Art Education, BA

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Program Details

Location
Akron Campus
Level
undergraduate
Degree/Program Type
Bachelor of Arts / major
Format
In-person
Course Info
Art Education, BA
College
Buchtel College of Arts & Sciences (BCAS)
School/Department
Mary Schiller Myers School of Art

Program Contact

Elisa Gargarella

Associate Professor, Art Education Area Coordinator

330–972–8325 Send an Email

Overview

Art Education Fundamentals  
The Art Education program in the Mary Schiller Myers School of Art consists of a core curriculum of theory and practice that prepares students to work in a variety of organizational settings, from museums to recreational centers. 
 
Purpose 
The purpose of this program is to enable students to develop the range of knowledge, skills, and competencies expected of those holding a liberal-arts baccalaureate degree in art and professional preparation in art education. P, K-12 licensed school art teachers who graduate from this program are expected to exhibit a high level of skills as artists, designers, and educators. Students benefit from excellent art, history, and theory instruction, and professionally equipped art and technology studios, while obtaining licensure from the School of Education through highly academic and interactive coursework. 
 
Goals  
The following basic goals/competencies are essential to all prospective art teachers: 
 

  • To foster competencies with the basic expressive, technical, procedural and organizational skills, and conceptual insights developed through studio art and design experiences.
  • To facilitate an understanding of the major styles and periods of art history, analytical methods, and theories of criticism.
  • To help students connect an understanding of educational processes and structures with an understanding of relationships among the arts, sciences, and humanities, in order to apply art competencies in teaching situations and to integrate art/design instruction into the total process of education.
  • To assist teachers in developing the knowledge and skills to customize and differentiate learning for learners with a range of individual differences. To aid pre-service teachers in developing curricular, instructional, and assessment strategies for building 21st Century cross-disciplinary skills for K-12 students (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and the use of technology).
  • To help students develop effective assessment strategies for collecting data and using it to improve instruction and support learner success. 
     

Admissions Requirements

  • Students must meet the general admissions requirements of The University of Akron.  

  • Admission to the LeBron James Family Foundation School of Education is a prerequisite for any Professional Education course. 

Career Outcomes

Graduates of the Art Education B.A. are prepared for: 

  • Licensure and teaching in P–12 public and private schools 

  • Museum or community-based art education 

  • Arts integration in interdisciplinary learning environments 

  • Graduate study in art education, curriculum, or leadership 

  • Civic and cultural programming roles in nonprofits or public agencies