The Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design

117 Arts and Humanities Building
404-413-5221
artdesign.gsu.edu

Joseph Peragine, Director
Susan Richmond, Ph.D, Associate Director

The Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design offers degree programs in studio, art education, and art history. The Bachelor of Fine Arts professional degree is available in studio and art education. Within the studio degree, students may choose from these concentrations: drawing and painting or printmaking, graphic design, interior design, photography, textiles, or three-dimensional studies (ceramics or sculpture).

The School of Art & Design offers the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree for students who wish to pursue a liberal arts education. They may select a concentration in studio or in art history. The B.A. program in Studio covers a range of art courses and a studio concentration. Art history is an academic liberal arts program devoted to preparing future scholars and curators.

The School of Art & Design seeks to provide an educational environment that encourages the creation and presentation of the visual arts, the study of visual culture, the creation and enhancement of our interior environments, and the promotion of the visual arts to the larger community. Graduates of the school carry their knowledge forward and contribute to the cultural conscience of the community. A strong corps of the school’s graduates is found in prominent art centers and schools. Others hold positions with regional, national, and international design firms. Faculty, student artists, and alumni frequently exhibit in national and international galleries and competitions. Their works are in numerous private and corporate collections.

The School of Art & Design is professionally accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design.

Program Admission

Applying to a B.F.A

Students who wish to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree must apply and be accepted into either studio or art education. Acceptance to a concentration is determined by application and portfolio review following completion of the art core sequence. The studio program requires a concentration in one of the following areas: drawing and painting, or printmaking, graphic design, interior design, photography, textiles, or three-dimensional studies (ceramics or sculpture). Students should consult with the undergraduate area coordinator in their area of interest for details.

Portfolios and applications are reviewed fall and spring semesters on Portfolio Review Day. Students should check with the School of Art & Design office for information about Portfolio Review Day.

Admission to Art Education B.F.A.

The Art Education program offers two tracks for students to develop their teaching skills. One track is the traditional model of art teacher preparation with a focus on students meeting the certification requirements for K-12 teaching in the state of Georgia. Another option for study in Art Education has a focus on preparing students to teach in a community-based arts organization or museum. The primary difference in the student’s experience will be the setting in which they complete most of their observation hours, practicum, and internship. Otherwise, developing effective methods for teaching art is the goal for both programs.

Application to the B.F.A. program in Art Education should occur upon completion of the 18 semester hours required in Area F as well as the introductory art education course (AE 4200 ). Admission to the major takes place at the mid point of the second semester in the program during which students are taking AE 4400 - Media, Technology, and Visual Presentation .

To apply to the Art Education certification track, students must have:

passed the portfolio review of artwork professionally presented in an electronic portfolio or PowerPoint
received at least “Good” in all dispositional ratings
earned a 2.5 overall cumulative GPA
earned a 3.0 GPA in all art content courses
passed GACE Program Admission Assessment or have been exempted from the GACE Program Admission Assessment (SAT Score 1000 or more: verbal and math combined; or ACT Score of 33 or higher: math and English combined). When registering for the assessment, program entry candidates must add their program provider (Georgia State University - school code 5090) as a score recipient when registering or we will not receive notification of completion of the assessment
provided proof of completing the Georgia Educator Ethics - Program Entry (350) Assessment, although there is no Pass/Fail grade assigned. Program entry candidates must add their program provider (Georgia State University) as a score recipient when registering or we will not receive notification of completion of the assessment

To apply to the Art Education non-certification community-based teaching track, students must have:

passed the portfolio review of artwork professionally presented in an electronic portfolio or PowerPoint
received at least “Good” in all dispositional ratings
earned a 2.5 overall cumulative GPA
earned a 3.0 GPA in all art content courses
submitted an essay detailing goals and reasons for wishing to teach in a community-based program

Guidelines for the Entry-to-the-Major Review will be distributed during Art Education courses and posted in the Art Education area. Art Education faculty will assist students in preparing their pre-teaching certification and portfolio requirements for admission. In the event that a student is not accepted into the Art Education certification track, or is accepted with pending status, the student will not be allowed to take any further Art Education courses until the issue for admission to the major is resolved. If the issue cannot be resolved within the second semester of the program students may elect to complete a degree in Art Education with a focus on community-based art education settings or museums, which does not lead to a teaching certification, or consider other degree options. In the community-based track, students complete the last ten hours of the Art Education program in an alternative teaching setting rather than in public schools.

Admission to Studio B.F.A.

Upon completion of the 18 semester hours required in Area F and prior to completion of 15 additional semester hours, each student who wishes to seek a B.F.A. in Studio must submit an application and pass a portfolio review for acceptance into a major concentration. Applications to concentrate in a discipline are available in the School of Art & Design office and are reviewed fall and spring semesters on Portfolio Review Day scheduled prior to Phase I registration (Graphic Design Portfolio Review is held at the end of Spring Semester only and Interior Design Portfolio Review is held at the end of the Fall semester only). Students should meet with the area coordinator in the concentration they are considering one semester before they apply for the concentration. In the event that a student is not accepted into the concentration, the student should see their assigned advisor to explore other options.

Program Academic Regulations

Evaluation of transfer credits should be completed during the first semester of attendance at the university by the School of Art and Design.

Program Degree Requirements

Art students should seek regular advisement from the Office of Academic Assistance or the University Advisement Center. Once accepted into a Bachelor of Fine Arts concentration, students should seek advisement from the Area Coordinator for that concentration. Students in the B.F.A. degree program should declare their intention to pursue a B.F.A. degree to the Office of Academic Assistance in the College of the Arts or the University Advisement Center when they initiate their Area F requirements. Students intending to pursue the B.F.A. should enroll in two Area F courses during their first semester and should continue taking two Area F courses each semester until those courses are completed. Upon completion of the Area F requirements and prior to completion of 15 additional hours in art, students who intend to pursue the B.F.A. degree program must submit an application and portfolio to the concentration faculty for review and approval. In order to facilitate advisement, students in the Bachelor of Arts degree program should declare their major and area of concentration (studio or art history) prior to completion of their Area F courses.

A grade of C- or higher is required for all Studio and Art History courses in Area G. Bachelor of Art Studio majors must satisfy the world language requirement to the 1002 level with a passing grade of D or higher. For Art Education a grade of B and a GPA of 3.0 or higher is required in all art content courses.

In addition to the Program Degree Requirements, students must fulfill the College of the Arts Degree Requirements (see section 10030) and the University Degree Requirements (see section 1400).

Graduation with Distinction

This Welch School of Art and Design offers undergraduate students with the opportunity to earn the designation of graduation with distinction in the major. Please contact the School of Art & Design for the specific criteria for this honor.

Program Financial Information

Lab fees will be assessed automatically for students who register for certain courses. For more information, please feel free to contact the school or review GoSolar or catalog course listings to determine if a course includes a lab fee.

Application for Entry into Teacher Education

Prior to being approved for entry into the program, art education students must meet professional requirements and standards, including but not limited to displaying professional dispositions and attitudes, the ability to speak in public, professional ethics, and strong content knowledge, as listed in the “Teacher Preparation” chapter of this catalog. Students are evaluated throughout the Art Education program, and their progress is noted during the Entry-to-the-Art-Education-Major and Pre-Student-Teaching Reviews. If students fail to pass benchmark reviews, they may not be allowed to progress to the next course until they demonstrate the competencies in question. Students are also required to have a 2.5 overall cumulative GPA and to have passed the GACE Program Admission Assessment exam. See “Admission to Art Education B.F.A.” above for complete admission requirements.

Upon admission to a teacher education program, students will be contacted by the Office of Academic Assistance Office in the College of Education and Human Development with instructions to claim enrollment in their program and submit a GaPSC Pre-Service Certificate Application. The pre-service certificate is required for placement in required field experiences or clinical practice. Due to the sequence of course offerings, the student’s program of study will be delayed for another year if the candidate does not have a pre-service certification by the mid-point of the second semester of art education coursework in AE 4400. More information is available in the 1600 Undergraduate Educator Preparation section.

Pre-Student-Teaching Review

One semester prior to student teaching, all student teaching applicants will practice their teaching at a local community school art class before their official student-teaching semester, regardless of whether the applicants have previous teaching experiences or not. Prior to being approved for student teaching, all Art Education students must have met all criteria for entry to the major, and have earned a grade of B- or higher in all art education courses, with a 3.0 GPA for all art courses. Art Education faculty members will review applications according to the teacher certification standards. Students must submit a form declaring their “Intent to Student Teach” immediately upon admission to the Art Education Teacher Education program. Failure to submit the “Intent to Student Teach” form may result in a delay in student teaching placement and graduation. For details about the Pre-Student-Teaching Review, students should contact their Art Education advisor.

Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE)

The state of Georgia requires such candidates to take various GACE and Educator Ethics assessments as part of the educator certification process. These computer-delivered assessments have been developed by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) and are delivered by the Education Testing Service (ETS). You will take these tests at different times.

Program Admission and Content Assessments

Program Admission Assessment [Combined Test I, II, and III (700)] is an admission requirement (unless candidate meets qualifications for exemption - scroll down to “Options to Satisfy the Program Admission Assessment Requirement”). When registering for the assessment, program entry candidates must add their program provider (Georgia State University - school code 5090) as a score recipient when registering or we will not receive notification of completion of the assessment.

Content Assessment (different content assessments for each program) tests your content knowledge and is taken after enrollment and prior to program completion. You will receive specific information regarding this test as you near completion of your program (required for certification).

Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment

Georgia Educator Ethics - Program Entry (350) Assessment is an admission requirement. Completion of this assessment is required for admission, although there is no “Pass/Fail” grade assigned. Program entry candidates must add their program provider (Georgia State University) as a score recipient when registering or we will not receive notification that you have completed the assessment.

Georgia Educator Ethics - Program Exit (360) Assessment is taken after enrollment and prior to program completion. You will receive specific information regarding this test as you near completion of your program (required for certification).

Student Teaching

The Art Education program and the Office of Field Placements (housed in the College of Education and Human Development) will place each student with two placements-elementary and secondary-during the semester of student teaching. Student teaching involves full participation by the students for at least one full academic term. Because student teaching constitutes a full load of academic credit, it is recommended that the students attempt neither regular employment nor other courses during the term of student teaching.

Students electing to complete their Art Education degree in the community-art teaching track will complete a practicum and internship experience at an approved arts organization.

edTPA

edTPA is a preservice assessment process designed by educators to answer the essential question: “Is a new teacher ready for the job?” edTPA includes a review of a teacher candidate’s authentic teaching materials as the culmination of a teaching and learning process that documents and demonstrates each candidate’s ability to effectively teach their subject matter to all students. edTPA is a program completion and teacher certification requirement. Students may graduate from the Art Education program while continuing to complete teacher certification requirements for edTPA.

Programs

Bachelor’s

Dual Degree

Art, Art History Concentration, B.A./ Art History, M.A.

Minor

Courses

Art

Art Education

Art History

Drawing, Painting, Printmaking

Graphic Design

Interior Design

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