Art Education

Making art is messy, unpredictable, and divergent. Teaching art can empower students to embrace the messy, unpredictable, and divergent in life. The Art Education program at Western integrates art-making and art-looking to explore the powerful intersection of material and process exploration, visual and cultural literacy, and identity work and personal meaning-making in art. Art education theory comingles with practice as we teach and learn with one another, drawing on current, interrelated art education pedagogies so that each student develops their own, unique teaching philosophy in the process.

Programs in art education prepare students to become either an elementary classroom teacher or an art specialist who teaches art only. Elementary education students, who will become classroom teachers who teach all subjects, must major in one area at Western, and those who major in Art Education will complete the 52-credit Art Education, Elementary program in addition to the required Woodring Elementary Education program courses.

Students who want to teach art only at any grade level complete the 76-credit Art Education, P-12 program (keeping in mind that most P-12 majors eventually go on to teach art in middle and high schools) prior to applying to the Woodring Secondary Education program . Courses required for a state teaching endorsement must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better.

A formal course plan must be developed with the Art Education coordinator by the time a student completes 12 art credits. Transfer students with more than 18 credits of art should do this prior to completion of their second quarter at Western. Once developed, the course plan is placed on file in the art office. Students are encouraged to complete the majority of their Studio and Art History requirements prior to completing the Art Education courses.

Art Education Contact

For advising about Art Education, please email artinfo@wwu.edu, or call 360-650-3660.

Minors

Minor: Museum Studies

students install artwork
Get hands-on!

Understand the social dimension of museums.

Learn how to organize art exhibitions.

Gain hands-on gallery preparator experience.

Open to all majors

Minor: STEAM

venn diagram of science and art
STEAM Ahead!

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics

Open to non-Art majors, Art History, Art Education, and Art Studio majors.

Minor: Arts Enterprise and Cultural Innovation program

A professor and student talking while looking at a laptop screen together
Boost your creative career

Open to all College of Fine and Performing Arts majors

For students interested in a creative career

Need more info?

For advising and information about the Department of Art & Art History, email us or call 360-650-3660.