Founded in 1826 in Baltimore, Maryland, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is the oldest continuously operating art school in the U.S. This private, independent college of art and design advertises itself as being at the “heart of East Coast arts” because the campus is central to Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Thanks to a blend of adaptive reuse and new construction, MICA has one of the most eclectic campuses you will ever see, including the conversion of a major Baltimore railroad station to studios, classrooms and offices. This is a residential urban campus, housing 88 percent of the undergraduates in college-owned or affiliated housing.
The MICA student community is firmly based around the arts. There are many clubs and organizations at MICA, but the students are also engaged off campus, producing and showing their art in Baltimore and Washington DC as well as working with local arts organizations. While it is common for art students to freelance as well as volunteer their talents to special causes and events, it requires careful planning since the time required for studio courses makes it difficult to balance extracurricular activities, a part-time job and volunteering. Studio courses take an estimated two hours of ‘homework’ for every hour in a classroom.
MICA offers 17 majors, all in arts-related disciplines. There are also 24 minors, some in the arts, others blending social sciences with the arts. While new students may enter with a preference towards a specific major, the first year is a true foundation year. There are seven required first-year courses, plus an additional studio elective. Aside from completing the foundation year, MICA makes it relatively easy to double major, a feature that is rare among schools that grant a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree. Forty percent of MICA students major in fine arts such as painting/drawing, printmaking and graphic design; the remainder major in media arts and design.
One program unique to MICA among art and design schools is Art Education. MICA offers a dual degree BFA/Master of Arts in Teaching. Completion of this program combined with a passing score on the PRAXIS exam enables graduates to teach art in Maryland’s kindergartens, elementary, middle or secondary schools. Maryland is one of the more supportive states and Baltimore one of the more supportive cities when it comes to the visual arts.
Admission to MICA is based on academics and talent. Prospective students must develop a portfolio as well as write essays. The admission team recommends that prospective students begin to develop a portfolio starting in their sophomore year of high school. They can gain early critical analysis of their work through in-person and virtual National Portfolio Days. A standard portfolio requires 10 to 15 works that do not necessarily need to be in the intended major. MICA also operates summer pre-college programs for high school students ages 15-17 that help them refine their talents and develop a portfolio. Admission to MICA is rolling, meaning students are accepted until the class is filled. The Early Action deadline is December 1st and a Priority Scholarship deadline is March 15th.
An art and design education can be a rewarding endeavor for individuals who are prepared to not only develop their talents, but also absorb critical reviews from classmates and faculty. For talented arts focused students who are willing to work hard and are certain a career in the arts is right for them, MICA is one of the best schools in the US to reap the rewards of such a path.
Private: 1,694 undergrads; 396 grad students
77% acceptance rate;
mid-SAT: RW 455-580, M 460-640; ACT range: 22 – 29;
31% diversity; 25% intl.; 77% out-of-state;
9:1 student to faculty
Image Credit:
“Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Main Building (Pell & Corbett, 1908), 1300 W. Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21217,” by Baltimore Heritage is marked with CC0 1.0.
