Check departmental information for any additional requirements.
Students with an undergraduate degree must be admitted to the M.S. program in art with a specialization in art education to enter the licensure program.
This major 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 all major course requirements. 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 entitlement for educator licensure in the state of Illinois.
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 at the end of the semester in which they are enrolled in ARTE 200 and pass the portfolio review for admission into the licensure 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 licensure program, students must successfully complete the Illinois Test of Academic Proficiency or achieve the state approved equivalent score on the ACT or SAT or pass 3 of the 4 TAP sections successfully with the final section taken and passed during the semester ARTE 200 is taken along with a TAP Workshop. TAP Prep Course is required for any student with a score of 19 or below on the ACT or 1030 on the SAT and the criminal background check required for licensure (prior to ARTE 342) for each clinical experience course, as well as student teaching site as laid out per each site’s rules and regulations, pass the entrance portfolio review, and have achieved a grade of at least C in ARTE 342. Also see “Educator Licensure Requirements.”
Students are required to exhibit and maintain appropriate dispositions for licensure as assessed by the art education faculty.
Candidates who successfully complete the program and pass the state mandated Teacher Performance Assessment will have completed all required ISBE and CAEP standards for receiving university recommendation for licensure. Successful completion of the program without receipt of a passing score on the state mandated Teacher Performance Assessment may result in the candidate receiving a degree without university recommendation for licensure.
Total Hours for a Major in Art and Design Education: 91
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