Associate Faculty, Design and Innovation (Full-Time)

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Associate Faculty, Design and Innovation (Instructional)

Welcome to the official site for employment opportunities at MICA. At MICA, we empower our employees to use their talent in a variety of ways. We are pleased that you are interested in career opportunities offered at MICA.

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

General Purpose

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.

Program Description

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.

Summary of Essential Functions

• 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.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• 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. Additional information about the scope and sequence of the program may be found here: https://www.mica.edu/academics/academic-catalog/undergraduate-curriculum-overview/
  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 identify, develop, and sustain partnerships that support course-based experiential learning.
• Scope partnered projects, establish shared expectations with external partners, and structure student work in ways that are appropriate to the partner context and learning objectives.
• Advise and mentor students in their creative, academic, and professional development.
• Assess student learning and contribute course-level evidence to program assessment.
• Stay engaged with current design practice, research, and/or community and industry contexts in ways that inform teaching.

Appointment Terms

The initial appointment is for one year, with no guarantee or expectation of renewal. After the initial appointment, the Provost and the Vice President for Academic Affairs may award renewals of one or three years.

Associate faculty are members of the bargaining unit, represented by SEIU Local 500. They receive all benefits available to full-time employees and are compensated under Article 26 of the collective bargaining agreement.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
• At least 1-3 years of effective teaching as instructor of record at the college level, with evidence of course design, student learning, and responsiveness to students with varied backgrounds and preparation.
• Experience designing and teaching courses or projects involving external partners, including community organizations, industry, government, cultural institutions, or other organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop projects that connect partner needs with meaningful student learning.
• Professional or scholarly experience in design or a related field, with the ability to contribute to a transdisciplinary design curriculum.
• Working knowledge of design methods relevant to the Design Core, such as human-centered design, context-based design research, or related approaches.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and facilitation skills with students and external partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• A terminal degree (MFA, MA, MDes, PhD) in design or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Expertise in an area that supports partnered and experiential learning, such as design research, service design, systems mapping, user experience, social design, or design for social impact.
• Experience with participatory methods such as co-design and community-engaged research.
• Experience working in or with community-based organizations, public agencies, industry, cultural institutions, or other organizations outside academia.
• Experience developing partnerships that are sustained over multiple semesters or years.
• Experience teaching students to work effectively in collaborative, interdisciplinary teams.
• Attention to the ethics of partnership, including clear agreements, appropriate attribution or compensation, and outcomes that serve the people involved.
• Experience applying anti-ableist and inclusive principles in teaching.
• Ability to teach courses that draw on Western and non-Western sources and perspectives.
• Familiarity with Baltimore communities and organizations, or comparable experience in another city or region.

Conditions of Employment

• Satisfactory Background Check

Salary and Review

• Salary: $56,808 to $147,888, based on MICA’s Full-time Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement. Excellent benefits package.
• Review: The College will review applications as received. Materials received before January 15, 2027 will receive full consideration. The position remains open until filled.

Application Instructions and Materials

Applications must be initiated via the MICA website. During your application on MICA’s website, you will be redirected to Slideroom to upload supporting materials as directed below. After you have uploaded your materials on Slideroom, please complete your application on MICA’s website. Both the Slideroom upload and MICA application must be completed. Submit two PDF documents, formatted for screen viewing:

PDF 1

• Cover letter describing your interest in the position, your approach to teaching with external partners, and your teaching philosophy
• CV
• Names and contact information (address, phone, email) for three references (references will not be contacted until the late stages of the process)

PDF 2: Teaching portfolio

• One or two syllabi or course outlines, at least one from a partnered or community-engaged course
• A one- to two-page case study of a partnered course or project: what the partner needed, how the course was structured, and what students produced and learned
• 5–10 examples of student work
• 5–10 samples of your own professional work
• A descriptive list of all images

Links to live URLs may be submitted as well, but will be considered as a secondary source. Any additional media (MOV, MP3, etc.) should be formatted for Apple computers and have representative still image and description information in your PDF portfolio document.

Please format PDF documents for screen resolution and viewing. No physical media are requested nor will be returned.

Physical Demands and Work Environment 

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Physical Demands: While performing the duties of a job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop; talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. (may be adjusted depending on position)
• Work environment: While performing the duties of the job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.
• Required training: Handbook orientation, Anti-Harassment, Hazard Communication, Emergency Plans & Fire Prevention, Personal Protection Equipment. (additional training may be added, SEE: EHS Manager training schedule)

Maryland Institute College of Art is committed to its policy of providing equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or veteran status (disabled, Vietnam-era, or otherwise). Furthermore, the College does not tolerate any form of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment or sexual violence. This policy applies to all programs, facilities, and activities provided by Maryland Institute College of Art, including but not limited to admission, educational programs, and employment.

Applicants must apply online for each job in which they are interested. You will not be considered for any job for which you have not specifically applied. We do not accept applications via email, U.S. mail, or fax. Successful candidates for any staff or faculty positions will be subject to a pre-employment background check.

MICA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact Human Resources at 410-225-2363.