Answer: Before he began his career as an artist is a dependent clause.
Step-by-step explanation:
Although both phrases and clauses can begin with 'before', 'until', 'after', etc., only clauses have a subject and a predicate. In this case, the subject is 'he', and the verb is 'began.' This is a dependent clause, which means that it cannot stand on its own. It must be connected to an independent clause to make sense (Bearden received a degree in education).