Art Teachers

Certification or Licensing

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards offers voluntary national certification. Contact the board for information on eligibility criteria.

Elementary and secondary art teachers who work in public schools must be licensed under regulations established by the state in which they teach. If they move to another state, teachers have to comply with any other regulations in their new state to be able to teach there, though many states have reciprocity agreements, which means they accept out-of-state licensure, that make it easier for teachers to change locations.

To become licensed, prospective art teachers must be knowledgeable of several art subjects and complete an approved teaching program with the appropriate course credits in both education and art and a period of student teaching. Many states are moving toward a performance-based evaluation for licensing. In this case, after passing the teaching examination, prospective teachers are given provisional licenses. Only after proving themselves capable in the classroom are they eligible for a full license.