1. What programs and depth of study are available in my area of interest? How many and what kinds of courses are offered?
PROGRAMS/DEPTH OF STUDY
MICA continuously breaks new ground in its curriculum, providing you with opportunities to work collaboratively on project-based enterprises, to build the intellectual sophistication needed for innovative thinking, and to develop professional skills for a successful career through real-world experiences and client-driven projects. See our current course offerings.
LIBERAL ARTS
MICA has made substantial investments to ensure that the quality of its liberal arts program equals that of its nationally recognized studio program. Each year, you can choose from nearly 200 courses offered in art history, literature, writing, humanities, social sciences, and sciences; you can also select classes at 12 other area colleges and universities in math, science, languages, and other liberal arts areas.
2. How flexible is the curriculum? Can I design my own program of study, combine programs, or take courses outside my major area?
FLEXIBLE CURRICULUM
MICA’s curriculum allows you to customize your education to match your interests and realize your career goals. The College minimizes barriers among disciplines and provides opportunities to explore a wide range of interests while experimenting with a variety of mediums and approaches to artmaking. The curriculum encourages and values cross-disciplinary work and also allows you to pursue a single avenue of in-depth study. As you chart a path specific to your interests and long-term plans, you can tailor your academic experience by combining a major, studio concentration, and liberal arts minor, and even take classes at a top liberal arts university or pursue study abroad.
MICA also offers six programs leading to a master of arts or master of professional studies degree with just one additional year of study. These intensive, professionally focused programs are designed to prepare artists and designers to make the most of the cross-disciplinary career opportunities open to them today.
3. What is the school’s reputation? Are its programs and professors respected in the art world and by employers? What organization accredits the school’s programs?
REPUTATION
MICA is consistently ranked in the top tier of visual arts colleges in the U.S. It is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. No other art college can boast the number or frequency of undergraduate students receiving prestigious awards. The Chronicle for Higher Education consistently names MICA a “top producer” of Fulbright award winners. In the past 10 years, more than 20 MICA students, alumni, and faculty have been selected for the Fulbright, traveling to India, Turkey, Tanzania, Czech Republic, Germany, Mauritius, Iceland, Cambodia, Panama, Denmark, Italy, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Norway to study, do research, and make art.
4. Does the school offer opportunities to study abroad? Where? In which areas of study?
STUDY ABROAD
To encourage young artists to work and live in other cultural settings, MICA has long administered more study abroad programs than any other art college in the U.S. Each year, the College offers an expansive range of international study options in a wide variety of disciplines both in MICA-administered programs and through exchange with other institutions. Offered for the summer, a semester, or a full year, recent study abroad and exchange programs have allowed students to travel to Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, Nicaragua, Poland, São Tomé and Príncipe, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. MICA at SACI, offered in cooperation with the Studio Art Center International in Florence, Italy, offers a rigorous, interdisciplinary program.
5. What is the total enrollment and student-faculty ratio? How many people major in the program’s that interest me?
SIZE
2,200 students (1,800 undergraduate and 400 graduate) with a student/faculty ratio of 9 to 1
6. Where do students come from? Is it a local or regional school, or does it attract students from across the country? Are students right out of high school or are there many transfer and nontraditional age students?
STUDENTS
MICA students come from 42 states and 52 foreign countries.
7. Who is on the faculty, and what colleges and universities did they attend? What about their experience and professional activities? Have they published or exhibited work recently?
FACULTY
The faculty at MICA comprise over 400 professional artists, designers, art historians, poets, and writers hailing from Yale, Harvard, UCLA, Cooper Union, and other prestigious universities. They exhibit in national, regional, and international museums and galleries, and are represented in major collections around the world. MICA faculty are winners of every national prize offered to artists—from Fulbright Fellowships to Oscars. You can explore more of our faculty bios by picking a program of study and choosing “faculty” in the left-hand menu on that page.
8. Does the program feature visiting artists or critics so I can meet practicing professionals and learn the latest theories and techniques? Who are they, and how many visit each year?
VISITING ARTISTS AND CRITICS
More than 175 visiting artists, critics, scholars, designers, poets, writers, and art historians come to campus each year to share their work, meet with students, and critique students’ work. In recent years, MICA has hosted Xu Bing, Amy Sherald ’04—who was commissioned to paint First Lady Michelle Obama’s official portrait for the National Portrait Gallery, Barry Levinson, Hank Willis Thomas, Angela Davis, Jeff Koons ’76, Diana Al-Hadid, Lisa Strausfeld, Andy Bichlbaum, Jon Rubin and Dawn Weleski, Odd Nerdrum, Miquel Luciano, Chip Kidd, Xiaoyu Weng, Scott Fisher, Jerry Saltz, Mel Chin, Ishmael Reed, Dick Durrance, and Topher Delaney.
9. Does the school’s location suit my needs and preferences? Are there opportunities to view art in museums and galleries?
LOCATION
Baltimore is a city of more than 120,000 college students offering an array of art resources, activities, hands-on professional opportunities, and access to inexpensive living for artists. It is a place of high-ceilinged, well-lit studio space and all-night diners, year-round city markets and avant-garde theaters, independent film festivals, and as many high end salons as gritty clubs.
When citing its reasons for naming Baltimore the nation’s “Best Scene,” Rolling Stone noted the “many edgy acts hatched at the Maryland Institute College of Art,” and some of the city’s most innovative music and performance venues can be found within walking distance of campus.
The city is also renowned as a showcase for cutting edge work in visual arts, music, literary arts, film, theater, and performance—and venues such as the Creative Alliance, Maryland Art Place, School 33 Art Center, and an expanding array of galleries provide valuable exhibition opportunities.
By train, Washington, D.C., is 40 minutes south; New York City, less than 3 hours north. MICA offers regular weekend bus trips as an inexpensive way to see the latest exhibitions in New York and D.C.’s galleries and museums.
10. What is the campus like? What kinds of facilities are available, and do students have access to independent studio and gallery spaces? What kinds of collections are available in the library?
CAMPUS & FACILITIES
MICA’s residential campus, in Baltimore’s historic Bolton Hill neighborhood, is at the heart of the city’s cultural district a short distance from downtown. This expansive urban campus features green spaces and eclectic architecture and is only minutes from major museums, galleries, cinemas, theaters, and cafés. All but five of the College’s 31 buildings were creatively renovated from existing structures and redesigned to meet the needs of artists. Founders Green, MICA’s newest student residence complex, and the award-winning Gateway residence tower feature unique and inspired design elements, geared to the needs of artists. Brown Center has been hailed as an architectural jewel by such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Architectural Record. Two of MICA’s buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
MICA has recently doubled its residence life space, increased academic classroom space by nearly 50 percent, created a new high-end art/technology center, expanded student galleries, constructed an innovative multi-use performance space, and added 40,000 square feet of independent studio space for undergraduate and graduate students.
HOUSING
The apartment-style student residence, Meyerhoff House, is a cutting-edge residential life experience for upper-division students and a prime example of the College’s successful tradition of repurposing important historic structures for artists’ needs. The Gateway was developed through the opposite strategy—an international design competition among top young architects yielded a cutting-edge design, refined with significant input from current students. All combined, the result is an architecturally diverse and distinctive campus that maintains the aesthetic integrity and European flavor of the surrounding neighborhood.
GALLERIES
The College’s named art galleries—Meyerhoff, Decker, Pinkard, Middendorf, and Rosenberg—feature exhibitions by students, faculty, and internationally important artists. Galleries in nearly every campus building are devoted to showcasing student artwork. The 525-seat Falvey Hall was designed for performance art, video and film, dance, theater, poetry readings, and lectures and BBOX is dedicated to student performances and events.
LIBRARY
Our art-oriented library has 64,000 monographs and 325 current periodicals, while the library’s website provides access to more than 5,500 full-text research titles in subjects such as music, film studies, folklore, religion, and the history of art and architecture as well as 215,000 slides of contemporary and historical art, 35,000 digital images, and a video/DVD collection of more than 5,000 titles.
11. How does the school integrate technology into the curriculum?
TECHNOLOGY
Brown Center, Art/Tech Center, the JHU/MICA Film Centre, and the new Dolphin Design Center embody MICA’s commitment to state-of-the-art technologies for artists.
Brown was designed specifically to accommodate the technology needs of animation artists and graphic designers. It includes up-to-the-minute computer labs, and a 525-seat auditorium—Falvey Hall, designed to accommodate the special requirements for showcasing digital work.
The Art/Tech Center offers a wide array of standard, archival, and large format output options and is home to the Technology Help Desk.
The Film Centre is a one-stop-shop for the medium, with a comprehensive equipment library, 49-seat screening room, a 600-square foot sound recording studio, a 2,000 square-foot cyclorama green room sound stage, and dedicated high-definition editing suites, among other tools.
Mount Royal Station houses state of the art fabrication labs and a BioLab. Dolphin Design Center is home to programs in architectural design, game design, product design, and interactive arts; its facilities include flexible use spaces, fabrication lab, game lab, and meeting area with multiple display options, including touch sensitive smart boards.
MICA provides web space for all students, as well as state-of-the-art hardware and software for 3D animation, video and sound editing, graphic design and illustration applications, and a wide range of fine art applications—from 3D modeling to computer-assisted printmaking. The College is constantly updating the existing systems on campus to meet the software needs of both students and faculty.
See a complete list of our maker spaces and studios with the equipment in each.
12. What type of residence life experience is available—apartment style or dorm rooms? Does it include studio space? How’s the food?
RESIDENCE LIFE
MICA’s housing complexes are designed for artists, who need a balance of independence and community. Read more at Residence Life and Off-Campus Housing.
DINING
Meal service at MICA is provided by Parkhurst, a company that has earned its reputation as one of the nation’s best collegiate food service providers by offering dishes made from the freshest ingredients and innovative recipes prepared by thoughtful and service-oriented staff. Check out our full slate of dining options.
13. Is there an active student life program on campus? What activities and organizations are available?
STUDENT LIFE
MICA has dozens and dozens of student organizations. See the full list.
14. What level of professional exposure is available? Are there exhibition opportunities on and off campus? Can I exhibit as a freshman, and are there opportunities for reality-based coursework?
PROFESSIONAL EXPOSURE
No other art college in the country not affiliated with a museum can boast the number of art galleries and exhibition opportunities available at MICA. With a schedule that includes nearly 170 exhibitions a year, MICA exposes students and faculty to a range of important work by contemporary artists and designers. Our exhibitions schedule also includes time and space dedicated to faculty exhibitions, and there are several galleries devoted to exhibiting student work right from the first year. You literally cannot walk to class without passing an exhibition.
MICA’s curriculum also offers opportunities to gain hands-on experience and make connections with professionals in their area of interest. Read all about our
Many programs of study include opportunities for internships and reality-based coursework in their major requirements.
15. What kind of career development services are offered, and when do they start? Are they generalized or designed specifically for artists? When do career services begin?
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
At MICA, you start planning for your future the day you arrive on campus. Professional development is integrated into every major and enhanced with community-based, hands-on opportunities. The full-service Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Career Development offers a comprehensive career planning program that focuses on the needs of artists and designers, including assistance with applications for graduate study and prestigious fellowships and a searchable database of more than 400 grants, residencies, and fellowships.
16. Do most students pursue internships? What kind and with whom?
INTERNSHIPS
More than 1,000 internship opportunities allow students to earn credit while working in art-related jobs.
17. Are alumni working in their chosen field? What kind of entry-level jobs do recent graduates have?
MICA ALUMNI
MICA’s Alumni network connects you with MICA alums around the world. They live in 54 countries and have won international awards, attended prestigious graduate programs, exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the world, and are represented in public and private collections across the globe. Read a select handful of their stories.
18. What kind of networking opportunities are available with faculty, visiting artists, and alumni?
NETWORKING
Networking is very important for artists—this is how you make connections for exhibition opportunities and jobs. In addition to MICA’s Alumni network, MICA faculty can provide guidance as your begin your professional career. They include artists, designers, critics, and scholars with stellar national and international reputations. For example, Graphic Design faculty member and director of MICA’s Center for Design Thinking, Ellen Lupton, is a noted author and curator at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in New York; Harvey Award winner and founder of the Sequential Art concentration in Illustration, José Villarrubia, is internationally renowned for his comics color work; and Annet Couwenberg in the Fiber Department has established internships in The Netherlands, France, and Germany. Chair of Game Design, Jason Corace is a noted designer and media artist whose games are shown in exhibitions and festivals around the world. Animation chair Laurence Arcadias works regularly collaborates with scientists from NASA.
19. Does the school offer graduate programs and, if so, how do the programs expand opportunities for undergraduates? How are studio resources and faculty divided between the graduate and undergraduate students?
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
MICA’s internationally renowned graduate programs draw top students and faculty from around the world. One reason graduate students choose MICA is the opportunity to study in the energized community of artists created by one of the nation’s top undergraduate programs of art and design. MICA’s 19 graduate programs, leading to the master of arts, master of fine arts, and master of professional studies, currently enroll approximately 400 students.
For undergraduate students, the presence of a world-class graduate program means access to an expansive program of visiting artists and critics, internationally renowned graduate faculty who teach or critique in the undergraduate program, and the addition of a diverse group of professionally active graduate students, whose presence enhances campus life.
20. How does the application process work? What are the costs for tuition, room, and board? Does the school offer financial aid and merit scholarships?
APPLICATION PROCESS, COSTS, FINANCIAL AID, MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS
ADMISSION
MICA is highly selective. Our applicants have made a serious commitment to art and demonstrated that commitment through their accomplishments and a strong portfolio of artwork. If you're ready, complete the application for admission now. Or, learn more about application procedures, deadlines, and current costs.
FINANCIAL AID AND MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS
Approximately 90 percent of MICA students receive financial assistance in the form of a package that may include a combination of need-based aid, loans, work study, and merit-based grants. Learn more.
VISIT THE CAMPUS
The best way to evaluate a college is to visit the campus. MICA offers a variety of programs, dates, and times to accommodate your schedule, including MICA Visit Days for high school students and open houses.
MICA’S PRE-COLLEGE SUMMER RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Each summer, MICA offers a full five-week pre-college program, with two-week and three-week options to fit your summer schedule. The MICA Pre-College Studio Residency is a wonderful opportunity to build your portfolio, expand your art experience, and test your commitment to future study in the arts.