Transform the lives of young people by sharing your passion for the visual arts. A degree in Fine Arts Education from Hofstra will help you discover your artistic voice and help others do the same. This program encourages you to continue to pursue your own artistic aspirations even as you pursue a career in teaching.
Why Hofstra?
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The Fine Arts Education program enjoys a high success rate of placing students in jobs after graduation.
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Students connect with a large network of cooperating teachers and alumni.
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Faculty work closely with local, state, and national professional organizations.
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Classes are offered throughout the calendar year and evenings to support students who need flexible schedules.
Program Offerings
The BSEd in Fine Arts Education leads to certification as a teacher of the visual arts in all grades in New York state. The aim of this program is to provide prospective teachers with comprehensive knowledge and skills in the fine arts which, together with fundamental courses in education, will lead to public school teaching.
An accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program is also available. Hofstra's accelerated programs allow highly motivated, qualified students with the opportunity to complete requirements for both a bachelor's and an MSEd in a shortened time frame. In addition to saving time, students can realize a monetary savings equivalent to a year of full-time graduate study.
Special subject programs, like the Fine Arts Education program, are designed to blend on-campus preparation with field experiences in a variety of school settings, culminating in full-time student teaching.
Literacy, multicultural education, and information technology are integrated throughout all aspects of the programs. This program is in conformity with standards for art teacher preparation published by the National Art Education Association, the New York State Art Education Association, and the New York State Learning Standards for the Arts.
Meet Our Director
Courses taught by Professor of Art Education and Graduate Director Susan Goetz Zwirn are diverse and include the teaching of art and art history, art education curriculum development, arts integration and museum integration, and research on educational neuroscience. She believes in working closely with students in order to better serve their needs at the University and help further their career goals.
Professor Zwirn has remained in touch with countless students after graduation, offering career guidance and support. She is passionate not only about her teaching and mentoring but also her work as a painter.
Facilities
Facilities include diverse, high-tech labs and studios:
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State-of-the art-computer labs
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Fully equipped wood, metal and welding shops, as well as carving and plaster studios
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A well-equipped ceramics studio
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Painting, drawing, sculpture, and new media, graphic design and industrial design studios
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A professional-level photography studio where students engage in the latest digital technologies
Student Experience
Features of the Fine Arts Education program that students may take advantage of:
Exhibition Opportunities
Art education students have the opportunity to exhibit their personal artwork while enrolled in our program. We are committed to a model of the art teacher as artist and seek to provide opportunities for our students to share and exhibit their work.
Additionally, because our alumni network is so strong, graduates of the program are frequently invited to plan a show within Hagedorn Hall (the home of the School of Education), featuring the artwork of their K-12 students.
Hofstra University Museum of Art
The Hofstra University Museum of Art (HUMA) is a valuable resource to students in the Fine Arts Education program. The only American Alliance of Museum-accredited university museum on Long Island, HUMA has permanent collections that contain more than 5,000 objects spanning 35 centuries of human history, with works of art and cultural artifact representing six continents. The collections include major works of art by American and European modern era artists in painting, sculpture, photography, prints and other works on paper, along with Asian, Oceanic, African and Pre-Columbian art.
Through dynamic educational programs and services, visitors to the Museum are invited to make meaningful connections with art that enrich their understanding of themselves and the diverse world community in which they live.
Fieldwork/Student Teaching
Juniors and seniors benefit from the services of the Office of Field Placement, which is responsible for accepting and evaluating requests for field observations, clinical experiences, and student teaching.
The dean's office in the School of Education provides certification information related to Hofstra University's New York state-approved teacher, administrative, and pupil personnel preparation programs. Students in programs that lead to New York teacher certification must complete a minimum of 100 hours of fieldwork as well as student teaching.
Outcomes
Hofstra's Fine Arts Education program enjoys a high success rate of placing students in jobs after graduation – both in full-time positions and as replacements for teachers on temporary leave. More on alumni outcomes
In a survey of recent graduates (2019-20) from our Fine Arts Education Program:
94%
of recent alumni reported they were working or enrolled in graduate school within a year of graduation.
93%
of recent alumni reporting employment responded that they landed their position within six months of graduation.
$44K
is the mean salary for alumni their first year following gradation.
During Crisis, Finding the Teachable Moments
When New York schools closed statewide in March 2020 to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, Hofstra’s School of Education had approximately 135 student teachers placed throughout Long Island and the New York metropolitan area. Jay Lewis, associate dean for External Relations, Field Placement, and Recruitment, believed his aspiring teachers could be a critical resource as schools made the transition to digital learning. He started working the phones, making calls to contacts in local school districts to make sure his students could continue their placements.
The result? 100% of Hofstra student teachers continued to teach online.
More about us
Drawing For Teachers
Fine Arts Education students in the course “Drawing for Teachers” sketch, critique works of art, and study art history and pedagogical theory. They also learn to draw from live models. By building their own artistic skills, the students learn how to nurture children’s talents.
Exhibit for Alum's Class
Photography by students from Bellport High School is featured in the exhibition, "History, Chemistry, & Photo Too," presented by Hofstra’s School of Education in the lobby of Hagedorn Hall from October 12-November 2, 2021. The students’ teacher, Sophia Black earned a BSEd in Fine Arts Education from Hofstra in 2017, and she is currently pursuing an MSEd in Curriculum Studies. (Photo by Vivienne Love.)
Finding Zen in Art Class
Whether teens are stressed by academic and social pressures or the “new normal” spawned by COVID-19, art educator Chris Coffin (MSEd ’03) hopes they can find refuge in art and the creative process. “I try to get kids to step off the academic race car and take a deep breath,” he says. “I encourage them to create, interact, and see the nuances of life. That’s where I think I can help them.”
Talent on Display
Every year students, faculty, and staff gather on the first floor of Hagedorn Hall for the opening of the annual Artist-Teacher exhibit, celebrating original artwork created by art education students in the School of Education. These works represent the diverse artistic backgrounds of both undergraduate and graduate students in the art education program.
Art Education in a Time of Upheaval
"In a time of upheaval, making art can help students give voice to emotions they can’t quite name," says Dr. Susan Goetz Zwirn, graduate director and professor of art education in the Hofstra University School of Education. "Making art can help them move through to optimism, community, and validation."
Contact Us
Dr. Susan Goetz Zwirn
Phone: 516-463-4976
Email: susan.g.zwirn@hofstra.edu