The Intermedia and Digital Arts (IMDA) Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) has officially opened its admissions cycle for prospective graduate students, inviting applications from interdisciplinary artists who are looking to expand, challenge, or entirely reinvent their creative practices.
Designed as an immersive, three-year, 60-credit terminal degree program, IMDA places its cohort within the vibrant and progressive art community of Baltimore, providing private studios and a robust academic environment. The program is tailored for artists who work across traditional and emerging boundaries, offering them a space to investigate contemporary culture through diverse media. Prospective students aiming to be considered for comprehensive financial support packages—which include full tuition remission, healthcare coverage, and competitive stipends—must submit their applications by the approaching deadline of February 1, 2027.
The academic foundation of the IMDA program is built and guided by a distinguished faculty composed of nationally and internationally recognized artists, filmmakers, designers, and scholars who maintain active exhibition, performance, and publication records. Students in the program benefit from a multidisciplinary curriculum that encourages experimentation and critical discourse. This is further enriched by one-on-one mentorship and feedback from a diverse roster of world-renowned visiting artists, independent teaching opportunities within the department, and professional exhibition venues where students can present their work to the broader public.
To support these ambitious creative endeavors, UMBC provides students with access to dedicated fabrication facilities, specialized media labs, and advanced physical computing laboratories. As a top-ranked R1 Research University renowned for its rigorous academic inquiry and inclusive institutional culture, UMBC offers graduate students rare access to cross-disciplinary research centers and institutional resources that extend far beyond the traditional fine arts studio.
The program is uniquely structured to support a remarkably broad range of interdisciplinary and contemporary creative practices. This includes socially engaged art, community-based projects, interactive installations, and traditional studio-based works created using both cutting-edge digital technologies and foundational methods. The versatility of the curriculum has historically prepared graduates for dynamic careers in the arts and academia. Alumni of the IMDA program regularly present their creative works at distinguished galleries, museums, and festivals around the world, earn prestigious national and international grants and residency awards, and assume leadership positions as educators and administrators at internationally recognized art academies and universities.
A cornerstone of the IMDA educational experience is its dynamic visiting artist lecture and workshop series, which brings leading figures in contemporary art directly into the student community. Over the years, the program has hosted an extraordinary roster of luminaries, innovators, and cultural critics. The extensive list of past visiting artists features influential practitioners such as Janine Antoni, Zoe Beloff, Lynda Berry, Paul Chan, Annica Cupetelli and Cristobal Mendoza, Paul DeMarinis, Tony Dove, Hasan Elahi, Karen Finley, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, the Guerrilla Girls, Barbara Hammer, Nina Katchadourian, Alison Knowles, William Pope.L, LoVid, Matmos, Michael Rakowitz, David Rokeby, Paul Rucker, Frances Torres, Mark Tribe, Levester Williams, Stephanie J. Williams, Fred Wilson, Martha Wilson, Krzysztof Wodiczko, Karen Yasinsky, and The Yes Men. These interactions provide students with direct professional insights and diverse perspectives on the global art landscape.
For prospective applicants interested in learning more about the admissions criteria, curriculum structure, and student life within the program, UMBC has scheduled an online information session. The IMDA Online Info Session will take place on Friday, November 13, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, offering an opportunity for interested individuals to engage directly with faculty and program representatives.
Applications for the upcoming cohort are officially due on February 1, 2027. Those wishing to schedule an in-person tour of the facilities, review detailed program specifications, or submit inquiries can visit the official IMDA website at imda.umbc.edu or reach out directly to the department via email at [email protected].
