Students are challenged by courses that share a philosophy of learning through making-thinking-exploring-reflecting and honor the needs of individuals to define their relationship to the world as artists and designers. The program assists students as they consider their major options, providing a breadth of experiences while promoting in-depth thinking and skill development.

2019 First Year Experience Overview

The entering class of Fall 2019 will benefit from a significant redesign of MICA's First Year Experience. As in the former Foundation Program, this new program will be a commonly shared experience for all entering students and will precede the choice of a major, which will take place in the spring semester.

The new First Year Experience design is in response to the rapid changes in art, design and technology, and the intersections between them that are occurring today. It has been crafted to provide a rigorous, integrated curriculum that reflects the diversity of our people and our learning pathways.

Changes for Fall 2019 include moving to a more flexible curriculum of inter-related courses addressing contemporary art and design practice. First-year students will continue to be engaged in traditional skill building through a more trans-disciplinary approach. This is built into to the new curriculum and is offered through the six credit core Forum as well as electives based in 2D, 3D, and 4D media. Students will also have more opportunity to work collaboratively on project-based enterprises and activities.

Additionally, the new first-year curriculum will be more tailored to the individual, increasing the number of choices, and allowing students more agency to design their own personal and professional pathway.