Art Education Application

Who can use this application?

This application is for all students who are interested in applying to the Art Education major.

Track of study

  • Elementary (apply for this track if you want to be a general elementary school teacher with an emphasis on visual art and art integration)
  • P-12--Secondary (apply for this track if you want to be an art teacher in a middle school or high school)

Application deadlines

First year, current WWU students, and transfer students can apply on rolling deadlines of

  • October 15
  • January 31

Applicants looking to apply to the Art Studio, Bachelor of Fine Arts, follow this link.

Prospective students must also complete the WWU admissions application.

Application requirements

Admission to the Western Washington Bachelor of Arts in Education program is based on the assessment of academic credentials and portfolio review.

If you have any questions about the application process, or you did not receive a confirmation email upon the submission of your application, please contact the Department of Art & Art History at (360) 650-3660.

Art Education Application Materials

A portfolio is required for consideration for the art education program. Upload your digital portfolio as a PDF or PowerPoint (ppt or pptx) file. Files must be less than 12 MB.

Your portfolio must include

  • Your name, current academic status, and Art Education track on the first page of your portfolio.
    • Examples of academic status are: Freshman, Current WWU Student, or Transfer Student, etc.
    • Art Education tracks are "Elementary" or "P-12".
  • 8-10 examples of your best original artwork completed in the past three years. Include a range of media such as: ceramics, drawing, fiber art, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, or time-based works.
  • 1 artwork (any medium) must explore who you want to be as an art teacher or why you want to teach.
    • This can be interpreted broadly. It is not meant to be a literal representation of you as an art teacher, but instead explores ideas or beliefs you have about teaching art.
    • In addition to the artwork, please include a 150–200-word statement describing/explaining your artwork and expanding on the prompt: "Who do you want to be as an art teacher?" or "Why do you want to teach?"
  • 2-3 of the works must showcase traditional, direct observational skills. Working from direct observation means drawing, painting, or sculpting from what you see in real life, rather than using photographic references.
    • These works should demonstrate the use of line and/or value, form, realistic proportions, and strong composition.
    • Suggested subject matter: still life, the figure, portraiture, landscape, and architecture.

Portfolio descriptors

Also include for each artwork the following descriptors below or to the side of each image:

  • title
  • medium
  • dimensions of artwork (or) for time-based media include the duration of the artwork
  • date of completion
  • brief description of artwork/project
  • in the case of group projects, indicate your personal responsibilities

* Note: For time-based artwork do not embed the file directly into your portfolio. Include a placeholder image and a link to the to the video. Make sure to test your link!

Portfolio tips

  1. A variety of media, subject matter, and scale, are important, though make sure you are presenting your best work.
  2. All artwork should be resolved. Do not include preliminary sketches or images of works in progress.
  3. Look up tutorials on YouTube and other platforms for information on how to photograph your artwork. Your images should be well lit, in focus, oriented and sized properly. 2D artwork should be cropped to the edge of the artwork. 3D work should be documented with a solid backdrop behind the artwork unless the backdrop or environment is relevant to the work.
  4. Make sure your area(s) of interest align with one or more of our studio concentrations (ceramics, drawing, fiber art, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, or time-based media). For example, we do not offer a degree or classes in digital illustration or anime art.
  5. Do not submit artwork that is geared towards industrial design or graphic design.
  6. If you are looking to build your portfolio, enroll in a non-major studio class, or a foundation studio art class such as: ART 110 View and Gesture, ART 120 Surface and Color, or ART 230 Form and Space (Note: these studio courses are available to non-majors in phase 2 of registration).
  7. Contact Information: email ArtInfo@wwu.edu or call 360-650-3660.

Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

Art Education Major Application Form

Address
Phone
Enrollment Status
Applied to Western?
Admitted to Western?

If you have taken any college level art courses, please include a copy of your unofficial transcripts with the courses you have taken. Upload as PDF.


One file only.
2 MB limit.
Allowed types: pdf.

Please upload a portfolio of 8-10 of your best works. Please read the detailed portfolio requirements before uploading your file. The file cannot exceed 14MB.


One file only.
14 MB limit.
Allowed types: pdf, ppt, pptx.

Need more info?

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