Visual Studies

Ever consider teaching Art? If so, Visual Studies might be the major for you. Visual Studies at Texas Tech University is a dynamic program grounded in critical awareness of how race, social class, gender, and other socio-cultural issues impact teaching and art. Students learn how to teach using contemporary issues, teaching practices, and artists in the classroom to create more equitable and democratic learning environments. Graduates advocate for their students and promote students’ ideas and projects rather than the traditional teacher-led curricula where students are passive receptacles. The Visual Studies approach gives back creativity, imagination, and self-expression to the student and sanity and agency to the teacher. Students also learn how to become active pro-art, pro-learning members of their communities.  A BFA in Visual Studies prepares students for a career in art education.

Requirements for a Visual Studies Major
Students working toward a BFA in Visual Studies must complete a minimum of 134 semester credit hours, including the Art Foundations coursework, a 24-hour distribution of Studio Art disciplines and additional Art History, a 15-hour Studio Art emphasis, a 30-hours concentration in Visual Studies and College of Education (CoE) coursework, the University Core Curriculum requirements for a BFA in the College of Visual & Performing Arts, and a semester of Student Teaching experience.

Upon completion of the Art Foundations coursework, students must select an area of emphasis from one of the following areas:

Ceramics
Jewelry Design + Metalsmithing
Painting + Drawing
Photography
Printmaking
Sculpture

Since the BFA in Visual Studies leads to teacher certification and CoE courses are required, students must apply for admission to the CoE Teacher Certification Program at the beginning of the semester prior to beginning the CoE coursework.

	Ed Check, Ph.D. Associate Professor
	Dennis Fehr, D. Ed. Associate Professor
	Future Akins-Tillet (MFA) Assistant Professor
	Carolyn Erler, Ph.D. Assistant Professor