Bachelor of Fine Arts/Master of Arts in Teaching


Overview: MICA offers a unique opportunity for students committed to teaching. In just five years, you can complete an intensive studio program, earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, complete the requirements for a Master of Arts in Teaching, and be eligible to earn certification to teach in 39 states. BFA/MAT graduates do well on national teacher exams (see Academic Bulletin for current pass rates) and have a 100 percent placement rate. Many graduates have multiple job offers from which to choose.

What distinguishes MICA’s program from university-based art education and certification programs is its setting in an exceptional studio art school and the sheer number of art classes completed by our graduates. Our program seeks to develop a highly competent teacher of art who is intellectually informed and skilled in studio performance; knowledgeable in art history, criticism, and aesthetics; and able to communicate with and motivate students. The students in this program have both a passion for art and a commitment to children and young people. We see the art teacher as a mediator between the world of the learner and the world of art. Our goal is to make teaching itself an art form.

The combination of the depth and quality of their studio experience and their outstanding qualifications and experience as teachers sets MICA graduates apart. By graduation, they have taken 90 credits in studio art, 42 in liberal arts, and 29 in education courses and student teaching. The National Art Education Association recognizes excellence through Student Art Achievement Awards, and nearly every year for more than a decade, the winner has been from MICA.

MICA’s Center for Art Education is a dynamic environment that attracts both artists passionate about teaching and experienced teachers reconnecting with the studio or engaging in research on art education. Led by a distinguished advisory committee of internationally recognized art educators, the Center boasts an award-winning faculty. The faculty includes both researchers and practicing art educators who collaborate to bring the best in theory, research, and practice to the preparation of a new generation of art teachers. Through its alumni and its active research program, the Center is shaping the direction and practice of art education nationally.