This webpage is designed to simplify the graduate admissions at Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) as much as possible with accessibility in mind.
Maine College of Art & Design
MECA&D is an independent art institution based in Portland, Maine.
Most of the studios, facilities, and offices are located in 522 Congress Street, with additional classrooms and studios in 380 Cumberland Avenue. Our graduate student housing are Erlang (45 Forest Avenue) and Monument (443 Congress Street). All buildings are close to each other.
Portland, Maine
Portland is a coastal city in Maine. It is accessible by the Portland International Jetport, Portland Transportation Center (train, bus), and car.
MECA&D is in the center of Portland’s Downtown Arts District and we are close to many galleries, music venues, restaurants, and independent businesses. Residents of Portland also have easy access to state parks, beaches, islands, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Graduate Admissions
The Graduate Admissions department supports all prospective students interested in our in-person graduate programs: Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), and Salt Graduate Certificate in Documentary Studies (Salt).
You must be a bachelor degree holder (or expect to earn your bachelor degree by the program start date) in order to receive admission to our MFA and MAT programs. The Salt Graduate Certificate can offer admission to non-bachelor degree holders if the Admissions Reviewing Committee determines that the applicant’s work meets the rigor of the Graduate Certificate.
Master of Fine Arts
The MFA program is a two-year graduate degree with a concentration in Studio Art. Ideal MFA students should have an independent art practice and an interest in deepening their relationship with their practice visually and conceptually.
Click here to visit the MFA: Easy Read.
Master of Arts in Teaching
The MAT program is a ten-month graduate degree in art education. Ideal MAT students should have a broad art practice and an interest in teaching art to children.
Click here to visit the MAT: Easy Read.
Salt Graduate Certificate in Documentary Studies
Salt is a one-semester graduate program in documentary studies. Salt students choose between the Radio & Podcasting track, the Writing track, or the Short Film track. Ideal Salt students should have a strong interest in documentaries and self-producing nonfiction work.
Click here to visit the Salt: Easy Read.
Online Graduate programs
MECA&D also offers three online graduate programs:
The Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) is a fully-online and self-paced graduate degree in art education.
The Graduate Certificate in Arts Leadership & Administration is a fully-online and self-paced graduate program.
The Graduate Certificate in Expressive Art Therapy is a fully-online and self-paced graduate program.
Admissions and inquiries are handled by the online learning team and Associate Dean of Online Learning Heather Holland.
Read our Viewbook
Our program viewbooks contain all the information relevant to each program, as well as stories from faculty and students in print form.
Applicants in the US and Canada can request a physical viewbook. Everyone can access the digital version on our website.
Visit us
We encourage students who are interested in studying at MECA&D to visit our campus in person. You can schedule a tour on our website.
Who to contact
For questions about the admission process for the MFA, MAT, and Salt Graduate Certificate programs, email Graduate Admissions at graduateadmissions@meca.edu.
For questions about the MFA program unrelated to admission, email the MFA program at mfa@meca.edu.
For questions about the MAT program unrelated to admission, email the MAT department at mat@meca.edu.
For questions about the Salt Graduate Certificate unrelated to admission, email Salt program at salt@meca.edu.
For questions about the MAEd program, Graduate Certificate in Arts Leadership & Administration, or the Graduate Certificate in Expressive Art Therapy, email the online learning team at online@meca.edu.