional dispositions are demonstrated through candidate performance on key assessments embedded in the following course(s):
Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.
| Minimum Units for Completion | 120 |
| Major GPA | 2.5 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Required |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Required |
| Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching | Required |
| University Honors Program | Optional |
| AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A | Recommended |
| Progression Plan Link | View Progression Plan |
Purpose Statement
In art education, students prepare to become art instructors in K-12 by learning about content pedagogy, student development, diverse learners, instructional strategies, classroom management, research, communication and technology. Students learn important skills in a wide range of studio classes that prepare them for teaching.
The faculty of the School of Art are innovative artists, designers, scholars and educators who engage students in and out of the classroom. Our students are encouraged to participate in independent research projects with faculty, study abroad programs, internships, and student clubs and learning communities. Participation in these experiences provide our students with a depth of knowledge that benefit their own students later.
Student Learning Outcomes
Degree Program Student Learning Outcomes for the Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education: Art (BS Ed Art) encompass knowledge, skills, and dispositions that upon graduation lead to highly qualified art-teacher status. Students are expected to exhibit strong evidence of achieving a level of proficiency necessary for graduation, certification in secondary education, endorsement in K-12 art, and participate effectively in a competitive art-teaching market.
Outcomes align with Standards from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, the National Association of Schools of Art & Design Accreditation, and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium
More Information
Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
To be eligible for admission to the program, candidates must meet the following requirements:
30 units of coursework which includes:
Additional requirements:
To be prepared to teach art in kindergarten through 12th grade, take the following 88 units with grades of "C" or better and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all ARE, ARH and ART coursework:
In all of our teacher education programs, you are required to complete a student teaching or internship experience. In addition, a minimum number of units of practicum is required, which involves supervised field experience with a practicing teacher.
Before being accepted to student teaching, the following criteria must be met:
Arizona Teacher Certification
In order to obtain an Arizona teaching certificate you must pass the National Evaluation Series Secondary Assessment Professional Knowledge exam.
Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.
You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.
We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.
You must have completed all of the coursework used to fulfill these requirements within the last 10 years.
Be aware that Arizona state teacher certification requirements leading to Institutional Recommendations may change at any time, and may impact program of study requirements.
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.