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Middle school art teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a middle school art teacher. Middle school art teachers usually study elementary education, general education, specific areas, or education. 69% of middle school art teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 797 real middle school art teacher resumes to see exactly what middle school art teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for middle school art teachers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online middle school art teacher courses to help get the education required to be a middle school art teacher.
There are certain middle school art teacher certifications that you should consider. These middle school art teacher certifications include Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:) and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
What education do you need to become a middle school art teacher?
What degree do you need to be a middle school art teacher?
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Master's, 25%
- Associate, 3%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a middle school art teacher?
- Elementary Education, 19%
- Education, 14%
- Fine Arts, 11%
- Other Majors, 41%
Most common colleges for middle school art teachers
| Middle school art teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 8.49% |
| Ohio State University | 6.60% |
| Florida State University | 6.60% |
| University of Northern Iowa | 5.66% |
| Northern Illinois University | 5.66% |
Best majors for middle school art teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elementary Education | 18.8% |
| 2 | General Education, Specific Areas | 14.6% |
| 3 | Education | 13.9% |
| 4 | Fine Arts | 11.3% |
| 5 | English | 10.4% |
Best colleges for middle school art teachers
The best colleges for middle school art teachers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.
A middle school art teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for middle school art teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become middle school art teachers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
In-state tuition
$55,466
Enrollment
6,752
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
10. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
20 best online courses for middle school art teachers
Advertising disclosure
1. Music Education for Teachers
In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...
2. Modern Art & Ideas
Welcome to Modern Art & Ideas! This course is designed for anyone interested in learning more about modern and contemporary art. Over the next five weeks, you will look at art through a variety of themes: Places & Spaces, Art & Identity, Transforming Everyday Objects, and Art & Society. Each week kicks off with a video that connects works of art from The Museum of Modern Art’s collection to the theme. You will hear audio interviews with artists, designers, and curators and learn more about...
3. Art Therapy: Personal Development and Self Healing with Art
Arts Therapy heals ! Improve your Mental Health with 30 Art Therapy Exercises ...
4. Art History Prehistory to the Renaissance
This is an actual college level course that is taught at several accredited colleges...
5. Agent-based Generative Art | NetLogo
"Generative art refers to any art practice where the artist creates a process, such as a computer program, which is then set into motion with some degree of autonomy contributing to or resulting in a completed work of art." - Wikipedia In this guided project you will develop an agent-based computer program capable of generating visual art pieces. By doing so you will be introduced to the basics of ABM and NetLogo. Furthermore, at the end of this journey you will be able to share such pieces...
6. ART of the MOOC: Activism and Social Movements
This course is for activists, artists, and thinkers who wish to better understand and participate in social change. We will focus on the prolific and exciting overlap between socially engaged art and cultural practices generated by recent social movements around the world. Rather than assess the political efficacy of activities like mourning, listening, organizing, dancing, or partying, the lectures examine such cultural activities next to, and within, contemporary art practice. Included in the...
7. Building Confidence Through Drawing: Art for Beginners
22 Drawing Lessons for Beginners. Course is perfect for engaging after-school activities or homeschool art projects...
8. Art History Renaissance to 20th Century
This is an actual college level course that is taught at several accredited colleges...
9. Leading Innovation in Arts and Culture
Developed by David Owens at Vanderbilt University and customized for the cultural sector with National Arts Strategies, this course is designed to help arts and culture leaders create an environment where new ideas are constantly created, shared, evaluated and the best ones are successfully put to work. One of the toughest challenges for any leader is getting traction for new ideas. Winning support can be a struggle. As a result, powerful new ideas often get stuck. This is especially true in...
10. Pixel Art for Video Games
This course is aimed to give you the tools and knowledge you need to start creating simple art for video games made in the Unity game engine. Through the aesthetic of pixel art we will explore artistic principals like shape language, color theory, and composition as well as show you a step by step workflow for creating assets that you can use to make your own games. The course is broken into 4 main modules, props, environments, characters, and animation. Each of these courses will have a series...
11. Art for Beginners: Learn to Paint 11 Acrylic Paintings
How to Paint with Acrylic Paints: 11 Simple Step-by-Step Art Lessons Designed Especially for Beginners of All Ages...
12. Positive Psychology Art Coaching
Art activities for children to help build confidence & selfesteem...
13. Low Poly Art For Video Games
This course is aimed to give you the tools and knowledge you need to start creating simple 3D art for video games made in the Unity game engine. Through the aesthetic of pixel art we will explore artistic principals like shape language, color theory, and composition as well as show you a step by step workflow for creating assets that you can use to make your own games. The course is broken into 4 main modules, props, environments, characters, and animation. Each of these courses will have a...
14. Character Art School: Complete Coloring and Painting
Learn the key fundamentals to Coloring and Painting your art to a high level using professional techniques...
15. Anatomy Art School: Anatomy Drawing Course
Learn to Draw the Anatomy of the Skeleton, building solid foundations for Character Art, Games, Animation, Manga, Comics...
16. Character Art School: Complete Character Drawing
Learn the complete fundamentals of Character Drawing, so you can create professional art and illustrations...
17. Art Therapy: Art Therapy Exercises For Healing In Life
35 Art Therapy exercises for life happiness & stress management. Art therapy with paintings, art & affirmations...
18. Internationally Accredited Certificate in Art Therapy
Therapeutic Art Therapy Course / Masterclass for Healing and Life Coaching...
19. Learn Pixel Art for Games
Understand creating Pixel Art for use in Games...
20. Pixel Art Fundamentals: Introduction to 2D Game Pixel Art
Make 2D Art for Video Games Using Libresprite / Aseprite. Create icons, images, HUD, simple animations and game scenes...
Top 10 most affordable universities for middle school art teachers
The most affordable schools for middle school art teachers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for middle school art teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for middle school art teachers.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
6. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for middle school art teachers
The hardest universities for middle school art teachers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for middle school art teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for middle school art teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for middle school art teachers
The easiest schools for middle school art teachers to get into are Barry University, felician university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a middle school art teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for middle school art teachers.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
5. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
6. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
7. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
8. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
9. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average middle school art teacher salary by education level
| Middle school art teacher education level | Middle school art teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $61,144 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,456 |
| Doctorate Degree | $60,621 |
Middle school art teacher education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025