Art Education

The School's Department of Art Education provides innovative quality models in art education for students who are prepared to become exemplary teachers and facilitators of art in society.

The School seeks to broaden the definition of art education and advance the role of arts professional as leaders and agents of change. Through its association with the world renowned museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, the School provides art education students with an opportunity to immerse themselves in an environment devoted to the production, study, presentation, and interpretation of art.

The art education programs are uniquely situated within the vital Chicagoland cultural community, which comprises a wealth of museums, alternative learning sites, civic programming, and art education professionals who expand the role of art in society.

Graduates of the School's art education programs have gone on to teach in and chair the arts programs of local and national educational institutions —elementary, middle, and secondary schools; colleges; and universities. Others work as museum educators, gallery directors, arts administrators, education specialists in arts programs for diverse audiences, and other related fields.

The department of Art Education offers three degree programs:

Undergraduate Program Bachelor of Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Art Education
The art education certification program for undergraduate students combines scholarly theory and field experience with the intensive studio practice of a rigorous art school. Students completing the program receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Art Education degree and are eligible for the Illinois K-12 art teaching certificate. This certificate is nationally recognized and allows the recipient to teach in many other states. (Illinois restricts certification to those who hold U.S. citizenship).

Art education students attend seminars that provide a common ground for artists, teachers, and students to discuss and define the structure of the educational experience. The design of curriculum is explored, including studio processes, historical and aesthetic components, assessment, human relations, and methods of instruction for exceptional children and transcultural populations. Concurrent with their participation in seminars, students engage in fieldwork in established programs and in alternative settings.

For more information about this program see the BFA with Emphasis degree program requirments and the BFA with Emphasis in Art Education Handbook and Information Packet.

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
The Master of Arts in Teaching is a two-year program for students who want to teach art in public schools. The program fulfills the requirements for the nationally recognized State of Illinois K-12 art education certificate, and allows students to investigate an area of concern through a thesis. As a leader in the education of artists, the School of the Art Institute recognized art as an essential component of life. Today's art educator is not only a catalyst for new ways to contemplate art and art making, but is also an important vehicle for art advocacy and social responsibility. The MAT program seeks to advance the role of the art educator as one of education facilitator and agent of change, able to participate in the field of education broadly.

MAT program students begin with a rigorous education in theory and practice, taught by faculty who are accomplished artists, educators, and researchers. This strong foundation helps the student become an educator who understands and communicate the tradition of form and content in art.

The program's art education seminars provide a forum for students to investigate and discuss current thinking on art education practice and reform. Through fieldwork assignments in schools, students develop proficiency as effective arts educators, while weekly meeting with faculty provide supervision and dialogue relating to the clinical experience.

For more information about this program see the Master of Arts in Teaching degree program requirments.

Master of Arts in Art Education (MAAE)
The Master of Arts in Art Education degree is an individualized, year-round program designed for artists or arts professionals who want to facilitate art education in schools, museums, cultural institutions, communities, social service agencies, and alternative settings, or design educational programming for television and interactive media.

The MAAE program provides a core foundation in educational theory and practice necessary for the teaching and interpreting of art, the development of art-based curricula, and the facilitation of educational visual arts programming in a wide variety of settings. Working closely with a faculty adviser, candidates self-design the sequence and content of courses pertaining to their area of interest and desired learning pace. Areas of interest include: studio pedagogy; aesthetics and criticism; museum education; integrated, interdisciplinary, or multicultural curriculum development; community-based programming; instructional methodology for special audiences; technological applications in art education; audience assessment; and media literacy.

MAAE candidates generally begin with courses that review the history of art education and examine the newest thinking and ideas for art education practices in the broadest sense. Throughout the curriculum, visiting professionals present the latest perspectives representing diversity in the field.

Fieldwork and/or internships in the Chicago area balance theory with practice. Students have access to a multitude of opportunities to teach, interpret art, develop arts-based curricula, or facilitate educational visual arts programming. Internships with institutions facilitate the development of important professional projects, such as a multimedia presentation, an interactive exhibit, a CD-ROM, an exhibition catalog, or a curriculum guide. The individually designed fieldwork component is usually the cornerstone of the final thesis.

A full-time student can complete the MAAE core courses in one calendar year, including fall, spring, and summer terms. Part-time options include evening and limited weekend and summer classes.

For more information about this program see the Master of Art in Art Education degree program requirments.