The MFA in IMDA is a terminal degree that prepares our graduates for a career in teaching at the University level.
Teaching Mentorship
IMDA students receive hands-on mentoring towards teaching in the classroom prior to independently teaching in the Department of Visual Arts. Mentoring is achieved during the Teaching Practicum course [ART 638], which should be taken in an area of the graduate student’s expertise. When a student has successfully completed 638 and Advanced to Candidacy, they are able to teach a course independently in the Department of Visual Arts. Students should discuss with their IMDA Faculty Advisor, the Graduate Program Director [GPD], or the Point Person in the appropriate teaching area what class will best meet their needs.
Teaching a Course Independently
Offering IMDA students the opportunity to teach is a priority in the pedagogical mission of the Department of Visual Arts and its M.F.A. program. Once the Teaching Practicum is completed, IMDA students typically teach a class, or classes, as part of their Research Assistantship. The undergraduate Foundations courses that IMDA students have the opportunity to teach include ART 210, 211, 212, 213 and 214. A qualified student may also teach in an area other than Foundations. While teaching requests are made through the GPD and Foundations Point Person, the Chair of the Department establishes the final teaching assignments for all faculty and graduate students. When a graduate student is given a course to teach in the Department, the point person in that area, or the faculty member who served as a mentor for the graduate student’s Teaching Practicum, will continue to assist and mentor the graduate student if necessary.
Other Teaching Opportunities
In addition to teaching a course independently through a Research Assistantship, IMDA students may assist a faculty in teaching a lecture course [such as an Art History lecture] or the Foundation lecture course [Art 215] as part of their Research Assistantship. Occasionally qualified graduate students may teach as an Adjunct Instructor.