Housed within the Department of Art in the School of Fine & Performing Arts, the Art Education Program is a vibrant community of dedicated professors and students involved in creative work and independent scholarship. The program is contemporary in its approaches to best practices in curriculum and theory.
Our majors share studios and equipment with Fine Arts majors and are taught by the Department of Art's internationally renowned faculty. Many of our students pursue dual baccalaureate degrees in Fine Art and Art Education, or minor in Art History, making them more marketable when they enter the job market.
Art Education faculty are nationally recognized scholars with expertise in areas including technology, teaching students with disabilities, community arts, and cognitive approaches to teaching and learning. Our faculty have many years of community and classroom teaching experience and are committed to socially relevant art education that is deeply informed by contemporary art practices.
Faculty continuously update the Art Education Program with a critical eye to reflect emerging thinking in the field. We have developed a strong learning community where faculty and students' experiences are enriched by meaningful and supportive relationships. Faculty work closely with students to promote social inclusivity, critical thinking, and social responsibility. As advisors, the faculty guide students with care and attention to help them achieve success.
The Art Education Program at SUNY New Paltz continues to meet students' future needs in an increasingly demanding profession. By embedding the new certification and evaluation criteria in our core courses, they will be best prepared for their student teaching experiences and their futures as art educators.
Prior to student teaching, students complete 100 hours of fieldwork in art education settings. As part of this, students have the opportunity to assist Art Education faculty in the SUNY New Paltz Saturday Arts Lab.
Graduate Program
Our Master of Science in Education in Visual Arts Education serves certified art teachers who are pursuing a master's degree for professional advancement and artist-teacher development, while the Master of Arts in Teaching in Visual Arts Education is designed for practicing artists to gain the skills and credentials needed to become a certified Pre-K through 12th-grade art educator.
Visit the Graduate Catalog for more information on the MSEd in Visual Arts Education and MAT in Visual Arts Education. For further information, please contact the Art Education Program offices at (845) 257-3850.
Student Learning Outcomes
By the time they graduate, Art Education majors will:
- Use knowledge of issues in contemporary art, design, teaching, and technology to develop meaningful art educational curricula and experiences for children, youth and families
- Promote social inclusivity and critical thinking through practices that are culturally responsive, environmentally responsible, student-centered and standards-based in local and global contexts
- Use appropriate information from diverse sources to support evidence-based teaching and assessment
- Develop and articulate context-sensitive, self-reflective practice as researchers, artists, and teachers
- Participate in a strong professional learning community with faculty, colleagues, mentors and students in meaningful and supportive relationships
- Build professional networks to support the practice of lifelong learning
