2024-2025 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Art Education (Teacher Certification)
The art education program enables students to meet certification requirements for teaching visual art in Michigan elementary and secondary schools.
Degree Requirements
All students entering art education must follow the program leading to LQ certification (K-12 comprehensive with no teachable minor).
Entering students in art education, or degree-holding students wishing teacher certification must complete 75 credits in art, including four introductory studios and a studio emphasis chosen from ceramics, graphic design, illustration, jewelry/metalsmithing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, or visual studies.
General Education
In the GVSU general education requirements, the Foundations section lists ART 101 - Introduction to Art as a choice. ART 101 is not required for the B.F.A., B.A., or B.S. in visual and media arts programs. Some of the material in Art 101 will be duplicated in the required coursework. Studio arts and art education majors are advised to take one of the other classes in the general education-Arts category.
Requirements for a Major in Art Education
B.A. Degree Requirements
- Foreign language (third-semester proficiency in a foreign language)
B.S. Degree Requirements (Credits: 9)
- CIS 150 - Introduction to Computing (3 credits)
- STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits)
- STA 216 - Intermediate Applied Statistics (3 credits) OR HST 290 - The Historian's Craft: What Historians Know and How They Know It (3 credits)
Foundations Courses
Foundations
Requires 15 credits. Must be taken during freshman year.
- ART 150 - Foundations: 2-D Design and Color (3 credits)
- ART 151 - Foundations: 3-D Design (3 credits)
- ART 153 - Foundations: Making and Meaning in Art and Design (3 credits)
- ART 155 - Foundations: Introduction to Drawing I (3 credits)
- ART 157 - Foundations: Introduction to Drawing II (3 credits)
Art History
Requires 12 credits.
- ART 221 - Survey of Art History I (3 credits)
- ART 222 - Survey of Art History II (3 credits)
- Select from the following list of classes. Students cannot take both ART 218 and ART 219 to complete their electives in Art History.
- ART 218 - Design History (3 credits) OR ART 219 - History of Illustration (3 credits)
- ART 322 - Goths to Gothic: Medieval Art (3 credits)
- ART 323 - Rethinking Renaissance Art (3 credits)
- ART 327 - Art Since 1945 (3 credits)
- ART 380 - Special Topics in Art and Design (1 to 3 credits) (art history emphasis)
- ART 386 - Art History Study Abroad (3 credits)
- ART 420 - Asian Art (3 credits)
- ART 421 - Surrealism (3 credits)
- ART 422 - Art and the Worlds of Islam (3 credits)
- ART 423 - Animals in Art (3 credits)
- ART 425 - Depicting a Nation: 19th Century American Art (3 credits)
Requirements
- ART 332 - Introduction to Art Education (3 credits)
- ART 333 - Curriculum Development and Practice (3 credits)
- ART 335 - Digital Creativity (3 credits)
- ART 495 - Issues in Art (Capstone) (3 credits)
Note:
- Art methodology courses (ART 332, ART 333, and ART 335) must be taken before arranging for teacher assisting and directed teaching. Students should consult the College of Education and Community Innovation for the specific requirements concerning teacher assisting and student directed teaching.
- Completion of the art history requirements (see previous) of the B.A. or B.S. program is a prerequisite for ART 495.
Complete four courses (select corresponding coursework):
- ART 210 - Graphic Design Studio I: Introduction to Typography (3 credits)
- ART 245 - Fabricating Adornment: Jewelry Basics and Design (3 credits)
- ART 260 - Introduction to Painting (3 credits)
- ART 263 - Screenprint and Relief (3 credits)
- ART 270 - Sculpture: Creating/Building/Making (3 credits)
- ART 275 - Ceramics: The Basics (3 credits)
- ART 281 - Fundamentals of Illustration: Ideation and Sequence (3 credits)
- ART 295 - Space Studio: Art, Installation, Environment, Site (3 credits)
Two drawing courses (6 credits):
- ART 257 - Life Drawing (3 credits)
- ART 258 - Intermediate Drawing (3 credits)
- ART 355 - Advanced Drawing I (3 credits)
Three additional studio courses from one emphasis area (9 credits).
Three studio art or art education electives (9 credits).
Additional Requirements
Prerequisite courses required prior to admission to undergraduate teacher education:
- PSY 301 - Child Development (3 credits)
- EDF 315 - Diverse Perspectives on Education (3 credits)
- EDI 338 - Teachers as Decision Makers: Instruction and Assessment in Elementary Schools (3 credits)
- EDI 339 - Teachers as Decision Makers: Instruction and Assessment in Secondary Schools (3 credits)
- Requirements for admission to assisted and student-directed teaching, please consult with art education/CECI advisor for specific requirements.
Note: These prerequisite courses require a 2.7 GPA or better, with no grade lower than a C.
Passing scores (reading and writing component must be passed with a score of 480 or higher, and mathematics component must be passed with a score of 530 or higher) on the SAT Evidence-based Test will be required prior to admission to the College of Education and Community Innovation. Passing scores on the Content Area, #95-Visual Arts Education, test will be required prior to obtaining certification. The Content Area (#95) test can be taken during teacher assisting, student teaching, or before graduation. MTTC website: mttc.nesinc.com.
Prerequisites to College of Education and Community Innovation Application: Nine credits
A 3.0 GPA in the major, passing score on the SAT Evidence-based Test, and completion of EDF 315, EDI 338, EDI 339, and PSY 301 with a grade of C or better are required before admission to College of Education and Community Innovation's Teacher Assisting semester.
Certificate Requirement: Pass the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) mttc.nesinc.com, #95-Visual Arts Education, in the content area before graduation.