- Established reputation of training superior art teachers
- High rate of employment upon graduation
- Fully qualified faculty with experience in classroom teaching and preparation for required testing for certification to teach
The Art Education program at Converse University is founded upon the conviction that art is essential to learning. Creating art cultivates self-expression, imagination, and creativity as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Converse’s BA in Art Education prepares visual artists to become certified art education teachers for pre-K through 12th-grade teaching careers.
Degree Offered
- BA in Art Education
Related Programs
About Art Education
The Art Education program at Converse is designed to prepare future art teachers and refines their appreciation for art and teaching. It prepares students in techniques for creative expression, in the production of effective and stimulating lesson plans, and in understanding current developmental theories of child art. We are Artists, Researchers, and Teachers.
Student Teaching

Converse art education students invest more than 100 hours of clinical experience in grades preK-12. During the final term of the degree program, students teach for a semester in both elementary and secondary classrooms with certified public school art teachers. This student teaching experience develops your ability to work with children and youth who have various interests, skills and abilities.
Service Learning
Art education students have the opportunity to support community outreach programs while applying their education. Recent partnerships include creating a mural for Miracle Hill Rescue Mission, and volunteering with COLORS Inner-City Youth Art Studio.
Professional Affiliations
Converse encourages membership in the student chapter of the National Art Education Association.

Converse’s art education curriculum prepares you for certification in art at the elementary through secondary school levels. Our goal is to develop art educators who are also competent artists that exhibit creativity and skill in a variety of studio media nad demonstrate the ability to conduct research into educational practice and creativity.
You will learn how to plan lessons and units as well as design art curriculum that aligns with the South Carolina Art Frameworks and the National Standards of Art. An important aspect of the program is the emphasis placed on evaluation during curriculum development, instructional planning, and implementation.
BA in Art Education
To become certified in art education (preK-12), a student must complete the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Art Education and pass the Praxis II exam.
What are common careers in art education?
- Art teachers in public or private schools
What are Art Education alumni doing?
Converse-trained art teachers are in public and private schools all over South Carolina and beyond. Our program is the proven standard for supplying classroom-ready, fully certified school art teachers with experience in current classroom issues, methods and technology.
Department News
Professor Elliott Explores the Art of Concise Presentations with PechaKucha
Instructor of Art Education Andrea Elliott ’03 was accepted into the 2021 Art Education Research Institute’s PechaKucha Session. The Art Education Research Institute supports research and key intellectual and practical …
Art Education Grad Has Sights Set on Med School
Art Education grad Sarah Spears ’21 has had her work in nine shows both locally and nationally over the past year. Recently, she exhibited her work at West Main Artists …
Art Ed Major Partners with Spartanburg Science Center to Raise Ocean Awareness
Charlotte “Lottie” Hutson ’23 was hired by the John F. Green Spartanburg Science Center to build a sculpture raising awareness for sea life and the dangers from waste being thrown …
Programs of Study
Converse offers over 100 majors, minors, certificates, and graduate programs across 2 campuses and online.