Art — P-12, BAE

Department of Art, College of Fine and Performing Arts

70 credits

Introduction/What is the Study of Art P-12?

The broad instructional concept is to integrate the components of art history, art criticism, and studio art courses, university courses, Gallery Exhibition Program and the permanent collection. The student learns to interpret, analyze and make intelligent judgments about art as well as learning the skills and concepts of the studio. A grasp of the dynamic nature of a culture and the continuing extension of its visual language is a fundamental objective.

This major must be accompanied by the professional preparation program in secondary education and leads to an endorsement in visual arts. See the Secondary Education  section of this catalog for program admission, completion, and teacher certification requirements.

Why Consider an Art P-12 Major? 

Students choose to study art in order to understand the history, traditions and conventions of art and art criticism, for herein lies the intelligible language of art and the heritage of humankind. The B.A. Ed. in Art will prepare you to teach this language and heritage to students, from pre-school to 12th grades. The program will introduce you to curricular design in the arts and the 4 components of Discipline Based Art Education which is an approach to the teaching of Art Education that encompasses criticism, history, aesthetics, and art studio.

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):

Admissions: Application for the major is made with a portfolio of 12 works.

It is recommended that the portfolio include only recent pieces. Artwork can be in any media. The portfolio will be reviewed by the Department of Art faculty and evaluated on the basis of a demonstrated understanding of the elements of visual art, technical proficiency and originality.

Application deadlines:

Application deadlines for currently enrolled Western students are October 15 and January 31. Application deadlines for new transfer students are October 15 (for students starting winter and spring quarters). Application deadline for new freshman is January 31. Portfolios must be received by the deadline, not postmarked by the deadlines.

Send portfolio to:

Review Committee, Western Washington University
Fine Arts Complex, Room 116, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9068

In order to graduate, students must also be admitted to the Secondary Education Professional Program .

For application and information: http://www.wwu.edu/art.

Grade Requirements

A grade of C (2.0) or better is required for courses in the elementary education professional program and all courses required for the endorsement.