Art Education
The Art Education program prepares students for their own artistic practice and gives them the tools to support and develop the artistic and creative abilities of students (Pre-K–12) in schools and community settings. Our program offers students the opportunity to develop expertise in one or more studio areas while being provided the breadth of experiences needed to teach.
Art Education curriculum covers several areas, including psychology and child development, philosophical and social foundations underlying art in education, curriculum design for individuals and groups according to different stages of development and cultural/linguistic affinities, special needs and differentiated learning strategies, traditional and current methods and materials used in art education, short- and long-term instructional unit design and delivery, assessment and evaluation of student work and lesson objectives, as well as self-evaluation and professional goal setting.
“The Art Education program not only contributed to my wonderful experience at Montserrat, but also gave me the confidence to succeed in my future.”
Erin Wolf ’13
The Art Education program track towards a Massachusetts Certification for Initial Licensure benefits from a licensure reciprocity shared by interstate agreement.
Montserrat Art Education Concentration Instagram
The Massachusetts Certification for Initial Licensure requires the completion of 132 credits over nine semesters that include state exams, a full semester of practicum internship in a Pre-K–12 school and comprehensive career preparation. Interested students can contact Alicia Gray, Interim Art Education Director at or 978.921.4242 x1605 for more information.
Massachusetts Licensure
In Massachusetts, art teachers are licensed at two levels: pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and fifth through twelfth grade. The Art Education program at Montserrat offers initial licensure at either level, and coursework and student teaching experiences are assigned accordingly. Preparation of public school teachers in Art Education programs must include coursework addressing the Massachusetts Standards for Teacher Licensure and the Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Frameworks.
Courses are designed to meet and exceed these standards for teachers of visual art. Students interested in the Art Education program are encouraged to begin coursework in the fall of their sophomore year after successful completion of the foundation program. Every student in the program is required to earn a B- or better in all art education courses and two related requirements (one psychology course and one diversity course).
2015-2020 NASDTEC Interstate Agreement Signees
(As of November 19, 2015)
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- DODEA
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Important Links
Program Coordinator: Alicia Gray | [email protected]

Alumni News
Alicia Gray Named Higher Ed Art Educator of the Year
Montserrat’s Interim Art Education Director Alicia Gray has been awarded Higher Education Art Educator of the Year by the Massachusetts Art Education Association. Every year, the MAEA—a subsidiary of the… Learn More