Entering the field of elementary and secondary is a two-part process. The first part is to complete an undergraduate degree in art. The second part is the graduate level Alternative Fifth Year Program, the training program for teacher education that prepares you to meet all of your certification requirements and earn a master's degree in education. Students completing the Fifth Year Program earn the M.Ed. with Class A, P-12 (preschool through 12th grade) certification. The advantages of this route to certification are in the breadth and depth of training gained in studio art and art history combined with the Class A certification (and salary scale) earned with a masters degree.

Students planning careers in art education have three undergraduate major options: the Bachelor of Arts in Art (BA) and the Bachelor of Science in Art (BS) and the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree.
If you earn a BA or BS, you may begin phase 1 of the education sequence during your last undergraduate semester, placing you a semester ahead when you enter the Fifth Year Program.

Art teachers who are certified at the Bachelor's level (Class B), and wish to earn the masters degree may apply to the traditional M.Ed. program. Students who wish to teach at the college level normally complete the BFA in preparation for application to a Master of Fine Arts program. The University of Montevallo does not offer the MFA.

    Karen Graffeo
      Associate Professor, Photography
       graffeokc@montevallo.edu