BFA, Studio Art/MA, Teaching Art, All Grades Dual Degree
This dual degree allows undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue a master's degree and teaching certification while they focus on their art practice.
Degree Details
Official Degree Title
BFA Studio Art/MA Teaching Art, All Grades Dual Degree
Format
Full-time or Part-time
Credits
139
Start Date
Application Deadline
Rolling Deadline - During senior year after advisement and fulfillment of MA courses in junior year
Open to NYU Steinhardt's BFA in Studio Art program students only, this dual degree allows you to complete your BFA in Studio Art and MA in Teaching Visual Art in just five years, making you eligible for New York State Initial Certification for grades PreK–12.
Undergraduate NYU BFA students begin to take prerequisite courses for the master's degree during their junior and senior years with approval from their academic advisor. At the end of their fifth year of study, they will have earned a BFA and MA, and will be eligible to apply for New York State initial certification in Visual Art: PreK–12.
This is a unique dual degree program, only open to current NYU Steinhardt BFA students, that leads to a professional degree and certification. Current BFA students are able to focus on their individual art practice while also working towards a viable pathway to teaching positions in New York City, nationally or internationally.
Due to the intensive nature of the dual degree program requirements, BFAs who commit to this pathway are not able to pursue a double major or a minor outside of BFA Studio Art and BFA/MA Teaching Art. Please discuss your concerns with your academic advisor first.
Students complete the core requirements in both programs, and use elective courses from the undergraduate degree to count towards requirements for the MA, reducing the total cost for both degrees.
The new dual-degree program requires 128 credits completed during the BFA, but students have the ability to take 12 credits towards graduate level classes as part of their undergraduate electives during the junior and senior years. The remaining 18 credits of graduate seminar credits and fieldwork experiences in schools are taken during the fifth year of the degree.
Students will experience:
- Graduate seminars that connect pedagogical theory and practice.
- Fieldwork experiences in elementary and secondary schools and mentorship from experienced classroom art teachers and NYU supervisors.
- Opportunity to teach in a community-based HS art program focused on current events, contemporary art and artists, and multimedia art practices.
- Support for completing NY state certification requirements.
- Instructors who are experienced public school educators and professional artists.
- An engaged and diverse community of social justice artist educators.
Find out more about Art+Education faculty and staff, student experiences, and alumni in action.
Students communicate their interest to their undergraduate BFA advisor in their freshman or sophomore year in order to begin taking graduate level courses during their junior and senior years. Students must enroll in the seminar: Race, Education and the Politics of Visual Representation during the fall semester of their Junior year to begin completing the required 12 credits during their undergraduate semesters.
Those students who wish to move ahead will meet with the Director of the Art+Education program and receive initial approval to continue taking graduate level courses during each of their remaining undergraduate semesters. Students who continue in good academic standing (at least a 3.0 GPA) will submit an official request to transition to the Masters Degree by Feb. 1 of their Senior year. They will also complete a Federal Student Financial Aid form (FAFSA) if eligible, by Feb. 1 of their senior year. Students do not need to complete an official application for the MA degree through the Office of Graduate Admissions.
The NYU Steinhardt Teacher Education Program is fully accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council. For initial certification, students must take all required coursework and successfully complete the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations and Assessments during the fifth year of the degree program.
Currently all candidates seeking certification in Visual Arts, All Grades (Pre-K–12) are required to take the following exams:
- Educating All Students (EAS)
- Visual Arts Content Specialty Test
Scores must be submitted to the New York State Education Department before it will issue Initial Certification to teach in public schools in New York State.
Studio minors need to have 36 credits in Studio Art, Art History, Art Making or Design courses. These requirements are already included in the BFA core curriculum and would not be additional classes required during the undergraduate years.
Learn more about how you can apply to this program by visiting the MA, Teaching Art, Grades K–12, Initial Certification page and program blog.
For individual inquiries and program advisement, please contact artadvising@nyu.edu.
Rebecca Salmon
As a BFA candidate in Studio Art, I decided to continue my study at NYU by taking the initial certification program leading to an MA in Art Education. This course of study allowed me to grow as an artist first in undergrad and then gain my certification to become a K–12 art teacher in only one year. I currently teach sculpture in a NYC public school and am so grateful for all I gained through my studies at NYU.
Getting my BFA in Studio Art and my one-year accelerated track of continued study in the MA, Art Education program was an experience I am incredibly proud of.
Benefits of the Dual Degree Program
Undergraduate students are able to achieve a master’s degree at a greatly reduced cost and with only one additional year of study, including all required fieldwork experience for New York State Initial Certification. Successful graduates are able to apply for visual art teaching positions in New York State upon graduation. For more information about Initial Certification, visit Steinhardt’s Certification website and timetable.
Information Sessions
DEPARTMENT OF
Art and Art Professions
Barney Building
34 Stuyvesant Street, New York, NY 10003
212-998-5700
nyuart@nyu.edu