Art Teacher Education
Art Teacher Education prepares students to become teachers of art, art history, and art appreciation at various educational levels. Future educators are trained in disciplines such as aesthetics, art criticism, art interpretation, creativity, production, and individual exploration. It further encompasses classes in specialized techniques like printmaking and 2-D design as well as more general subjects like art criticism and art philosophy. This degree also covers the creation and execution of lesson plans as well as teacher training classes.
Art teacher education degrees are available at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels. Bachelor’s degree-holders are qualified to teach art at the K-12 level while postsecondary and college art teaching jobs require a graduate degree. All colleges and universities offering an art teacher education program must be accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
I Want to Be an Art Teacher. Would I Make a Good One?
First and foremost, it’s important for all students to determine if they possess the mental outlook and skills conducive to becoming an art teacher. Teaching art on any level is a time consuming and often stressful process so it helps to have a passion for the subject and a sense of purpose as a foundation. It’s also important to possess leadership qualities, a sense of humor, and a willingness to collaborate as part of the educational process.
At some point, you’ll also need to choose the teaching level where you’ll feel most comfortable. Art classes are found at all different educational levels: elementary, junior high, high school, and college. Once you’re able to determine your focus, it will help you choose which kind of art teacher education degree to earn.
The next thing to consider is the education needed to be an art teacher. Besides the classes you’ll take in preparation for the degree, becoming an art teacher also requires experiential learning. This involves trips off campus to area schools to observe professional art teachers in action, as well as a student-teaching experience.
It’s important to note that not all art education degree holders teach in schools. Art teachers also find employment in hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes, or even prisons. So if you have a passion for teaching the subject but aren’t sure if you want to spend eight hours a day in a classroom setting, it’s still possible to find work.
Associate level
The minimum art teacher job requirements in every state is a bachelor’s degree. There are no associate degrees specifically focusing on “art” teacher education, but that shouldn’t deter you from beginning at a 2-year institution. It can be a great way to save money, so head to a community college with a solid transfer program and choose a general major, such as “teaching” or even “art.” This way, transferring should be relatively seamless. You can even start teaching preschoolers or work as a teacher’s aide once you finish your associate if you’re eager to join the workforce right away.
Baccalaureate Level: How to Become an Art Teacher
The 4-year art teacher education bachelor’s degree can be broken down into two separate components. It requires students to study specialized art techniques and media such as design, painting, or sculpting. It also features classes in educational skills like lesson planning, teaching methods, and classroom organization. Most students also take classes in generalized art topics like color theory and art history.
All prospective bachelor’s degree recipients are required to teach classes at a local school under the supervision of a professional teacher in order to gain real world experience. Finally, all students must obtain a teacher’s certification from the state in order to find employment with any school district. The requirements for certification vary from state to state but a bachelor’s degree is mandatory.
Certain colleges and universities also offer art education as a minor for students who have an interest in the field but aren’t certain that they want to become school teachers. This art education minor helps qualify students for art teacher jobs in non-traditional settings like hospitals, museums, and cultural organizations. It also helps train them to lead art therapy sessions.
Art teacher jobs at the bachelor’s degree level: After earning a bachelor’s degree, most art teacher education majors find jobs as K-12 level art teachers.
How much do art teachers make? At this level, an art teacher salary ranges from $47,000 to $56,000.
If it turns out that you want to move outside of the classroom, art teacher education majors can also find employment in jobs like Graphic Designer, Art Director, Museum Educator, Art Curator, Exhibit Designer, Art Therapist, User Interface Designer, and Community Arts Program Director.
The average salary for these positions range from $35,000 for a museum educator and $48,000 for a graphic designer to $73,000 for an art curator and $80,000 for a user interface designer at the high end.
Online art education
It’s also possible for art teacher education majors to teach art online professionally. Art educators can find online teaching jobs through charter schools, colleges and universities, or even by starting their own web-based businesses. These employers require teachers to demonstrate a strong understanding of technological educational resources as part of the job application process.
Most of the teaching in online art classes is conducted via video so it’s especially important to be comfortable on camera and knowledgeable about streaming technology. Online educators will also frequently interact with students via one-on-one platforms like Skype or Facetime.
Graduate Level
For students looking to teach art at an advanced level, several schools feature a Master of Arts degree in art teacher education. These graduate level programs offer more in-depth art classes on the history of art education, teaching art for special populations, philosophy of art education, museum education, art advocacy, and art studies for diverse needs. Many of these master’s degree-granting programs are available online.
A master’s degree typically qualifies an aspiring professor to teach up to the postsecondary level. There are some community colleges that will accept a master’s degree for a teaching position but this varies from institution to institution. In order to become an art professor at the college level, it is commonly a requirement to earn a PhD in art teacher education.
This PhD usually takes between three to eight years to complete. The art education PhD focuses on composing scholarly literature and includes an internship, teaching practicum, dissertation, and a final research project or thesis. It covers advanced classroom topics such as qualitative and quantitative research methodologies as well as teaching theory.
Art teacher jobs at the graduate level: Graduates who hold a master’s degree or PhD in art teacher education often find work teaching at the postsecondary or college level. Outside of the educational world, graduate degree holders are also employed as a Museum Curator, Policy Maker, and Community Arts Organizer.
The average salary range for a postsecondary or college art instructor runs from $53,000 to $82,000. For other positions, salaries range from $40,000 for a Community Arts Organizer and $46,000 for a Museum Curator to $55,000 for a Policy Maker.
