Highlights

Bachelor of Fine Arts

The College awards the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in eleven studio majors:

MECA&D offers a rigorous Foundation Program that provides intensive training in the fundamentals of drawing and design prior to the major. Required courses in Art History and Liberal Arts constitute fully one-third of the degree program, and are taught from the perspective of the artist. The academic and the creative are indivisible at the College. Programs are designed to equip students with the skills, visual insights, self-confidence, and discipline traditionally associated with the independent professional artist and designer.

• 24/7 access to professional quality studio space for all students
• Individual studio spaces for all majors
• 8:1 student to faculty ratio
• Average class size: 15
• Average major class size: 10
• 436 undergraduate and 34 graduate students
• Full-time and part-time study options available

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

MECA&D’s low-residency MFA in Studio Art is among the first of its kind in the nation and is fundamentally grounded in maintaining a vibrant studio practice. Our educational philosophy is rooted in providing each student with a transformative learning experience that emphasizes research, experimentation, reflection, collaboration, and problem-solving within a rigorous studio practice.
Graduate study at MECA&D offers an immersive, interdisciplinary, individual and supportive learning environment for artists who are passionate about taking risks, thinking critically, and advancing their careers. Our low-residency structure is designed to provide experienced artists the ability and independence to maintain their ongoing careers while earning an MFA. We support flexibility and the pursuit of a sustainable professional practice by offering two years of in-depth structured course and studio work with periods of on and off campus study.

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

Become a skilled art educator in MECA&D's intensive 10-month MAT program. Begin your teaching career, working side-by-side with certified Maine art educators in real classrooms in public and private schools, in the Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA&D, and in community settings. Immersed in Portland's contemporary art scene, you will benefit from an extraordinary array of opportunities, including collaborations with practicing artists. Upon successful completion of the program, students are eligible for certification in Maine and all 50 states.

• National Association of Art and Design (NASAD) since 1973, last comprehensive review 2007
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges since 1978, last comprehensive review 2007