Art Education

Admission to this program is competitive. Students interested in art education begin in either an arts-related BA or BFA track and apply to the art education program in the spring of their sophomore year. 

In order to apply and be eligible for a portfolio review, students must complete the following courses and meet GPA requirements:

• Introduction to Art Education (earn a B or better)
• Digital Artmaking (earn a B or better)
• First Year English Composition (earn a C or better)
• 3.0 minimum GPA for licensure program
• 2.5 minimum GPA for informal option

Learn more about the portfolio admissions process at artsandsciences.osu.edu/academics/programs/majors/art-education-bae.

Freshman Year
Art Foundations/Studio
Introduction to Art Education

Sophomore Year
Art Studio 
Art education course 

Junior Year
Art Studio 
Education course 
Art education courses 

Senior Year
Art Education course
Education course
Practicum
Teaching Seminar

(Students pursuing the non-licensure option do an internship instead of student teaching and the teaching seminar.)

Art education students may enjoy joining the Visual & Performing Arts Learning Community. This learning community is for artists or anyone who wishes to express creative ideas. Students will have an opportunity to literally "leave their mark" on their Residence Hall Community through wall murals, t-shirts, and logo designs and programming that caters to their artistic needs. The community is for students passionate about one or more dimensions of the arts (music, theater, art, design and dance) and engaging with them in a community setting.

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure and certification and state licensing board contact information at go.osu.edu/onground.

All graduates receive a Bachelor of Art Education, but licensure is awarded through the successful passage of art content and edTPA assessment testing. 

The BAE degree with licensure prepares students to be traditional public school art educators in grades pre-K through 12. Some students have also pursued careers in general education, museum education and curating.

The BAE Informal option prepares students for careers in art education in museums, community-based settings or non-traditional school sites.

The following four categories, their descriptions and the related outcomes are used to assess the students in the art education licensure programs (across the BAE with Licensure), from entrance to completion.

Socio-cultural Context and Community:

• The context of social, cultural, economic and political realities as related to self, community and world.
• The relationship between cultural diversity and student learning, including how cultural diversity can afford particular opportunities for the exploration of multiple perspectives.
• Teaching and learning are affected by access to the development and exchange of new media and electronic information.
• Teaching and learning is multi-modal, a life-long process, and occurs both inside and outside the context of schools.

Related Outcomes
The art teacher candidate will (1) Develop an understanding of the relationship between socio-cultural diversity and student learning, including aspects of identity such as ability, age, class, gender, race and sexuality, (2) Demonstrate a global understanding of visual culture as reflected in diverse traditions, contemporary art and visual culture, and (3) Recognize the ways in which learning occurs in multiple communities and individual and traditional school settings.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Theoretical and practical knowledge related to communications, literature, mathematics, science, history, philosophy and social sciences from transcultural perspectives. 
• Content knowledge, including perspectives on social theory, new media and information technology, art theory, art history, visual culture, art production and art education that support democratic learning and critical practices. 
• Methods, resources, technology and materials for designing and implementing instruction based on pedagogical content knowledge, student needs and curricular goals.
• Multiple forms of assessment, such as group critique, student self-evaluation and rubrics, and teacher candidate self-evaluation to support active learning.

Related Outcomes
The art teacher candidate will (1) Utilize curricular theories in developing art education content and instruction, (2) Employ ways of knowing derived from art criticism, artmaking, contextual methodologies, philosophical questioning and socio-cultural perspectives, (3) Utilize constructivist theory and employ democratic approaches to teaching and learning, and (4) Approach technology as both a tool and as a discourse that embodies emergent ways of conceptualizing contemporary culture. 

Critical Thought and Reflection:

• Strong foundation in theoretical and conceptual frameworks that integrate research, reflection, technology and practice.
• The importance of teacher as researcher. Critical questioning of teacher thinking.
• Multiple frames of reference to help conceptualize his/her own positionality in relationship to students, schools, communities and the professional field.
• Creates strategies and solutions in relation to critical thought and reflection. 

Related Outcomes
The art teacher candidate will (1) Value the diversity of perspectives through the development of abilities to critically engage one’s thinking, and (2) Utilize research as a way through which to employ self-reflexivity in pedagogical contexts. 

Practice and Evaluation:

• Instructional strategies including new media and information 
• technology encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving and performance skills. 
• Effective communication skills with parents, students, colleagues and the public in general. 
• Adjustments to instruction when appropriate.
• Collecting and analyzing data to improve teaching and learning.

Related Outcomes
The art teacher candidate will (1) Use a variety of instructional strategies and contemporary curricular approaches including technology to encourage students’ development as critical thinkers, and (2) Recognize the ways in which teaching practices vary in different school and community settings.