Degrees Offered

BFA with Art Education Concentration

This program prepares BFA students, with an approved course of study, to qualify for Pennsylvania Teaching Certification in Art, kindergarten through twelfth grade. Students must complete the BFA requirements along with 32 credit hours in education, art education, and specified liberal arts courses. Education-related studies begin in the sophomore year. Students generally take 5 years to fulfill all requirements or the 155 credit degree. All candidates for Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate in Art, K-12 must earn passing scores in the Praxis I and II National Teacher Examinations, Elementary Education: General Knowledge, and the Art Education Examinations.

Students interested in pursuing teaching certification should contact the Art Education coordinator during priority registration of the second semester of the freshman year in order to plan the sequence of requirements.

During the semester prior to registration, students must complete an application for the field experiences that accompany their program.

A B-grade or better must be earned in all Art Education courses. BFA students are required to take a specified variety of six studio courses, including one painting (plus an additional Painting/Drawing/ Sculpture course), one printmaking (plus an additional Graphic Arts and Design course), and one ceramics (plus an additional Crafts course). These studio courses can be part of the student's BFA major. A cumulative average of 3.0 must be maintained in order to enter the program. Pennsylvania Education Standards require that a 3.0 average must be earned in order to enter Student Teaching and to graduate.

Anyone interested in PA Teaching Certification needs a Permanent Resident Visa (green card) in order to file a "Declaration of Intent to become a U.S. citizen".  This would allow them to receive what PDE calls a "Foreign Alien" Certificate valid for five years from date of issuance. In that time period, they need to get their U.S. Citizenship.  

BSEd in Art Education

The Art Education area at Tyler serves and celebrates the community that surrounds the University. Its programs send talented teachers into neighborhood schools, enliven the visual landscape with inspiring public artwork, and enrich the cultural climate of the city by sponsoring multimedia and performing arts collaborations that build relationships within and among the neighborhoods of North Philadelphia.

The BSEd in Art Education with teaching certification prepares students to qualify for the Pennsylvania Teaching Certification in Art, for grades K–12. The program marries a liberal arts perspective on art with top-notch teacher training to create flexible, well-rounded instructors. The degree accomplishes this goal by combining a rigorous course of study in studio art, art history, art education, education and Temple’s General Education Curriculum, with a real-world series of field placements in Philadelphia schools, at all grade levels, that allows students to pinpoint their interests and teaching capabilities.

Students take studio art courses across multiple disciplines, including courses in Community Arts, an area that offers coursework at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Tyler’s Community Arts Program works in partnership with community organizations, schools, and artists in North Philadelphia to develop and deliver university courses, after-school workshops, school residencies, intergenerational forums, and critically-acclaimed interdisciplinary exhibitions and performances that are based on the lives and stories of North Philadelphia.

Field internships and involvement with community arts projects give BSEd candidates the opportunity to be real collaborators who make a positive impact on urban communities even as undergraduates, a factor which has contributed significantly to the program’s excellent placement rate for graduating students.

Tyler facilities include studios for painting, drawing, basic design, and printmaking, 3-dimensional design, photography, and digital imaging. Students take advantage of state-of-the-art facilities in the Tuttleman Learning Center and the Student Tech Center.  Students are encouraged to explore the many resources available to them in Philadelphia’s museums and galleries, as well as further afield at the Temple Rome program and Temple University in Japan.

Students may earn their BSEd in Art Education with faculty approval after successfully completing 122 credits of coursework with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Pennsylvania certification standards require that students maintain a 3.0 average overall and achieve passing scores. 

MEd with a Major in Art Education

Elementary and high school teachers who want to hone a specialization in art, or practicing artists who want to add teaching credentials to their portfolios, have a perfect option in Tyler’s Master of Education with a Major in Art. This intermingling of students with complementary goals creates a stimulating synergy in MEd classes, and the emphasis on research and studio practice keeps the program current.

“The MEd has become increasingly attractive,” says former Art Education Program Head and assistant professor emeritus Dr. Jo-Anna Moore. “We are an urban program in a first-rate art school in an excellent research university—that covers a lot of bases for our students. What we look for is a diverse mix of candidates with real commitment to community-oriented work, who also welcome an intellectually rigorous program of study.”

The program is comprised of an Art Education component (12 credits), an Art History component (6 credits), and a Studio component (15 credits). Three courses (Art Education Research, Contemporary Issues in Art Education, and History of Art Education) are required, and others may be selected from Tyler’s rich menu of studio and graduate-level academic offerings. In-depth studies are encouraged, so students may take as many as 3 studio courses (9 credits) in one studio area ranging from painting, to printmaking, to glass, and more.

TEACHING CERTIFICATION
MEd candidates may pursue Teaching Certification concurrently with their graduate studies. Depending on educational background, an additional 15 credits in the professional sequence includes coursework in educational psychology, education, art education methods, an internship, and student teaching in art. The MEd with Teaching Certification program of 48 credits, along with successful completion of the Praxis Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge exam and Praxis Art: Content Knowledge exam, provides all of the requirements for Pennsylvania State Certification in Art, kindergarten through twelfth grade.
 

Anyone without U.S. citizenship who is interested in PA Teaching Certification needs a Permanent Resident Visa (green card) in order to file a "Declaration of Intent to become a U.S. citizen".  This would allow them to receive what PDE calls a "Foreign Alien" Certificate valid for five years from date of issuance. In that time period, they need to get their U.S. Citizenship. 

CERTIFICATE IN COMMUNITY ARTS PRACTICES — Temporarily on Hold
In addition to or instead of Teaching Certification, MEd candidates also have the option of pursuing a Community Arts Practices (CAP) Certificate. An additional 12 credits of coursework, involving interdisciplinary seminars, workshops, research, and field internships, are required to graduate with this certificate. The CAP program connects students with families, community organizations, schools, and artists in Philadelphia, enabling students to extend their art disciplines as community collaborators and co-create arts-based civic engagement projects.

TERMINAL REQUIREMENTS AND TIME LIMITS
At the end of the final semester’s residence, MEd candidates are required to pass a graduate review of their artwork conducted by a committee of studio and art education faculty. A scholarly master’s paper, developed through student research under the guidance of an advisor and standing in lieu of a comprehensive exam, is also required for graduation.

The MEd may be completed on a full or part-time basis. The MEd without teaching certification can be completed in three semesters of full-time study. Students are required to register each semester, and the degree must be completed within four years.

ASSISTANCE
Academic internships, teaching assistantships, and tuition scholarships are available on a competitive basis. Students accepted into the MEd program on a full-time basis may also apply for a work-study award or financial aid in the form of a Perkins Loan. More opportunities for graduate funding and assistance can be found here.