Pick school for ART EDUCATION.

AHSTeacher
Thu, 19 Jul 2012 09:42:10 +0000

If you can afford it, almost any college is a wonderful experience. Check and see if the college you choose offers a K-12 certification or just elementary art or secondary art. It is more cost effective to be K-12 certified, as it will open up more opportunities. You will have to student teach at both the elementary and secondary level and take more methods courses, but the pay off is bigger.

Here’s a chart I show students about Arts Education:

Teacher’s Aide: 8 week certification course. (you can make about $11-$15 an hour)

Associate of Arts: 2 years at a community college. This is to get your “gen eds” out of the way. If you stop there, and still want to work in a school, you still have to get that Teacher’s Aide certification. You will also have to pass the Praxis I test to transfer to the 4 year school. I recommend all education students study this in advance.

Bachelor of Arts: 4 years at a college or university. This will allow you to become a certified teacher. Before graduation you will have to pass the Praxis II test. Many college graduates have to either work as Teacher’s Aides or long term subs before they can find full time employment.

Bachelor of Fine Arts: This degree has more studio courses. Many students who plan on becoming a professor go this route. When you make the choice to become a professor, you usually don’t do the art teacher route. Being a professor sounds glamorous, but in reality, there aren’t tons of jobs right now. There are many more public/private K-12 schools in the US.

Master of Arts Education: What many K-12 teachers have. More theory of education and a few art classes. You usually write a thesis and take comprehensive exams. You can also get a Master of Arts in Administration if you want to become a principal. It takes 2-3 years to get this.

Master of Fine Arts: This is the usually the degree your college professors have. It takes 2-3 years and is considered a terminal degree. This is more art related than the Master of Arts in Education.

PhD: You can get a PhD in Art Education or Art History. Again, do the research to see if there are jobs for these degrees.

Again, good luck!