Art Education is offered jointly by the Department of Fine and Performing Arts and the College of Education and Human Development Our program emphasizes the importance of being an artist as well as a teacher. Coursework prepares students to become competent in studio practice, art history, art criticism, the theoretical knowledge of teaching, and the practical skills necessary to become proficient art teachers. Students also choose one studio area in which to specialize. Through applied teaching, students learn how to plan lessons and develop interdisciplinary and multicultural curricula based on national and state learning standards for the visual arts while examining the practical, social, and political aspects of contemporary art education.