Office of Graduate Studies 
for the Graduate Community

Academics - Graduate Internship Program and the Certificate for College Teaching of Art

Graduate Internship Program

Certificate in the College Teaching of Art
The goal of MICA's Graduate Internship Program is to provide our MFA candidates, as developing professionals, the opportunity to take on technical and pedagogical roles within our institution, and thereby to learn from real world experiences typical of teachers and leaders in contemporary academic communities. In coordinating the placement of graduates in these many roles, the Graduate Internship Program supports aspects of curriculum development, tool maintenance and safety, and undergraduate pedagogy. While these internships greatly enrich the students' graduate school experience and better prepare them for post-graduate professional life, MICA also awards stipends to the interns in recognition of the knowledge, skill, and time they contribute.

Though the mission is to prepare students earning a terminal degree to teach at the college level, MICA's GIP has always welcomed and supported all graduate students.
A Graduate Teaching Intern (GTI) works in an undergraduate course under the supervision of the faculty member and gains valuable teaching experience. Faculty act as mentors to GTIs, supporting graduate students in the development of professional practices necessary for college level instruction in visual art and design.
Graduate Technical Assistants (GTA) are technical advisors in select undergraduate courses that require specialized knowledge and/or require hazardous tools and materials. These graduate students do not plan or implement instruction of any kind, nor do they lead lectures or critiques.
Visit Graduate Internship Program for complete policies, stipend and application process
The Certificate in the College Teaching of Art is earned by MFA students who have completed the following 3 requirements:

1. Successful completion of three Graduate Teaching Internships (GTI ).

2. Successful completion of the course Philosophy & Pedagogy of Post-secondary Visual Arts Education, a 3-credit graduate seminar.

3. Written recommendations from two of the graduate student’s GTI mentoring faculty.

If all of the above requirements are met, graduate MFA students will earn the Certificate in the College Teaching of Art. A notation representing successful completion of the certificate will appear on students’ official transcripts and in the graduation ceremony program.

Note: MFACA students complete a community-based teaching experience that is built into their program. Therefore MFACA students need only complete two MICA GTI s to qualify for the Certificate in the College Teaching of Art in addition to the Philosophy & Pedagogy course.

ED 5533 Philosophy and Pedagogy of Post-Secondary Visual Arts Education
This seminar course is designed to provide graduate students who wish to become teachers and leaders in the field of post-secondary visual arts education a better understanding of the open questions that exist within contemporary studio art education. Students will conduct action research, converse with guest faculty, read influential philosophical texts and create a professional teaching portfolio. These explorations will provide a background for students to reflect on—and look critically at—their own experiences as practicing artists, students of studio art and teaching interns in undergraduate courses.