The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in art degree with an art education emphasis is designed for students who want to prepare for a career in teaching the visual arts in grades prekindergarten through the 12th grade. The art teacher must develop competencies in general educational studies, professional teacher education, and a range of art and design skills. After completing the art foundation curriculum in the first year, students must select a specialty from applied drawing, ceramics media, graphic design, painting, photo media, print media or sculpture. In the fourth or fifth semester, students apply to the teacher education program. In addition to meeting College of Applied Studies requirements, they must meet portfolio and any additional requirements established by art education faculty in ARTF 202 Mid-Program Review.

Upon acceptance, students engage in various types of teaching and directed observation through the period of undergraduate art education study. There is a four-semester sequence of fieldwork involving a one-hour-per-week assignment during the first semester that increases to an all-day assignment during the fourth semester. After art teacher candidates successfully complete the program, they are recommended to the state department of education for a conditional art teaching license. After two years of successful teaching with a conditional license, the art teacher applies for the professional license.

Admission

Requirements for admission to teacher education are identified in the College of Applied Studies section of this catalog. Please refer to it for detailed information. The following requirements must be satisfied for acceptance and to begin the core sequence of coursework in the School of Education in the College of Applied Studies:

1. A 2.750 GPA or higher within the 34-35 credit hours of foundation and general education coursework, which may include up to 10 credit hours of ARTF coursework;
2. A C- or higher grade in the four general education foundation courses which must be completed within a student's first 48 credit hours:
   1. ENGL 101 (or its equivalent),
   2. ENGL 102 (or its equivalent),
   3. COMM 111, and
   4. MATH 111 (or other higher-level mathematics course);
3. A passing grade in PSY 111 or CESP 334, or equivalent.

Standardized Test Requirement

A prospective art teacher candidate must satisfy one of four possible standardized test requirements. Minimum scores required on these national tests are listed in the College of Applied Studies section. Application packets are available at the College of Applied Studies Advising (CASA) office, 107 Corbin, and at the CASA website¹.

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Program Requirements

In addition to meeting the university’s scholastic, residence and general education requirements for graduation, candidates for the BFA must complete the following courses for a total of 120 credit hours. Courses within the art education curriculum fulfill both the university general education requirements for graduation and preparation for Kansas licensure for teaching art in the elementary and secondary levels.

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Required major courses may also count towards General Education requirements. Students will need to select additional electives to reach 120 credit hours required for graduation with assistance from an advisor.

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Must be completed prior to enrolling in ARTF 202.

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An additional 3 credit hours of Art History are counted in the general education requirements.

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An additional 3 credit hours of CESP or PSY are counted in the general education requirements.

Note: 45+ upper-division hours are required for graduation. Model programs of study are available in the School of Art, Design and Creative Industries office and on the ADCI website⁵.

Teaching Internship

The teaching internship year takes place during the student’s final year in the program through ARTE 410 (fall semester) and ARTE 459, ARTE 462 and ARTE 517 (spring semester). During the final year in the program students will enroll in a zero-credit course,  CAS 501, to support the completion of the Teacher Licensure Capstone. Students are required to complete ARTE 310 and ARTE 414 with a grade of B- or better before beginning their teaching internships. Assignments for all teaching internship placements are made by the art education faculty in consultation with the art teacher candidate. The Teaching Internship Handbook, distributed by the College of Applied Studies, lists all policies to be followed during the teaching internship by the teacher candidates, the cooperating teachers and the university supervisors.

ARTE 410 consists of a 12-week preteaching internship in a local middle school during the fall semester. Working with a professional cooperating teacher, students observe a class every day of their placement. Toward the end of their internship, students plan and teach an original 10-day unit of study to their middle school class. Based on this activity, students complete a practice Teaching Licensure Capstone (TLC). By midterm of this semester, students apply for placement in their spring teaching internship (Core III).

Beginning the spring teaching internship requires:

1. B- or higher in ARTE 410;
2. Senior standing;
3. Minimum 2.500 GPA in art courses;
4. Minimum 2.500 overall grade point average;
5. Recommendation by the art education faculty following a formal interview; and
6. Passing the second transition point, which includes a selection of embedded assessments identified in the standards for art teacher preparation and the required coursework in the School of Education (CI courses) and in the School of Art, Design and Creative Industries.

During the spring semester, art teacher candidates enroll in ARTE 459, ARTE 462 and ARTE 517. These courses require students to work with a high school art teacher all day for eight weeks ( ARTE 462), an elementary school art teacher all day for seven weeks ( ARTE 459) and participate in a teaching internship seminar ( ARTE 517) weekly during the entire semester. Students will also enroll in a zero-credit course,  CAS 501, to facilitate the completion of the Teacher Licensure Capstone (TLC). A grade of B- or higher is required in each of these courses.

Embedded Assessments

Embedded assessments are included within coursework in the major during the last four semesters. These competencies reflect national standards as well as meet the KSDE (Kansas State Department of Education) required competencies for art teacher preparation. There are seven competencies.

1. The teacher of art demonstrates a strong theoretical foundation in art education.
2. The teacher of art demonstrates knowledge, competency and teaching ability in the content of art and design.
3. The teacher creates a safe environment that supports individual and collaborative problem solving and that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
4. The teacher of art selects and adapts a variety of appropriate resources, materials and technologies in order to design a curriculum that enables students to create, present, respond and connect to art.
5. The teacher of art demonstrates knowledge of collaborative and promotional strategies for working with colleagues, families and community groups to achieve common goals for enriching the art program, enhancing students’ learning and improving the school environment.
6. The teacher of art understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide teachers’ decision making.
7. The teacher of art demonstrates knowledge of professional art organizations and seeks professional growth and development opportunities to advance the profession.

Licensure

It is possible to graduate with a degree but fail to meet the requirements necessary for licensure recommendation. Art teacher candidates assume responsibility for knowing, and fully understanding, their program assessment plan and transition point requirements, which must be met successfully prior to licensure recommendation. Application for teacher licensure in Kansas requires completion of the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) examination and the Praxis content examination, as established by the Kansas State Department of Education in order to qualify for the initial license. A fingerprint test administered by the police department is required. Candidates must be free of any felony conviction. A grade of B- or higher in each of the teaching internship (Core III) courses ( ARTE 459, ARTE 462 and ARTE 517) is necessary to receive a recommendation for the teaching license. (See Program Requirements.)

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Applied Learning

Students in the BFA in art - art education emphasis are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from the program. The requirement can be met by the teaching internships in the public schools through ARTE 459 and ARTE 462.