Check departmental information for any additional requirements.
Track 1. Teacher Certification
Students with an undergraduate degree must be admitted to the M.S. program in art with a specialization in art education to enter the certification program.
This track leads to a license to teach in the public schools of the state of Illinois.
Students must receive a grade of C or better in ARTE 342, ARTE 344, ARTE 345, and ARTE 463. Students must have a minimum 2.75 GPA in all NIU and transfer courses to enroll in Art Education courses. They must have a minimum 2.50 GPA in all NIU courses to obtain a teaching certificate. These standards apply to all art education majors and initial certification candidates.
Students who fall below a required GPA may appeal in writing for one probationary semester to the head of the art education division.
Students must present an art education entrance portfolio consisting of studio work and appropriate art education materials to the art education faculty before the completion of ARTE 342 and pass the portfolio review for admission into the certification program. Students must submit an exit portfolio during the semester before student teaching and pass the exit review in order to be approved for student teaching.
To gain admission into the certification program, students must successfully complete the Illinois Test of Basic Skills and the criminal background check required for certification (prior to ARTE 342), pass the entrance portfolio review, and have achieved a grade of at least C in ARTE 342. Also see “Teacher Certification Requirements.”
Students are required to exhibit and maintain appropriate dispositions for certification as assessed by the art education faculty.
Total Hours for a Major in Art Education, Track 1: 86
Track 2. Museum and Community Art Education
This track prepares students to develop and teach art-education programs in community-based, nonschool settings, including art museums, art centers, and community cultural centers, with students of mixed ages and backgrounds. It provides a broad base of skills in cultural history and program development; it does not lead to certification to teach in public schools. Students may apply for admission to the museum and community art education track after completing 30 semester hours of college-level course work, including a minimum of 12 semester hours in art courses with no grade lower than a C, an overall minimum 2.50 GPA, and minimum computer competency in word-processing and page layout demonstrated through a special portfolio.
Requirements in School (62-71)
Additional art history courses with consent of adviser (15)
Course work outside school with consent of adviser (18)
Students must design a program of required and elective courses, with a faculty adviser, that represents a logical and unified whole consistent with the student’s career objectives; complete a minimum of 36 semester hours of art courses at the 300/400 level; maintain a minimum 2.50 overall GPA; maintain a minimum 3.00 GPA in art education courses, with a grade of C or better in all art courses counted toward the program; pass a portfolio review of studio work.
Total Hours for a Major in Art Education, Track 2: 80-89
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