OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 125
Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0.
Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: Art Education majors must have a “C” or better in each required major/minor courses taken.
Other GPA requirements to graduate: None.
Contact Information: James Linehan, Professor of Art, Interim Chair Department of Art, 107 Lord Hall, (207) 581-3246
The Department of Art offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Education, which provides a liberal arts program of study while preparing students as teachers of the visual arts. Completion of this NCATE approved program leads to certification as an art teaching specialist in the State of Maine, grades K-12, as well as preparing students for employment in a variety of community-based sites where formalized art instruction occurs. Many students go on to further study at the Graduate Level.
The BA in Art Education includes coursework in the social and behavioral sciences, arts and humanities, natural sciences and mathematics as well as in focus areas of the visual arts and education. Study in the visual arts includes 33 credits of art studio (27 in required courses, 6 in studio electives); 21 credits of art history (9 in required courses, 12 in art history electives); and 18 credits in art education (required). In addition, students are required to complete 24 credits of professional education coursework and practicum experience. In order to complete the 125 credits required for graduation, art education students may need to take 6 - 9 credits of coursework as an overload (over 15 credits per semester) or during summer sessions. Students completing the BA in Art Education also receive minors in Studio Art and Art History.
Options in Art Education:
Art education is a field of research, study, and practice, which has expanded beyond public school art teaching. Undergraduate study in art education not only prepares a student for teaching certification, but also for graduate work in specialized areas of art education and related fields of study. Some art education majors choose careers in museum education, art therapy, community arts education, arts administration, or other fields, which involve working closely with people and art. The Department of Art offers students an opportunity to concentrate in developmental disabilities through enrollment in the Developmental Disabilities Interdisciplinary Concentration in affiliation with the Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics Center at Eastern Maine Medical Center and its cooperating agencies. (See the University Affiliated Program in the Index.)
Students working toward degrees in studio art and art history who wish to prepare for certification as an art teaching specialist in the State of Maine may fulfill the requirements for teacher certification by completing required studio, art history, art education, and professional education courses, including the student teaching practicum.
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