About the department

The Department of Art Education focuses on learning and teaching in the visual arts, with programs of study at undergraduate and graduate levels. We are the only English-language program in Quebec for training visual arts teachers, and one of the largest art education programs in Canada. Our doctoral program was the first, and remains the only PhD in Art Education degree offered in Canada.

As part of Concordia University’s internationally recognized Faculty of Fine Arts, we provide excellent professional preparation in the visual arts and art teaching. Courses cover traditional visual media and digital technologies. Our professors are known internationally for their research in such areas as studio practice, cross-cultural aesthetics and education, adult education, the juvenile work of world-famous artists, built environment education, museum education, popular culture, digital technologies, community arts, and curriculum history and theory.

Students are encouraged to develop individual artistic and teaching practices that integrate conceptual understanding, critical reflection, and practical experience. Our graduates have gone on to a wide range of professional positions, such as:

• Art museum and gallery educators
• Art teachers in public and private schools throughout Quebec, Canada, the United States and abroad
• Instructors and program directors in community art programs, working with at-risk youth, elderly adults, women’s shelters, hospitals, and long-term care facilities
• Educators in computer graphics companies and corporate human resources departments
• Self-employed artist-teachers
• Faculty members of colleges and universities in North America and Europe (graduates from our MA and PhD programs)

Learn more about the Department of Art Education by reading the message from the chair or by contacting us.