Within the BFA in Art and Design Education, students can opt to pursue two different paths: one in art and design education with New York State certification and one in community art and design education. Both paths provide the following core experiences:

Studio Core

Students take a sequence of a minimum of 18 studio credits in an art or design discipline beginning in their sophomore year. Through individual advisement sessions, students choose the core studio discipline based on their experiences in the foundation year and evolving studio interest, and examine their progress in the core as they move from one semester to the next.

Teaching Experience

Students pursuing both degree paths—certification and community art and design education—take courses that immerse them in fieldwork and student teaching in K-12 public schools and other settings. In their junior year, students decide which path they want to pursue. Students who choose the certification path fulfill their additional student teaching requirements in public schools, and students in the community art and design education track fulfill their student teaching requirements in community-based settings.

Community Engagement

All students teach in Saturday Art School, a laboratory school for students from Brooklyn’s many neighborhoods. For over a century, Saturday Art School has provided children and adolescents with a quality art and design program. Students learn to integrate the knowledge, skills and values of their studio-core or major to inform art and design projects conceived and developed in concert with young people. Supervised by faculty, students support children and young people in the concep­tual­ization and realization of studio-based projects over the course of the semester culminating in a curated exhibition.

Integrative Capstone

Students complete a capstone course that supports stu­dents as they integrate their studio core with their teach­ing experi­ences through reflection and research in the field of art and design education. The capstone course in students’ senior year provides a space for students to reflect and build on their learning by investigating a topic in art and design education and developing a senior exhibition and catalog.

Certification Requirements

In order to be recommended for New York State Education Department (NYSED) Initial Certification in Visual Arts (all grades), students complete a number of workshops and tests as they move through the program so that by the time students are ready to graduate all requirements for certification have been completed. Please note: Some of the workshops and tests require a fee.

Fingerprinting

• Students will be required to be fingerprinted in preparation for observing and teaching in New York City’s public schools.

Workshops

These workshops must be taken with a provider approved by NYSED.

• Child Abuse Identification Workshop 
• School Violence Prevention and Intervention Workshop 
• Dignity for all Students Workshop (DASA)

Tests and Assessments

• Educating All Students (EAS) 
• Content Specialty Test (CST) 
• Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA)