To find out, ask yourself: Do I enjoy creating and talking about art? Do I like to share my skills and interests with others? Do I enjoy working with young people? Am I eager to introduce them to art? Am I comfortable talking to groups? Do I enjoy working with and meeting a variety of people regardless of race, ethnic, or religious background? Am I committed to helping others? Do I believe art enriches life?
The Visual Art Education Program in KU’s School of Fine Arts offers a comprehensive art education program that will develop your skills as an artist and use your artistic talents as a foundation for a broader understanding and appreciation of art and art history. You will not only create art, but you will also learn how to respond to art in an informed manner.
You will develop skills in discussion and art criticism. You will learn how to use museum collections as teaching tools, and you will learn how to make this total approach to art and art appreciation work in a classroom setting.
You will be licensed as an art teacher for grades K-12 after you complete the requirements of the five-year art education program.
Visual Art Education undergraduates earn a Bachelor of Art Education (B.A.E.) from the School of Fine Arts. The B.A.E. requires a generous sampling of courses in the humanities, language arts, social sciences, and the natural sciences. It also includes substantial course work in art and design and in visual art education classes.
The four-year degree program meets the state requirements (except teaching internship and advanced course work, which require a fifth year) for teacher licensure in Kansas and reciprocal licensure in many other states.
You will be enrolled in the School of Fine Arts and will complete most of your liberal arts and basic art and design courses during that time. You will get a broad sampling of introductory courses in ceramics, jewelry and metalworking, printmaking, weaving and textiles, photography, painting, and sculpture, and will choose one of these areas as your area of emphasis.
Also during your first two years, you will get a taste of what it will be like to be a teacher. As a first-year student, you can take Introduction to Teaching and observe and work with children in a real classroom. In your second year, you can take Studying Children and Adolescents in the Schools. These field courses will show you the importance of education in society and will help you decide whether you want to be a teacher.
Your first year's schedule in visual arts education may look something like this:
|
First semester |
Hours |
|
ENGL 101 Composition |
3 |
|
ABS 101 Introduction to Drawing I |
3 |
|
H A 150 Art History I:Ancient and Medieval Art |
3 |
|
DBS 103 Introduction to Design I |
3 |
|
PSYC 104 General Psychology |
3 |
|
BIOL 100 Principles of Biology Lecture |
3 |
|
EDUC 100 Introduction to Teaching |
1 |
|
TOTAL |
19 |
|
Second semester |
Hours |
|
ENGL 102 Composition and Literature |
3 |
|
H A 151 Art History II: Renaissance to Modern Art |
3 |
|
ABS 102 Introduction to Drawing II |
3 |
|
DBS 104 Introduction to Design II |
3 |
|
COMS 130 Speaker-Audience Communication or COMS 150 Personal Communication |
3 |
|
HSES 260 Personal and Community Health |
3 |
|
TOTAL |
18 |
Students in the Visual Art Education Program earn a minimum of 145 credit hours for a B.A.E. during their first four years. They then take an additional 31 credit hours in their licensure year. Most students average about 18 credit hours, or five to six courses a semester. Some semesters, however, will be more demanding.
You must apply for admission to the Art Education Professional Sequence and be accepted before you begin the first semester of your junior year. To be admitted you must have at least 36 credit hours in the expected core courses for the teacher education program and a 2.5 overall grade-point average, which is a C+. You must, however, have at least a 2.75 grade-point average in your teaching major.
You must also have the recommendation of the Visual Art Education faculty and must have passed all three parts of the Pre-Professional Skills Test with acceptable scores. These tests should be taken before your junior year. Completed applications are reviewed twice a year.
During your junior and senior years, you will complete your liberal arts requirements and your art courses, including the four courses in your area of emphasis. You also will take the education courses that will prepare you to teach.
Your fifth and final year will be devoted entirely to your professional education. This is the year when you will student teach and will complete the required graduate-level courses and an internship.
When you have successfully completed the five-year program, you will have your teaching license and your B.A.E. degree, and you will have earned about half of the credit hours needed for a master’s degree in education.
Each spring, the Visual Art Education Program awards some scholarships based on a variety of criteria such as academic performance, volunteer or teaching experiences involving children, and/or previously held leadership positions. Applications are available at the beginning of the Fall semester from the University of Kansas Art and Design Office, 300 Art and Design, Lawrence, KS 66045, (785) 864-4401.
For information about scholarships based on academic merit, diversity, major, and residence, write or call the University of Kansas, Office of Admissions and Scholarships, KU Visitor Center, 1502 Iowa Street, Lawrence, KS 66045, (785) 864-3911 (www.admissions.ku.edu). For information about grants, loans, and other need-based financial aid, write or call KU’s Office of Student Financial Aid, 50 Strong Hall, Lawrence, KS 66045-1920, (785) 864-4700.
information? For more information about the Visual Art Education Program and for answers to questions about careers, admissions, testing, and advising, write or call the University of Kansas, Visual Art Education Program, 300 Art and Design, Lawrence, KS 66045, (785) 864-4401.
You may decide after coming to KU that you’re not interested in teaching art. Perhaps you will want to focus on a different aspect of education, such as teaching and leadership. The School of Education Student Advising Center in Pearson Hall can give you information about other teaching fields. Or you may decide to earn your degree in fine arts or art history instead of education. KU offers courses in hundreds of subjects. The variety of courses you will take in education and fine arts will lead you toward a major and a career.
Once you have your degree and license, you will find school districts want to hire you. School administrators know our five-year graduates are well-trained and experienced teachers. These administrators often tell us that our graduates are especially mature. That fifth year of student teaching, advanced course work, and internship will make you a confident and enthusiastic teacher.
The university’s excellent faculty and its rich curriculum have attracted national attention. Students and teachers from around the world will introduce you to diverse cultures and viewpoints. You will be able to choose from hundreds of lectures, concerts, plays, and student activities that will make your undergraduate years worthwhile. Concerts and shows in KU’s Lied Center Series bring outstanding national and international performers to campus each year.
KU’s Spencer Museum of Art, one of the nation’s premier university art museums, offers a 17,000-work collection known for its quality and scope. From early Christian art, to photography, Chinese painting, Japanese prints, and modern art, the Spencer will prove a valuable resource. You will also find galleries, exhibitions, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in nearby Kansas City.
You will study at one of the strongest fine arts programs in the Midwest and work in small studio settings with accomplished faculty members who have earned worldwide respect as artists, designers, art educators, and consultants. Their work appears in museums, art exhibitions, and national and professional magazines, and they are recognized for their dedication to teaching.
Department-Specific Requirements:
Department of Art Admissions
Department of Design Admissions
Department of Music & Dance Admissions
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The University of Kansas School of Fine Arts Lawrence, KS 66045 785/864-3421 |
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