Dec 14, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog [Current Academic Year] 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog [Current Academic Year]

K-12 Visual Art Education [BFA]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid


The Bachelor of Fine Arts in K-12 Visual Art Education is designed to prepare students to develop proficient skills in studio work, art inquiry, and teaching the visual arts. The program meets the Michigan Standards for Visual Arts Education programs and the National Art Education Standards for Teacher Preparation Programs.

Learn

K-12 Visual art education candidates learn to integrate artistic production and knowledge of art history with theory and methods in visual art education to design contemporary and meaningful lessons for children ages 5-18.

Teacher candidates then implement their lesson ideas while learning and rehearsing high-leverage teaching and assessment practices guided by experienced art education professors.

Opportunities

Those who receive teacher certification teach art in the elementary, middle, or high school setting. Graduates are also qualified to pursue work at an art museum, in arts administration, or continue with advanced work in art therapy. Funding: The School of Art & Design has three academic scholarships earmarked specifically for visual art education and offers reimbursement of professional conference registration fees through the Art Education Professional Development Fund.

School Information


Art & Design 114 Ford Hall, 734.487.1268 

Sandra Murchison, MFA, Director

Advisor Information


Please contact the school for advisor information.

Teacher Certification


Successful completion of this course of studies, in the context of other program requirements, qualifies the student for recommendation for certification for the Michigan Department of Education Elementary-Secondary Standard Certificate endorsed in art, certification code LQ. The Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) covering this field is #095, “Visual Art Education.”

Initial Teacher Preparation Program Admission


In order to pursue the sequence of courses necessary to complete eligibility for a recommendation for certification, one must apply for and be admitted to the teacher preparation program. Admission requirements are common for all teacher preparation programs, except that certain special education programs have additional requirements,

Each undergraduate student is responsible for applying to the teacher preparation program immediately after the semester in which the student has earned 56 credit hours. Transfer students with more than 56 credit hours should apply immediately after the semester in which they have earned 12 hours at EMU, including at least one course in their major. Students with 56 hours of transfer coursework with a decision GPA of 3.0 may apply for admission to the teacher preparation program without 12 earned hours at EMU.

Admission to the teacher preparation program is not automatic. Only those persons who have formally applied are considered for admission. Not all persons who apply become eligible for admission. Applications for the Initial Teacher Preparation Program at EMU are available within your my.emich account under the “Student” tab. Submit your completed application to the Office of Academic Services once you have earned 56 credit hours.

Teaching majors and minors are unofficial until program admission. Students pursuing teacher certification should follow the catalog that exists at the time of program admission. It is important that students apply to the teacher preparation program as soon as they have earned 56 credit hours.

Admission to Initial Teacher Preparation Program Candidacy

Students must meet all of the following requirements

  • Completion of 56 credit hours
  • Appropriate cumulative GPA. One of:
    • An overall EMU GPA of 2.5 or higher based on a minimum of 12 credit hours taken at EMU. An EMU GPA of 2.5 or higher in your major, based on at least one course in your major.
    • Transferred 56 credits with a cumulative 3.0 GPA from all previous institutions,
  • A grade of “C” or higher in the following courses (if taken):  WRTG 121 , COMM 124 Quantitative Reasoning [GEQR] , One Lab Science, and all of the professional education courses.
  • ICHAT Criminal Background Check, and Statement of Civil/Criminal Convictions. If you answered yes to any of the civil/criminal conviction questions on the application, you will need to provide:
    • A copy of the Judgment of Sentence, or Registrar of Actions, or Certification of Conviction.
    • A written explanation of the offense(s). Application of students with civil/criminal convictions will be carefully reviewed and may take longer to process.
  • Attendance at Group Advising Session required. Your major may require additional advising sessions.
  • A grade of “C” or higher in the following courses (courses must be completed):  ARTE 358  and SFCE 328W  
  • A Dispositions Review from ARTE 358  will be completed in Watermark. Students will be responsible for saving this as a PDF and uploading the file with their iChat form when applying to the ITTP,

General Education Requirements:


For specific requirements, see General Education  or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .  

Major Requirements: 57 hours


Art Studio Electives: 15 hours


  • Choose 2 courses from 3D Media (AD3D) 6 hrs
  • Choose 3 courses from 2D Media (AD2D), Graphic Design (ADGD), and/or Photography/New Media (ADPM) 9 hrs

Area of Concentration: 6 hours


Take 2 additional courses in one of the following areas of concentration: 2D-Media (AD2D), 3D Media (AD3D), Graphic Design (ADGD), or Photography/New Media (ADPM).

You must have previously taken one course towards meeting Art Studio Elective requirements in the selected prefix.

Professional K-12 Education Sequence: 44 hours


Minor Requirement:


This major does not require a minor.

Program Total:


Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information


Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

  • Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
    • Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
    • At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
  • Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
  • Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
  • Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required. 
  • Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
  • Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
    • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
  • Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.