The Maryland State Department of Education Educator Effectiveness branch is responsible for certifying the state’s art teachers. To become an art teacher in Maryland, complete the following steps:
 | Complete a Bachelor Degree and Teacher Prep Program |
 | Complete Testing |
 | Apply for a Certificate/License |
 | Maintain and Upgrade Your License |
 | Pursue Graduate Work |
Step 1. Complete a Bachelor Degree and Teacher Prep Program
The first step to becoming an art teacher in Maryland is to earn a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university and complete a state-approved teacher preparation program. Currently, there are 23 4-year institutions of higher education in Maryland with approved programs. A listing of the programs is available here.
If you earn a bachelors’ degree, you must:
- Have a major in art or complete 30 semester hours or more of art-related course work taken (a minimum of 50 percent at the same institution, and a minimum of 12 semester hours of upper division course work).
- Complete 21 semester hours of professional education course work taken at the appropriate age or grade level including at least one 3-semester hour course in each of the following:
- Adolescent development
- Human learning
- Teaching methodology
- Inclusion of special needs student populations
- Assessment of students
- Complete 6 semester hours in reading. A listing of approved reading courses is here.
Step 2. Complete Testing
Before becoming certified in Maryland, you must pass Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests, or meet the SAT Reasoning Test, ACT test or GRE General Test requirements.
The Praxis Core tests measures basic skills in reading, writing, and math, through multiple-choice questions and two thirty-minute essay questions. Passing scores in Maryland are as follows:
- Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading 156
- Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing 162
- Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics 150
In place of the Core tests, Maryland will accept the following options. For the most up-to-date details, see the state’s testing page:
- The College Board’s SAT Reasoning Test taken after 2005: combined math and critical reading score of 1100
- The SAT Reasoning Test taken between April 1995 and January 2005: combined math and verbal score of 1100
- The SAT Reasoning Test taken prior to April 1995: math and verbal (critical reading) score of 1000
- The ACT composite score of 24 (ACT composite score is the average of the tests)
- The GRE revised General Test: composite of the combined verbal and quantitative score of 297. Candidates who took the GRE® test prior to September 2011 will use the old composite score of 1000.
Art teachers must also pass the Praxis II Art: Content and Analysis test with a score of 161 or higher. The test is a computer-delivered, two-hour exam with 85 selected-response questions and three constructed-response questions that cover the process and techniques of art making, the historical and theoretical foundations of art in Western culture and beyond, as well as arts analysis. The analysis portion of the test asks you to write about verifiable art historical examples from memory, and to write about work you have created in two different media.
Step 3. Apply for Your License
Maryland offers the following types of certificates for art teachers, who all have a Specialty Areas (PreK-12) certificate in art:
- Professional Eligibility Certificate (PEC)
- Standard Professional Certificate I (SPC I)
- Standard Professional Certificate II (SPC II)
- Advanced Professional Certificate (APC)
The first type of license to apply for is the Professional Eligibility Certificate, which is valid for 5 years and issued to an applicant who meets all certification requirements and
is not currently employed in a MD local school system. If you have completed an approved program in state and passed the required tests above, you may apply online or by mail.
If applying by mail, send the following:
- Official transcript(s) in an unopened mailer for all coursework. Your transcript must show the degree, date of conferral, and the Maryland Approved Program statement. Student copies in an unopened mailer are also acceptable. (Do not have the college/university send transcripts directly.)
- Qualifying scores for the required certification tests: Basic skills and Praxis II or ACTFL. Your test scores may be noted on a college transcript or you may send a photocopy of the original score report
- A cover letter with your name, complete mailing address, social security number, date of birth, personal email address, and the area of certification you are seeking. Daytime telephone number is encouraged.
Send your complete packet to the following address:
Maryland State Department of Education
Certification Branch
200 W. Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
The state will notify you of your eligibility for certification by mail.
A $10 processing fee is required for the initial certificate and for each certificate renewal thereafter. Acceptable forms of payment include: cashier’s check, certified check, money order or credit card; personal checks are not accepted.
Step 4. Maintain and Upgrade Your License
If you are employed in a Maryland local school system, a renewal request for your license will be processed by your local school system. If you are not employed in a local school system and you want to renew your certificate, send the following to the address below:
- A cover letter with your name, complete mailing address, and social security number.
- Official transcripts in an unopened mailer for six credits (either college/university) or MSDE Continuing Professional Development credits, earned within the past five years. Photocopies are not acceptable. Individuals holding certification in a teaching area must submit renewal credits in reading if the reading requirement has not been met.
- A $10 money order, cashiers check, or certified check made payable to MSDE.
Send your complete packet to the following address:
Maryland State Department of Education
Certification Branch
200 W. Baltimore Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
To upgrade your license beyond the Professional Eligibility Certificate, see the requirements below. If you are employed as a teacher in the MD public school system, non-public special education facility, or state institution, you will work through your employer to upgrade your license.
Standard Professional Certificate I (SPC I)
Valid for 5 years issued to an applicant who meets all certification requirements noted above and is employed by a Maryland local school system or an accredited nonpublic school.
Standard Professional Certificate II (SPC II)
Valid for 5 years, issued to an applicant who completes the SPC I, is employed by a Maryland local school system or an accredited nonpublic school, and submits the following:
- Verification of 3 years of satisfactory professional experience; 6 semester hours of acceptable credit; and
- A professional development plan for the Advanced Professional Certificate (APC).
Advanced Professional Certificate (APC)
Valid for 5 years and issued to an applicant who submits the following:
- Verification of 3 years of full-time professional school-related experience; 6 semester hours of acceptable credit; and one of the below:
- A master’s degree
- minimum of 36 semester hours of post-baccalaureate course work, which must include at least 21 semester hours of graduate credit. The remaining 15 semester hours may include graduate or undergraduate course work and/or Maryland State Department of Education Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits
- National Board Certification and earned a minimum of 12 semester hours of approved graduate coursework earned after the conferral of the bachelor’s or higher degree.
Step 5. Pursue Graduate Work
Post-baccalaureate course work can lead to higher levels of licensure in Maryland and provide a salary increase. Related post-baccalaureate programs, including some specifically related to arts education, are listed below:
- Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
- Master of Arts in Teaching/BFA (BFA/MAT)
- Master of Fine Art
- Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Art Education
- M.A. in Professional Studies: Art History concentration
- Master of Education in Instructional Technology
- MA in Leadership in Teaching
- MA in Gifted and Talented Education
- MA in Leadership in Special Education – Exceptionalities
- Certificate of Advanced Study in Education
- Master of Fine Arts in Art (Studio),
- Doctor of Philosophy in Art History and Archaeology
Maryland Art Teacher Salaries
According to the National Education Association, the average starting salary for teachers in Maryland (as of the 2012-2013 school year) is $43,235, significantly higher than the national average of $36,141.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide data on art teacher salaries as a separate unit, but tracks salaries for elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers as larger categories. The department reports the following annual mean wages and employment numbers as of May 2013:
| Occupation Title | Employment | Annual Mean Salary |
| Elementary School Teachers | 27,600 | $62,920 |
| Middle School Teachers | 13,420 | $65,460 |
| Secondary School Teachers | 17,570 | $63,360 |
However, teacher salaries can vary significantly by location. A sample of the median salaries and employment figures as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for some major cities appears below:
| Occupation Title | Employment | Annual Mean Salary
|
| Baltimore-Towson, MD | ||
| Elementary School Teachers | 14,350 | $61,310 |
| Middle School Teachers | 6,670 | $63,050 |
| Secondary School Teachers | 9,770 | $60,910 |
|
| ||
| Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division | ||
| Elementary School Teachers | 5,030 | $70,140 |
| Middle School Teachers | 3,680 | $71,980 |
| Secondary School Teachers | 3,900 | $70,180 |
|
| ||
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | ||
| Elementary School Teachers | 1,200 | $57,350 |
| Middle School Teachers | 380 | $64,920 |
| Secondary School Teachers | 860 | $62,550 |
|
| ||
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | ||
| Elementary School Teachers | 26,560 | $62,740 |
| Middle School Teachers | 12,150 | $62,110 |
| Secondary School Teachers | 24,720 | $65,990 |
|
| ||
| Salisbury, MD | ||
| Elementary School Teachers | 550 | $58,660 |
| Middle School Teachers | 350 | $61,980 |
| Secondary School Teachers | 360 | $54,610 |
|
| ||
| St. Mary’s County, Maryland nonmetropolitan area | ||
| Elementary School Teachers | 580 | $63,290 |
Salary schedules in Maryland vary by school district. A complete rundown of the salaries Professional Salary Schedules for the 2013-2014 school year for Maryland Public Schools is available here. Baltimore City has the highest minimum starting salary for teachers with a bachelors degree, at $47,475.
Further information on postsecondary art teacher salaries in various areas of the state can be found in the following table provided by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics: