Our art education program, offered as a BFA, BA and minor, is a vibrant and active educational community for students with strong connections to regional, state and national opportunities.
Our focus is on artist-teacher development, which encourages students to integrate their art practice with their art teaching. We also provide you with hands-on classroom training and opportunities for service learning. You will leave equipped to grow as an artist, while also empowered as a successful teacher.
Our program meets the Illinois State Board of Education standards for Professional Development in the Visual Arts and is fully accredited by the National Association for the Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Our two art education programs prepare and license you to teach in the public school system as well as a variety of non-traditional settings. Student teaching is a requirement for both curriculums, as we emphasize theory and practice.
Clinical practice is an important part of this program. Working with the Office of Teacher Education, we place our students in public schools throughout the Southern Illinois region, all within a 60 mile-radius of SIU.
Your development as an artist is equally emphasized in our art education program. The work by art education students is highlighted each academic year in the Artists Who Educate Exhibition in the Vergette Gallery.
While both curriculums include a focus on individual art development, our BFA program offers more studio electives in art and design. With the BFA, you will be better prepared to teach studio arts in American schools or go on for advanced study in art or art education.
September 2025
College of Liberal Arts
Southern Illinois University,
CARBONDALE,
Illinois,
62901, United States
Students need to have Transcripts from high school and/or college. At SIU Carbondale, applicants for admission will be eligible for automatic admission if they are on track to complete our course pattern requirements and who meet one of the following criteria: A cumulative high school GPA of 2.75; A ranking in the top 10% of their graduating class.
English Language Requirement: Any one of the following methods will automatically meet the minimum English requirement. Applicants who do not meet the automatic English language admission requirement will undergo a holistic review to determine potential admissibility.
TOEFL (IBT internet-based test) - 68
TOEFL (paper based test) - 520
ITEP - 4.0 (academic plus only)
IELTS - 6.0
2 Face-to-face English composition classes taken in the U.S. at the college level with a grade of A or B
More than 48 college-level credit hours completed at a U.S. institution
If an applicant is from a country whose primary language is English
Graduation from a U.S. high school having spent the final 2 years in the U.S.
Meeting the SAT or ACT requirements for admission of domestic freshmen
Duolingo English Test (accepted during COVID-19 closures)- 95
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
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