UVU to offer Bachelor of Science in Art Education degree beginning this fall

Utah Valley University has received approval for an Art Education program. The Utah State Board of Regents authorized the University to offer the Bachelor of Science degree program on June 24.

The degree is a four-year program, with an additional semester of student teaching. The goal of the program is to help students prepare to teach visual arts in secondary schools.

"We are thrilled to add an art education degree to the others offered in the department. Student interest in this degree has been increasing over the past four years and recent surveys conducted indicated that demand was quite high — much higher than we anticipated,” associate dean of UVU’s School of the Arts, Steve Bule said. “Many individuals worked hard to prepare the documentation. We appreciate the input received regarding the proposal and we are very grateful to those who approved it at the state level."

With the addition of the art education degree, the School of Arts now offers teaching degrees in all of its departments, including Dance, Music and Theatre. Patrick Jones, dean of the School of the Arts, explained that providing an education degree among all of their departments creates a needed resource not only in schools, but throughout the community as well.

“The art education program resonates with the university’s mission of being engaged with the community. This degree program helps us provide a needed resource for the communities of the valley, as well as throughout Utah,” Jones said. “The education students receive in the program will not only prepare them to teach in secondary schools, but also in a variety of settings such as community centers, correctional facilities, and senior centers."

The degree program will become active and welcome its first students in the upcoming fall 2010 semester.