Art Education Major (B.S.)

The Art Education program offers a Bachelor of Science in Art Education with New York State Initial Teacher Certification, Birth-Grade 12. Committed to developing well-rounded artist-teacher-researchers, the mission is to prepare students to become practicing artists and knowledgeable, reflective professional educators capable of teaching visual arts in diverse contexts and advancing change in the field.  The program blends theory and research with extensive field placement practice in area schools and Nazareth’s Saturday Art School. The B.S. Art Education program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and registered with the New York State Department of Education.

Note - Transfer students must complete a minimum of five studio art courses at Nazareth College.

Program leads to: New York State Initial Certification in Art Education, B-12

Program Standards and Eligibility for Certification

• New York State requires a 2.7 GPA in all academic coursework;
• The Art Education program requires a 3.0 GPA in all education, art education, studio coursework;
• Student GPA’s are monitored each semester, and letters of Academic Warning and/or Dismissal from the program will be sent accordingly;
• Students must take and pass the Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST) before their Junior year/starting advanced level Art Education coursework.

New York State Teacher Certification Examinations
For students meeting the GPA requirements for Teacher Certification, teacher candidate’s are required to take and pass four New York State Certification exams:

1. Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST)
2. Educating All Students Test (EAS)
3. Content Specialty Test-Visual Arts (CST)
4. Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA)

Additional Certification Requirements
In addition to the Certification exams listed above, prior to student teaching, New York State requires training–satisfied by a series of live and online workshops–in Health Education and Prevention of Violence; Prevention and Intervention Training in Harrassment, Bullying, Cyberbullying and Discrimination in Schools; and Bloodborne Pathogen Training.

Filing for Certification
Teacher candidates who have successfully completed the above requirements, program coursework (listed below), and Student Teaching will complete Fingerprinting and a Background Check and pay the fees in effect at the time they apply, using the NYS TEACH system to formally file for their Initial Certification. For more information please see the School of Education  section of the catalog.

Additional Support
Additional support may be obtained by contacting the Nazareth College Teacher Certification Office at (585) 389-2591 or by email at tcert@naz.edu, or http://www.naz.edu/education/teacher-certification.