University of The Arts, Teaching Artist Certification Program

Teaching Artist
C e r t i f i c a t e
P r o g r a m
take the next step and become a member of a professional
cohort at the forefront of educational reform through the arts
The University of the Arts

What is the Teaching Artist Certificate Program
Recognizing the role of the artist as a vital component of PreK-12 educational reform, the University of the
Arts and the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Council on
the Arts has designed an unprecedented program, the Teaching Artist Certificate, that is inclusive of all the
arts: visual, performing, literary, media, and crafts. This research-based certificate program will build the
knowledge and capacity of artists to work alongside teachers and arts specialists in PreK-12 classrooms and
community settings to create and implement best practices residency programs that support learning in
and through the arts.
This first-in-the-nation Teaching Artist Certificate program responds to President Obama’s call for a corps
of trained teaching artists to work in community sites and collaborate with educators in schools preparing
students for success in the 21st century.
What Can I Expect To Take Away From This Program
• The educational expertise and practice required to work in preK-12 schools and community sites.
• Professional teaching skills developed through hands-on experience working alongside master teachers
in classroom and community settings.
• Fluency in the design and implementation of residencies that integrate the arts across the academic curriculum.
• Strategies for managing all aspects of residency work.
• Knowledge of arts and business practices including the skills required to write successful grants, conduct
research and prepare residency proposals.

WHY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE
• I am a proficient visual or performing artist, and I want to share my knowledge in classroom and
community settings.
• I am enthusiastic about arts education but do not wish to be a full-time teacher.
• I am a recent BFA or MFA recipient looking to expand my pedagogical knowledge of arts education
without pursing a full-time degree.*
• I am a practicing artist looking to enhance my skill set and grow my career.
*Only a high school diploma is required to participate in the program.
The University of the Arts
The University of the Arts is the first and only university in the
United States solely dedicated to educating creative individuals
in the visual, performing and communication arts. We believe
in the creative process as a transformative force for society.
The Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership (PAEP) promotes
learning in and through the arts working in collaboration with
education and arts communities. PAEP builds excellence in
arts in education practices through residencies and professional
development programs and is a regional partner with the
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Arts in Education Division
serving southeastern PA.
A State Agency: Edward G. Rendell, Governor
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) fosters the
excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania
and broadens the appreciation and availability of those arts
throughout the Commonwealth. The PCA fosters educational
excellence through participation in the creative process in
schools and community settings, creating an honored place for
the arts in lifelong education. The PCA’s Arts in Education
Partners recruit, select, train, place, and evaluate professionalquality
artists for residencies in educational environments.

How does it work
Students are expected to complete two courses per semester for four semesters. Classes are offered in
the evenings or on Saturdays. Requirements include the following:
Year 1
fall
• Foundations of Learning Theory
• Professional Practices for Artists + Designers
spring
• Methods + Teaching Practicum
• Child Development / Human Behavior
summer
• Arts Integration + Collaboration
• Program Management + Program Assessment
Year 2
fall
• Capstone Thesis Project
10 wks / 30 hrs
10 wks / 30 hrs
10 wks / 30 hrs
5 Saturdays / 25 hrs
1 wk / 30 hrs
5 wks / 15 hrs
10 wks / 30 hrs
Note: Terms and contact hours are subject to change. Some courses may be offered online.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST
Although tuition rates may vary from course to course, participants can earn the Teaching Artist Certificate
for less than $4,000.
Attend our fall Open House to learn more about this and other Certificate Programs designed to
provide students with the training necessary to transition into a new career or expand their horizons.
For more information or to request an application, visit cs.uarts.edu/ce, email ce@uarts.edu
or call 215.717.6095.

Course Descriptions
Foundations of Learning Theory
Year 1 – fall
This course explores the history and philosophy of
various learning theories as the precursors to presentday
classroom practices. Theoretical models from
pre-20th century through current brain based
research are examined in relation to the teaching of
the arts. Learning styles and teaching strategies are
analyzed as a means to enhancing effective practices
in the classroom.
Professional Practices for Artists +
Designers
Year 1 – fall
This course focuses on the practical and business
skills needed to support and sustain a working
professional artist. It addresses specific demands
outside of working in the studio and making art. In
addition to examining current trends and transitions
in the field, students develop traditional presentation
materials, which are central when applying to most
opportunities. This includes writing artist statements
and cover letters, shooting digital images and other
variables of a presentation packet. Through lectures,
student research projects, trips to venues and class
discussions, study galleries and alternative venues
(mostly through local examples), grants and residencies,
commissions, taxes, contracts, record keeping, and
basic do’s and don’ts. Guest speakers from the local
arts community are scheduled to discuss different
aspects of the business of art.
Methods + Teaching Practicum
Year 1 – spring
Develop knowledge of state and federal arts and
humanity standards, a familiarity with PreK-12 core
curricula, and an alignment of arts skills within the
curriculum. Build an understanding of best practices
in community settings, including the culture of the
community and working across generations. Learn
how to build and implement an array of methodologies
and instruments to assess student learning through
strategies appropriate for residencies. This course
focuses on how to design, implement and assess arts
residency programs.
Child Development/Human Behavior
Year 1 – spring
The purpose of this course is to provide teaching artists
with a basic understanding of developmental theories
and concepts as they relate to patterns of change in
learners across the life span. Cognitive, language,
social/emotional, and motor domains are examined.
Consideration is given to the application of learning
theories within instructional settings from PreK-12
classrooms to community sites and to the ways teaching
artists can create environments that promote effective
student learning.
Arts Integration + Collaboration
Year 1 – summer
This course focuses on integrating the arts across the
curriculum to drive learning in and through the arts. It
also develops the collaboration skills of teaching artists
to co-plan and co-teach with teachers/arts specialists
in PreK-12 classrooms and community sites. Guest
speakers, primarily PAEP rostered Artists-in Residence,
are featured as they present methods to incorporate
and apply arts across the curriculum. Models of
collaborative work developed between both classroom
instructors and professional artists in visual and
performing arts are studied in relation to academic
standards and effective student learning projects.
Teaching artists build on skills acquired in Methods
and Teaching Practicum.
Program Management + Program
Assessment
Year 1 – summer
This course teaches strategies for managing all aspects
of artist residencies including how to facilitate program
collaboration. Course content focuses on integrating
evaluation with project planning, assessing residency
programs, identifying challenges and barriers, and
developing strategies for success in PreK-12 classrooms
and community sites.
Capstone Thesis Project
Year 2 – fall
Demonstrate application of theory into practice.
Through field placements, teaching artists observe and
assist master artists in a residency setting. Artists then
design and implement a 15-session arts integrated
project under the supervision of a residency mentor
in a school or community site. Walk away with experience
and a model lesson plan that can be used in a
future residency.

The University of the Arts
320 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
cs.uarts.edu/ce
Teaching Artist
C e r t i f i c a t e
P r o g r a m
Training Teaching Artists for the 21st Century