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Arts Education (PreK-Grade 12), B.F.A.

The B.F.A. program in Arts Education prepares graduates to be innovative artists, effective and engaging educators, and advocates of the arts in the schools and communities they serve.

Students get a double major from both the School of Education’s Department of Teaching and Leadership and The College of Visual and Performing Arts, allowing you to develop professional skills and curriculum strategies that are both arts-based and principle-centered, promoting community engaged scholarship and problem solving across disciplines. This program meets the academic requirements for New York State initial teacher certification in Visual Arts (all grades).

Why Arts Education at Syracuse?

  • 92% of School of Education students are employed or in graduate school within 6 months, and arts education students have a 100% pass rate on the New York State edTPA examination.
  • Participate in EDU Sims, which are standardized simulations of common interactions in classroom and school environments to help you identify your strengths and develop your professional skills.
  • Field placements start in your sophomore year, including Saturday Art Workshops for Young People and full-time student teaching in the spring of your senior year.
  • Two jobs for the price of one – a major in Studio Art and a major in Art Education gives you a leg up in both fields, preparing you for lesson planning or project management, problem solving in the studio or the classroom!
  • Arts education majors have the opportunity to study abroad for a semester in Florence, Italy, Haute Ecole des Arts du Rhin in Strasbourg, France, and other Syracuse Abroad centers and world partners. You can also take part in School of Education short-term study abroad programs. Through the Himan Brown Fellowship, School of Education students are also eligible for exclusive funding to support study abroad experiences.
  • The local chapter of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) provides opportunities for professional development, hosting guest speakers and promoting and practicing outreach and community service through the arts.
  • With a Syracuse University bachelor’s degree, you are eligible for the 25% alumni tuition scholarship for a School of Education master’s program.

Because you will be a student in two different schools within Syracuse University, you will receive advising support, career services, and one-on-one mentoring from both the School of Education and the College of Visual and Performing Arts. You’ll work closely with our faculty of nationally recognized scholars, artists, and researchers in as you develop your professional identity and portfolio—with cutting-edge artistic practice, innovative art education pedagogies, and inclusive and socially responsible practices.

The program’s legacy is the work of a long list of innovative artists and educators. Our graduates are in K-12 schools, preschool, and community settings including:

Program Details

As a student in the Arts Education program, you will combine studies in art studio, education methods, classroom practicums, and academic requirements from the liberal arts core. You will choose courses that make up a major in Studio Arts and liberal arts courses in close collaboration with your advisors, allowing you to tailor them to your personal and professional interests. Sample courses in your program may include:

  • The American School
  • Foundational Drawing
  • Method and Practice in Teaching Art
  • Literacy Across the Curriculum
  • The Creative Classroom
  • Principles of Learning in Inclusive Classrooms

Your first semester will include art foundation requirements, art studio courses, writing, and participation in the Professional Development School. More information on academic requirements available in the Syracuse University Course Catalog.

Note: A portfolio is required for admissions to the Arts Education B.F.A. program.

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