Doug Barkey, Dean, School of Creative and Professional Studies
For Doug Barkey, the newly formed School of Creative and Professional Studies is a natural extension of MICA’s 200-year legacy.
“MICA has always had a focus on creative careers,” he said. The School of Creative and Professional Studies continues that tradition by serving “both emerging professionals and those already established in their fields.”
As dean of the School of Creative and Professional Studies, Barkey oversees the development and management of programs that enable creative professionals to specialize, upskill or prepare for leadership. These include five asynchronous Master of Professional Studies (MPS) degrees in Business for Creatives, Data Visualization and Communication, Game Design, Product Management and User Experience (UX) Design, as well as an online MA in Graphic Design and an MA/MBA in Design Leadership.
Each program, Barkey explained, is rooted in the goal of “translating art and design as a creative activity into an entrepreneurial activity.”
Barkey describes the MPS in Business for Creatives, for example, as an “MBA for artists.” Over 18 months, students move an idea from concept to tested prototype, graduating with a launch-ready business plan, brand platform or strategic initiative.
Alongside its degree programs, the School of Creative and Professional Studies offers individual courses through MICA’s Professional Studio. The fall lineup includes Advanced Culinary Photography, Generative 3D Assets for Game Design and Design Thinking for Product Innovation.
More than 20 years as a higher education leader, teacher and artist have taught Barkey the importance of adapting to new technologies and ways of working.
Barkey initially trained as a photographer, taking a job in a studio before pursuing an MFA at the University of Iowa, where he also earned an MA in Sculpture. The two disciplines appealed to different sides of his practice. Photography was conceptual and technical, while sculpture allowed him to work with his hands.
As a graduate assistant at Iowa, Barkey quickly developed a taste for teaching. Positions at the Altos de Chavón School of Design in the Dominican Republic and the College of the Atlantic in Maine followed. At the College of the Atlantic, Barkey established a computer lab and digital photography studio and launched an experiential learning program for student graphic designers to work with local clients. The model was so successful that it was adopted by a national training and development organization for use with Job Corps participants. Barkey spent several years leading the resulting nonprofit program, Media WORKS Enterprise, which used design projects to help participants build both hard and soft skills, with pathways into college, employment or the military.
Barkey then returned to higher education, holding teaching and leadership positions at Santa Fe Community College, The Art Institutes and The University of The Bahamas, where he served as dean of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts.
That experience ultimately brought him to MICA. Barkey was eager to return to an art school after years in broader university settings, where advocating for the arts was a constant part of the job.
“I was really attracted to MICA because I wanted to go back to the art school model,” he said. “You’re working with other creative people. You’re in the arts. For me, it’s just very inspiring to be in that kind of environment.”
Today, Barkey draws on his background and expertise to help MICA students respond to an evolving creative economy. He considers generative artificial intelligence (AI) to be one of the most significant changes facing artists and designers.
“Artists are really finding their way,” he reflected. “And so, I think we have to address it.”
Rather than isolate AI in a single course, the School of Creative and Professional Studies embeds it across its degree programs. In the MPS in UX Design, for instance, students work through their first courses without using AI, before beginning to integrate it into the production process. The aim, Barkey said, is for graduates to become “adept and agile” in using the technology appropriately, while also understanding its ethical implications.
Barkey expects these tools to move working creatives increasingly toward art director and producer roles, with a greater emphasis on curating and setting the vision. He sees an opportunity for artists and designers to lean further into the kinds of work AI cannot easily replicate.
“You need to have the eye, the experience in fine arts to understand the composition and meaning,” he said. “That gives artists and designers an opportunity to draw on distinctly human strengths, like imagination, to put AI to work, using it as a tool to bring ideas to life.”
Applications are now open for fall entry to MICA’s online MPS and MA programs and Professional Studio courses. Learn more and apply.
Flexible, outcome-focused pathways designed for creative professionals ready to lead, innovate, and grow. Build your skills, expand your expertise, and transform your career on your schedule.
Join the festivities as MICA honors its 200-year history, recognizes its present success, and looks forward to a bright future. Throughout 2026, the College will be sharing community stories and announcing one-of-a-kind events on campus, in Baltimore, and beyond.
