Overview
Founded in 1826, MICA is the oldest independent, fully accredited degree-granting college of art in the United States.

As one of the nation's leading art colleges, MICA enrolls more than 1,200 students from forty-six states and forty-two other countries. Of those students, 200 are enrolled in the graduate division.

The Location and Community
MICA's twenty-five-building residential campus is located in the Mount Royal Cultural Center of Baltimore next to theaters, the symphony, and opera house as well as ethnic restaurants, cafés, and clubs. Cited as a city attractive to artists because of its hip, esoteric style and low cost of living, Baltimore has a vibrant arts community. MICA's location at the center of the East Coast art corridor also gives students easy access by train to museums and galleries in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The College also provides weekly inexpensive bus trips to D.C. and New York. A hallmark of MICA's graduate program is the outstanding quality and quantity of on-campus exhibition opportunities. Many graduate students become involved in Baltimore's lively independent gallery scene, building their regional exhibition experience and resumes.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The division of graduate studies at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) offers a unique and concentrated experience for highly motivated students who wish to develop a strongly realized personal vision and voice in their work. M.F.A., M.A., and M.A.T. students seek to develop themselves as artists, designers, and teachers of art who are intellectually informed and articulate in the languages of art, history, and aesthetics; who are ready to motivate others; and who are themselves equipped with strong studio skills and artistic vision.

Graduate programs leading to an M.F.A. degree are offered in the following studio areas: painting and drawing, photography and digital imaging, graphic design, and sculpture. A summer M.F.A. in studio art is also available. Other advanced degrees offered are the summer M.A. in art education, the Master of Arts in Teaching, the M.A. in community arts, and the M.A. in digital arts. The postbaccalaureate certificate is offered in fine arts. Included in the Division of Graduate Studies are the renowned Hoffberger School of Painting, Rinehart School of Sculpture, and Mount Royal School of Art.

MICA's graduate faculty, which includes many nationally and internationally renowned artists and educators, has collectively won virtually every award available to artists and art educators. These accomplished professionals provide mentorship that centers on the needs of each student, while promoting self-direction, interdisciplinary and collaborative exploration, critical thinking, and original research. Artists- and critics-in-residence add to the list of acclaimed faculty members who work with M.F.A. and M.A. students and enhance the intellectual environment at the College. These well-recognized artists, designers, theorists, and critics are invited to MICA for yearlong appointments that provide students extended interaction and the opportunity to build professional relationships. MICA's ten graduate programs annually host more than 175 widely recognized artists, educators, designers, historians, critics, scholars, and poets to the campus for critiques and lectures.

A program of challenging liberal arts seminars is designed especially to support the work of graduate students, who select from a menu of art history, theory, and criticism courses organized under the heading of critical studies, along with course work in the areas of media studies, science, and humanities.

The graduate experience at MICA also provides many opportunities to enhance professional practice appropriate to the student's area of study. Career-focused programs are offered in such areas as grant writing and developing relationships with galleries and collections. Teaching internships and course work through MICA's nationally renowned Center for Art Education prepare M.F.A. candidates for college-level teaching. The Meyerhoff Center for Career Development provides comprehensive career development services, including assistance with grant and fellowship applications, job listings, and career advisement.

Facilities & Resources
MICA's Decker Library, one of the best art college libraries in the country, houses 51,000 volumes and 300 periodicals. The Media Resources Collection houses more than 125,000 images of contemporary and historical art from all disciplines and a video collection of 2,000 titles. MICA graduate students hone their individual vision, professional practice, and conceptual and technical skills through exceptional resources designed to meet the needs of students in the College's diverse master's-level programs. Resources available to M.F.A., M.A., and M.A.T. students include independent studio space accessible seven days a week for full-time M.F.A. students and dedicated studio/work space appropriate for other master's students; state-of-the-art computer lab, video editing stations, and sound mixing equipment exclusively for graduate student use; high-end output equipment, including wide-format inkjet printers, color photocopiers, and other proofing printers; access to MICA's extensive facilities and equipment, including printmaking, video, woodshop, welding, foundry, kilns, and color photo lab; and course work and collaboration at such nearby institutions as Johns Hopkins University, Peabody Conservatory of Music, and University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Expenses and Aid
Tuition and fees for full-time M.F.A., M.A., and M.A.T. students is $28,474; for summer M.F.A. and M.A. students, tuition and fees are $15,237.

Financial Aid:
Financial assistance for graduate study is available in the form of merit-based and need-based scholarships, grants, teaching internships, federally sponsored loans, and monthly payment plans. All students who wish to apply for financial assistance should complete the FAFSA and the MICA graduate financial aid application and information form.

Housing/Living Expenses:
The College offers a limited number of on-campus apartment housing for graduate students, one block from the campus. The apartments range in size from one-bedroom efficiencies to larger one- and two-bedroom units, which can be shared by several students. Prices range from $500 to $750 per month, including utilities. Apartments are equipped with stoves, refrigerators, and high-speed Internet access.

In addition to Institute apartments, the housing and residence life office maintains a listing of off-campus apartments. The listing is updated biweekly and is available online at any time during the year at MICA's Web site.

How to Apply / Application
Admission is highly competitive for a limited number of spaces in each program. Students are selected based on the portfolio, academic and professional history, experience and involvement in the visual arts, and personal qualifications. The application deadline is February 15.

International Students
Students from outside the United States are warmly received into the MICA community. Currently representing 7% of our student body, students from 51 foreign countries are members of the College community who offer a unique social, political, and cultural perspective on art-making and critical theory that enriches the quality of our student body. We value the contribution international students bring to the College, and in return, MICA offers an exceptional education in the visual arts.

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