Bachelor of Arts in Art Education

The completion of the Bachelor in Arts in Art Education certifies students for pre-K-12 licensure. The program graduates teachers who apply learner-centered pedagogy through the use of expressive, technical, and organizational skills with a basic understanding of the philosophical and social foundations underlying art in education. Our graduates understand child development and the creative needs of learners; use traditional and technological processes; incorporate art history and aesthetic concepts to studio practices; employ instructional strategies based on reflective practice; and create learning environments that help students build on prior knowledge and meet success.

General Information

The art teacher education program is designed to be a sequential and progressive curriculum that begins with an introduction to the field and builds toward the culminating experience, student teaching. Among the features of the program:

• Field and clinical experiences are part of every art education course. Students are placed in a variety of classroom contexts and work with art teachers and students under the supervision of Kent State faculty.
• As part of their field experiences, our students gain experience in urban, suburban and rural schools and with young students of ages 4-18.
• Teacher education concepts and theory are drawn from the current research and professional literature in art, education and art education as well as related literature in other disciplines.
• The Art Education Major Review provides a comprehensive assessment of each student and gauges his or her readiness for advancement to student teaching.
•  Program standards are designed to exceed the state minimums for initial licensure.
• As one of the largest and most comprehensive art education programs in this region, the network of Kent State graduates serves as a resource for ongoing program development.

Required course work in studio and crafts offers art education students a breadth of exposure to art content. In the advanced stages of their programs, students are encouraged to use elective hours to develop depth in at least one studio or art education area.

Download the BA in Art Education Sequence Sheet

About Field and Clinical Experiences

Field and clinical experiences are an integral part of our teacher education program. Field-based activities progress from an introduction to life in schools and classrooms and culminate in total involvement. Field experiences for art education students are carefully planned and coordinated through course instructors and involve specific learning objectives that have been set to assure increasing proficiency in performing various teaching responsibilities under actual school conditions.