Position

• Art teachers possess several employment options. Not only can they open their own studio and teach classes, there are the public school and college positions. Median annual wage salary ranges from $47,100 to $51,180 for a public school art teacher for kindergarten to 12th grade as of the May 2008 occupational employment statistics. According to the OES, the salary increases for postsecondary art teachers and ranges from $33,170 to $120,800 annually as of May 2010. The mean annual salary range is $70,850.
  
  

Education

• Most school districts require public school teachers to hold a bachelor's degree with an approved teacher training program and supervised practice teaching. Any additional degrees, such as a master's or doctorate degree or a certification, may move the teacher up the pay scale to a higher salary. Most postsecondary schools require a master's degree at the minimum. A four-year or higher college with courses in law or medicine will require a doctorate degree for an art teacher.
  
  

Location

• Location plays a large factor in the salary you may receive. The highest concentration postsecondary art teacher with the highest pay scale is located in the state of California, where the annual mean salary for postsecondary teachers is $95,760. However, Massachusetts has the largest concentration of positions, with an annual mean salary of $84,080. New York state provides the highest paying annual mean salary at $99,630 while the top paying metropolitan area for an art teacher is the Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Fla., Metropolitan Division with the annual mean of $111,660.
  
  

Prospects

• Job prospects are expected to rise in this field by approximately 15 percent, as more teachers retire and urban communities require replacement teachers. However, the job prospects will vary based on the geographic location and the grade level of the teacher as a public school art teacher applying in the inner city will have more prospects than one applying in a suburban school. For postsecondary art teachers, the job prospects are better for non-tenured or part-time positions.