Master of Fine Arts Degree Programs

Overview:

MICA’s Master of Fine Arts Programs provide unique opportunities to study with internationally renowned program directors, resident artists, and visiting artists, scholars, and critics. Our MFA programs are designed around the individual artist, within a diverse, supportive, art-focused community.

MICA’s MFA programs were ranked among the top four in the nation, with those of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Yale University, and School of the Art Institute of Chicago, by U.S. News & World Report, in its 2009 “Best Graduate Schools” edition.

The MFA in Graphic Design offers a uniquely pragmatic, hands-on approach to advanced design study. Students are active initiators of original creative projects and pursue advanced studio work in design, art, and digital media; coursework in the history and theory of art, design, and culture deepen students’ understanding of the issues driving contemporary design and culture.

Hoffberger School of Painting is among the most selective graduate painting programs in the country. The program has a singular focus: engaging a select group of highly talented painters in the process of discovering the sources of their originality and vision and preparing them for careers as seriously exhibiting artists.

Mount Royal School of Art is a multi-disciplinary program with an open approach to materials and media, focusing on independent studio work and critical thought. Mount Royal students tap the many opportunities available at MICA and the major metropolitan centers of the Northeast in creating a unique program of study that fosters the realization of their creative vision.

MFA in Photographic and Electronic Media is a platform for exploring the social and artistic uses of optical and electronic media technologies, grounding artistic practice in rigorous investigation of historical and critical contexts—this program provides the technical and intellectual skills for professional practice and teaching.

Rinehart School of Sculpture, one of the oldest programs of its type in the United States, is at the center of innovation in this evolving art form. Students work in a wide range of mediums and approaches—from stone carving and metals-casting to installation and time-based art—reflecting in their work the complex nature of sculpture as contemporary art’s “meta-medium.”

The Summer MFA in Studio Art, the first program of its kind in the country, allows experienced artists and educators to develop a professional body of work, a unique personal voice, and an expanded understanding of contemporary art through intensive studio practice. This low-residency program includes four summers of 6-week residencies at MICA, a winter critique each year, and distance learning when students are not in residence at MICA.