Established in 1930, the Art Education Department at Buffalo State is the oldest state sponsored art teacher preparation program in the United States. Our graduates are found in every state and in many foreign countries.
Of the 40 graduate programs on the Buffalo State campus, the Art Education Department ranks fourth in terms of the number of graduates since 1947. The Art Education Department is one of the visual arts departments at Buffalo State which also include the Fine Arts, Design, Interior Design, and Art Conservation departments.
With over 75 faculty, the four departments comprise the largest and most comprehensive visual arts programs in the SUNY system.
Most art education programs at other institutions are staffed by one or two faculty members housed in an art department. At Buffalo State, there are eleven full-time and several part-time faculty members, all with state and national reputations in the field of art education. There are a number of reasons for students to choose Buffalo State for their professional training in art education:
- The Art Education Department has a national reputation for excellence and prepares graduates not only in the latest theory and practice with reality based practicum experience, but also for the national job market as well.
- Buffalo State takes pride in its history as a teaching institution; class sizes in the professional program are small to provide personalized attention and students are taught by faculty, not graduate assistants.
- With an active student professional association, majors in the art education program have the opportunity to interact with other students, faculty, and professionals in the field. Many develop close personal and professional relationships that last well beyond their years at Buffalo State.
- Located in the museum corridor, students have ready access to the internationally known Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and the Burchfield-Penney Art Center; also in close proximity to the campus are the alternative space galleries HALLWALLS and the Big Orbit Gallery.
- Art Education Department majors receive training in the latest technological applications used in commercial and educational settings in the Art Education computer laboratory.