Art, Art Education Concentration, B.A.

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The Department of Art and Art History offers a program of Art and Education courses to prepare students for K-12 Art Education licensure in North Carolina. Students should contact the Arts Education Specialist as soon as possible for advising. A decision later than freshman year to seek licensure may result in a delayed graduation date.

All program-level Admissions and Progression Requirements are in addition to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Admission Requirements .

Admission Requirements

New Freshmen and Transfer Students

See University Admission Requirements
Minimum GPA: N/A
Declaration of Major: Submit a digital portfolio of work for review. Check the department website for deadlines and FAQs on submission requirements. The department accepts new students from these groups for Fall semesters only. Students who are not admitted may re-submit their portfolio the following year. Only one re-submission is allowed.
Transferable Credit Hours: All transfer courses are automatically reviewed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Students seeking to appeal the official transfer designations for ARTx courses must provide the Department Academic Advisor with copies of the official course descriptions and a syllabus for each course requested for consideration. Portfolios of creative work from each of the individual studio courses may also be required.

Currently Enrolled Students

Minimum Cumulative GPA: 2.0
Submit a digital portfolio of work for review. Check the department website for deadlines and FAQs on submission requirements. The department accepts new students from these groups for Fall semesters only. Students who are not admitted may re-submit their portfolio the following year. Only one re-submission is allowed.
To be formally admitted to the B.A. in Art with a concentration in Art Education, students must achieve the following:
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7
- Pre-Major/Prerequisite Courses:
  - ARTE 2100 with grade of C or above
  - EDUC 1511 with grade of C or above
- Passing scores on Praxis Core (or prove exemption via test scores)
- Application to Teacher Education (includes a clear background check and signed professional dispositions statement)

Degree Requirements

College Prospect for Success Course (2 credit hours)

All new freshmen in the College of Arts + Architecture must take the following:

COAA 1101 - Student Success in Architecture, Art, Performance, and Design (2)

General Education Courses (31-32 credit hours)

For details on required courses, refer to the General Education Program . Total hours to satisfy General Education Requirements may vary as some general education requirements may be double-counted in the major with departmental approval. Please see your advisor for information.

Students intending to earn either the B.F.A. in Art or the B.A. in Art should take three ARTB 120x courses, and one ARTH course (ARTH 1211 , ARTH 1212 , or ARTH 2110 ) in the first semester of their Freshman year. All of the General Education courses should be organized around the Art requirements. It is usually not possible to graduate in four years without taking this number of Art courses right away. Prerequisite sequencing dictates the time to graduation, and all students should become thoroughly familiar with the course descriptions.

Foreign Language Requirement (0-8 Credit Hours)

Arts + Architecture are required to demonstrate proficiency in the language of their choice through the 1202 level. Proficiency can be demonstrated in one of the following ways:

Completing the required coursework at UNC Charlotte
Completing three years of the same foreign language in high school through level three
Achieving a satisfactory score on the foreign languages placement test (in Spanish, French, or German)
Through approved transfer or transient credit earned at other accredited institutions
A combination of the above methods (e.g., placing out of or earning transfer or transient credit for 1201 and completing the 1202 course, completing 1201 and placing out of or earning transfer or transient credit for 1202)

Major Courses (42 credit hours)

Basic Foundation Studios (15 credit hours)

Select five of the following. Students must successfully complete the Basic Foundation Studios courses listed above to enroll in upper-level courses. At least 9 credit hours must be taken at UNC Charlotte.

Elective Studio Courses (15 credit hours)

ARTx any 2000-level 2D studio course *
ARTx any 2000-level 3D studio course **
ARTx any 2000- or 3000-level studio course
ARTx any 2000- or 3000-level studio course
ARTx any 2000- or 3000-level studio course

*Options for 2000-Level 2D Courses
ARTD 2134 - Figure Drawing I (3)
ARTD 2139 - Drawing II (3)
ARTG 2181 - Graphic Design I (3)
ARTL 2186 - Illustration I (3)
ARTM 2105 - 4D (3)
ARTP 2131 - Painting I (3)
ARTR 2161 - Photo-Mechanical Print Media (3)
ARTR 2162 - Drawing/Expression in Print Media (3)
ARTT 2191 - Photographic Media I (3)
*Options for 2000-Level 3D Courses
ARTC 2171 - Ceramics Handbuilding (3)
ARTC 2172 - Ceramics Wheel I (3)
ARTF 2151 - Fibers I (3)
ARTZ 2104 - Installation Art (3)
ARTZ 2141 - Methods and Materials in Sculpture (3)
ARTZ 2306 - Introduction to 3D Modeling and Digital Fabrication (3)

Art History Courses (9 credit hours)

Senior Seminar (3 credit hours)

ARTA 4600 - Senior Seminar (3)
Note: This Senior level course should be taken with the last Elective Studio during a student’s last one or two semesters of study at UNC Charlotte.

Concentration Courses (35-36 credit hours)

Pre-Art Education Concentration Courses
ARTE 2100 - Artists as Teachers (3)
EDUC 1511 - Local Social Science: Public Education and Schooling in the U.S. (3 to 4)
Art Education Concentration Courses
SPED 2100 - Exceptionality in Schools and Society (3)
ELED 3120 - The Elementary School Child (3)
or MDLG 3130 - The Early Adolescent Learner (3)
or SECD 4140 - Adolescence and Secondary Schools (3)
ARTE 3121 - Elementary Art Methods (3)
ARTE 4122 - Secondary Art Methods (3)
ARTE 4125 - Creativity and Mindfulness (3)
EDUC 4290 - Inclusion of Students with Varied Learning Needs (3)
or MDSK 3100 - The Connected Classroom (3)
or MDSK 4210 - Classroom Leadership (2)
ARTE 4466 - Art Education Year-Long Internship (0)
ARTE 4467 - Student Teaching in Art (12)

Unrestricted Elective Courses, Double Major and/or Minor to Complete Requirements for Graduation

Students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours to graduate. This requirement can be fulfilled through a combination of elective courses, a minor, or a double major. The 120-credit minimum must be satisfied regardless of the specific academic path chosen (e.g., a minor combined with electives).

Degree Total = 120 Credit Hours

Academic Advising

All Art, Graphic Design, and Art History majors are required to meet with the Academic Advisor in the Department of Art and Art History each semester. Students will not be able to register for any course at UNC Charlotte without attending the mandatory advising meetings. The Academic Advisor is available year-round.

Career mentoring in studio, graphic design, art history, and art education is offered by individual faculty members who are active professionals in those areas of study. Contact is best done by email or telephone. Most professors are available for appointments from the first day of classes until the last day of classes each Fall and Spring semester. Requirements for degrees and minors, as well as 4-year B.F.A. calendars, are available in the Department of Art and Art History office and online.

Students seeking to confirm that General Education graduation requirements are met should use the automated DegreeWorks system online in My UNC Charlotte. Those seeking confirmation of Art requirements must contact the Academic Advisor.

Progression Requirements

To progress to student teaching, students must earn a minimum 2.75 GPA in all Art and Education courses and a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA. A minimum grade of C is required for all major courses. Additionally, students must earn a grade of P in Student Teaching and a minimum edTPA score of 38 to be recommended for licensure.

Honors Program

For details about the Arts + Architecture Honors Program, visit the AAHP program page.