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The Arts and Communications Department is staffed by a community of professional artists with national reputations. The mission of the faculty is to nurture and encourage students' individual growth, development and expression while preparing them to pursue a professional career.  After a firm grounding in the foundations, students are mentored in the development of an original body of work in their preferred medium.

The Arts and Communications Department in collaboration with the Department of Education offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in art education. Staffed by professional scholars and artists with national reputations, students learn the theory and practice of education as well as effective educational strategies that prepare them as elementary and secondary teachers. Through in-depth study in the studio, culminating in an exhibition of their personal work developed in the Studio Concentration Seminar students will gain a strong understanding of the artistic process and their own expressive capabilities. Students will leave the program as skilled and confident advocates for the arts with Maine state teaching certification (levels K-12) in the visual arts.

Learning outcomes for the Art Education Program conform to the Maine Department of Education Teacher Certification Objectives listed below. Additionally the Studio Art component of the program has its own guidelines and specific outcomes in the list following the MDE standards.

Teacher Certification Objectives
Maine Department of Education Chapter 114

Standard One: Learner Development: The teacher understands how students learn and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.

Standard Two: Learning Differences: The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that allow each learner to reach his/her full potential.

Standard Three:  Learning Environments: The teacher works with learners to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, encouraging positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.

Standard Four:  Content Knowledge: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners

Standard Five:  Innovative Applications of Content: The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical/creative thinking and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.

Standard Six:  Assessment: The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to document learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s on-going planning and instruction.

Standard Seven:  Planning for Instruction: The teacher draws upon knowledge of content areas, cross-disciplinary skills, learners, the community, and pedagogy to plan instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals.

Standard Eight:  Instructional Strategies: The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to access and appropriately apply information.

Standard Nine:  Reflection and Continuous Growth: The teacher is a reflective practitioner who uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (students,  families,  and  other  professionals  in  the  learning  community),  and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.

Standard 10:  Collaboration: The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.

Standard   11:   Technology Standards for Teachers - (NETS.T): Effective teachers model and apply the National Educational Technology Standards for   Students   (NETS•S)   as   they   design,   implement,   and   assess   learning experiences  to  engage  students  and  improve  learning;  enrich  professional practice;   and   provide   positive   models   for   students,   colleagues,   and   the community. All teachers will meet the following standards and performance indicators.

A student with a major in another department may minor in art with the permission of the Creative and Fine Arts department chair. Eighteen credits hours as indicated below is required:  

A student with a major in another department may minor in Art Therapy with the permission of the  Creative and Fine Arts department chair or the Psychology department chair. Twenty-one credit hours** as indicated below are required: 

**Because of the pre-requisite for PSY 410, students are required to take 21 credits to complete this minor. Courses may not be used to fulfill both major and minor requirements.

We offer qualified students the option of participating in our and graduating with Honors. This includes significant research, scholarship or creative activity under the direction of a faculty member.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more information regarding tuition and fees, please consult the Financial Information section of this catalog.