Undergraduate Program
Art education is a major within the Art Department in the School of Fine and Performing Arts. Students who major in Art Education must first be admitted to the Art Department, and Art Education students make up over one-third of the Art Department student body. Art Education students take studio courses with art studio majors in the areas of drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, sculpture, ceramics and metal.
The Art Education program at SUNY New Paltz develops artist-teachers who have a strong sense of artistic thinking and practice, knowledge of contemporary and historical art ideas and issues, and an understanding of the diverse cultural contexts of young people, schools, and society. It prepares teachers to make exciting and meaningful connections between the world of art and the world of children and adolescents. To do so, teachers must understand the content of, and possibilities in, visual arts practice and study, as well as the needs, interests, and capabilities of the young people they teach and the cultural and political communities of the schools in which they work.
Graduate Program
The Master of Science in Visual Arts Education (MSEd) challenges art teachers possessing PreK -12 Visual Arts certification to reflectively and critically examine studio and classroom practices, and provides opportunities to gain deep insight into learning and teaching in the arts. Through course work focused on studio art, theories of contemporary art, art history, and art education, students refine their studio practices, their understandings of contemporary and historical art ideas and issues, and their insights into effective art pedagogy.
All individuals possessing certificatio in PreK -12 Visual Arts are invited to apply to the program. We especially encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups to apply. The MSEd in Visual Arts Education satisfies New York State public school art teachers' education requirements for Professional certification as well as advancement requirements in many other states, and prepares students interested in doctoral study for further graduate work.
The program is a low-residency summer program, offering an alternative for students who seek a rigorous and focused graduate program in visual arts education, but cannot pursue full-time graduate studies during the academic year. Students are on campus for two consecutive summers working full time with Art Studio and Art History faculty. During two academic years, students enroll part time in online Art Education classes to carry out independent and faculty-mentored qualitative research projects related to issues in visual arts education.
