Art, Visual Art Teacher Licensure Program, B.A.

The Bachelor of Arts in Art with a concentration in Visual Art Education licensure program is designed to prepare outstanding teacher candidates at the Massachusetts initial licensure level. Westfield State University’s educator preparation programs are approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). Students who do not meet the required Advanced Standing statis to complete a practicum will not be endorsed for the licensure; however, they may graduate from WSU with a The Bachelor of Arts in Art.

Students wishing to be licensed to teach Visual Art Education must complete:

All the requirements of the Art major.
An additional 36 credit teacher preparation sequence for either Elementary (pre-K to 8) or Secondary (5-12) licensure as follows:

Requirements for Art Majors

ART 0101 - First-Year Seminar Credits: 1
ART 0103 - Drawing I Credits: 3
ART 0104 - Design Fundamentals Credits: 3
ART 0105 - Three-Dimensional Design Credits: 3
ART 0106 - Art Survey: Prehistoric to Middle Ages Credits: 3
ART 0107 - Art Survey: Renaissance to Present Credits: 3
ART 0109 - Writing for Art and the Artist Credits: 3
ART 0201 - Printmaking I Credits: 3
ART 0204 - Ceramics I Credits: 3
ART 0205 - Sculpture I Credits: 3
ART 0209 - Color Theory and Practice Credits: 3
ART 0214 - Drawing II Credits: 3
ART 0216 - Painting I Credits: 3
ART 0311 - Painting II Credits: 3
One Art elective Credits: 3
Two 300-level Art History Courses Credits: 6

One of the following:

Note:

** Students completing Art Teacher Licensure Programs must take ART 0108 Introduction to Computer Graphics as their art elective.

Art majors are required to take ART 0106 and ART 0107 , to satisfy the Appreciation of the Arts requirement of the common core.

Art majors must complete a minimum of 27 credits of course work within the Art Department at Westfield State. Students are advised to consult their advisors for information on course sequencing and general core requirements.

Art majors intending to pursue graduate work beyond their major are advised to take additionally recommended studio courses of their choice. It is also advisable to include more than the minimum requirements in Art History.

Professional Preparation Sequence

Elementary Preparation Sequence

PSYC 0202 - Child Development Credits: 3
EDUC 0221 - Foundations of Special Education Credits: 3
ART 0322 - Art Education Curriculum Credits: 3 (Elementary)
ART 0323 - Introduction to Art Education Credits: 3
ART 0324 - Art Methods and Materials Credits: 3
ART 0326 - Practicum Seminar in Art Education Credits: 3
ART 0331 - Practicum (Teaching Art, PreK-8) Credits: 12
EDUC 0363 - Sheltered English Immersion Credits: 3

Secondary Preparation Sequence

EDUC 0221 - Foundations of Special Education Credits: 3
PSYC 0203 - Adolescent Development Credits: 3
EDUC 0363 - Sheltered English Immersion Credits: 3
ART 0323 - Introduction to Art Education Credits: 3
ART 0324 - Art Methods and Materials Credits: 3
ART 0322 - Art Education Curriculum Credits: 3 (Secondary)
ART 0326 - Practicum Seminar in Art Education Credits: 3
ART 0351 - Practicum (Teaching Art, 5-12) Credits: 12

Additional Information:

The field hours are designed to intentionally grow students’ competencies over time with specific attention to the essential elements of teaching and learning as identified by the state licensure requirements and the underlying belief structure of the Education Department articulated through five pillars: Critical Engagement with Diversity, Social Justice, Building Community, Scholarship, Inquiry, and an Excitement for Learning, and Critical Reflective Practice. This will match department work and initiatives around anti-racist practices.

Students’ progress toward meeting Advanced Standing in Teacher Education is monitored at the end of the sophomore year (57 credits). All students must meet the requirements for Advanced Standing to achieve teacher candidacy. Please see section on Licensure for Teaching under Academic Policies.

In order to be eligible for student teaching, a student must have completed all required course and field work, have an overall GPA of 3.0 (including transfer work) in Art Education Program classes, have an overall GPA of 2.8 (including transfer work) and have a passing grade in the appropriate Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (i.e., Communication and Literacy and subject matter tests). Student teacher placements are limited to within a 30-mile radius of the campus.

Every effort will be made to provide a timely sequence of courses in order to fulfill graduation and teaching licensure courses, but there may be instances where this is impossible.

If any questions arise concerning sequence, time of student teaching, etc., please contact the Program Coordinator, Art Education Licensure.

Additional Graduation Requirements

All students must meet the University Graduation Requirements and complete a common core of studies, distributed among the different academic areas as detailed in the Common Core .