Associate Faculty, Design and Innovation

Title:

Associate Faculty, Design and Innovation (Instruction)

Department:
Design

Division:
School of Art, Media, and Design

FLSA Status:
Exempt

Reports to:

Chair of the Design Department

Appointment:
Full-time, annual renewable Associate Faculty appointment

The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) invites applications for a full-time Associate Faculty position (Instructional Faculty) in Design and Innovation. We are looking for an experienced educator whose teaching connects studio learning with industry and community partners. The successful candidate will teach across the Design and Innovation curriculum, with a focus on experiential learning courses developed with external partners through MICA's Design + Innovation Hub.

The preferred start date is August 1, 2027.

MICA is a small, private art and design college with a long history of experimentation. Design and Innovation is a transdisciplinary undergraduate major that brings together Architectural Design, Graphic Design, Product Design, Biodesign, and Social Design. At its center is a curricular “Design Core,” where students across these disciplines learn common methods and work together. Students prepare for a wide range of design practices and careers.

Read more about MICA’s Design and Innovation Programs here: https://www.mica.edu/academics/undergraduate-majors-minors/design-innovation-major/

MICA believes that a faculty reflecting the diversity of our students and society is essential to academic excellence. We value different paths into teaching and practice, and different approaches to research, curriculum, teaching, and service. That includes experience gained outside academia, in community organizations, government, industry, and entrepreneurial work.

This is a teaching-focused position. Associate Faculty (Instructional) carry a teaching load of eight course units per year. The faculty member will teach across the Design and Innovation curriculum, including courses in the Design Core and Creative Experiential Learning (CEL) courses developed with external partners.

A significant part of the role will involve teaching through real-world projects with community organizations, businesses, cultural institutions, public agencies, and other external partners. In collaboration with the Design + Innovation Hub, the faculty member will develop and sustain partnerships that support meaningful student learning.

This may include identifying and communicating with prospective partners, scoping projects, establishing shared expectations, and structuring student work around partner needs and educational goals. The faculty member will also contribute to the broader Design and Innovation curriculum and may teach courses from foundational through advanced levels.

Candidates may bring depth in product/industrial design, graphic design, interaction design, social design, or related areas, along with a willingness to teach shared design methods across disciplinary boundaries, including human-centered design, context-based design research, and experiential learning.

• Teach eight course units per year across the Design and Innovation curriculum, from foundational to advanced courses, including courses in the Design Core and Creative Experiential Learning.
• Courses taught may include, but are not limited to: DI200 Structured Creativity, DI300 Modes of Practice, DI350 Creative Experiential Learning, DI400 and DI499, Senior Studios Design and teach CEL courses with external partners, developing projects that support both student learning and partner goals.
• Collaborate with the Design + Innovation Hub to…