Program Structure

Teaching Fellowship Guidelines - IGRPH 7992

In the second year of the MFA Program, MFA candidates may be considered for two to four available Teaching Fellowships per semester, and will be employed by the University as regular university adjunct faculty. These Teaching Fellowship positions pay a full adjunct salary, based on experience, and are simultaneously worth 3-Professional Studies credits for the semester-long faculty position. A total of 9-Professional Studies credits, which may be earned with Teaching Assistantships, Independent Studies, or Internships, are required over the course of the degree. All candidates are able to make arrangements with BFA faculty and sign on as Teaching Assistants.

Although a Teaching Fellow will be paid a regular adjunct salary for the semester, and be qualified to list the experience on their CV’s as University teaching experience, the 3 credits are considered MFA coursework and are paid for by the candidate in the same manner as all other MFA degree requirements.

Preference for these few positions in the BFA Photography curriculum will be given to those who have successfully completed one or more 3-credit Teaching Assistantships in their first year and who have been evaluated by the faculty they assisted, the BFA Photography Chair, and MFA Director as being qualified to have a class of their own. Prior teaching experience may serve as a substitute for a first-year Teaching Assistantship. Teaching Fellowships will be matched to specific undergraduate classes where appropriate expertise can be expected and demonstrated. The most common assignments are Introduction to Photography for Non-Majors: Digital (in the fall) and Intro to Photography for Non-Majors: Traditional (in the spring). Teaching Fellows will be supplied with examples of syllabi from previous classes and be asked to create their own syllabus in consultation with the BFA Chair and MFA Director.

All candidates who have completed one or more Teaching Assistantships will be able to apply to the MFA Director for an Introduction to Photography for Non-Majors: Digital or Introduction to Photography for Non-Majors: Traditional Wet Lab. The Chair of the undergraduate program that hosts and schedules these courses (Christine Collins) and the Director will select the people they feel will perform at the highest level for those particular classes. In a majority of recent examples, two candidates have requested and were able to team-teach the course, sharing the experience and learning from one another. In a team-taught course, both candidates would still receive 3-credits for the Teaching Fellowship but only half of the stipend of the full adjunct rate as each course is given a specific budget line that cannot be exceeded. If enrollment from other departments demands it, we can run more than a single course per semester, thus offering more opportunities to the MFA candidates.

When the BFA Chair and the MFA Director specify which MFA candidates they want to teach the class, an invitation is extended and then paperwork for adjuncts be taken care of by Carolyn Latourelle on the Academic Affairs office at Lunder. That completed paperwork then goes to Atoosa Malekani to get them into the system as faculty. Registration for the 3 credits is done through Academic Advising / LOIS in the same manner as any other course so the candidate can get the credits. At the conclusion, all Teaching Fellows are asked to write a short document describing their experience. The Fellowship candidate’s name is listed on the MFA Director’s LOIS grading sheet and the candidates are awarded a PASS, or a FAIL, for their performance in the course.

Recent Internships:

• Harvard University Ceramics Program

• Photographic Resource Center, Boston

• Paul Taylor Printmaking

• Project Nica, Nicaragua

• Maine Media Workshops

• Santa Fe Photography Workshops

• Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

• Boston Magazine

• Boston Public Schools

• Cambridge Public Schools

• Boston Red Sox – Fenway Park (Yay!)

MFA in Photography Additional Requirements in Studio Electives

Any course cross-listed as a MFA in Photography Studio Elective must have additional assignments/expectations to reflect the appropriate level or the amount of student learning expected of the MFA candidate. This can be in the form of extra writing, studio projects, critical thinking research, communications and / or participation. This will need to be reflected in the syllabus and defined for the MFA student. Every MFA student is required to accomplish the added requirements and demonstrate a higher level of achievement and / or proficiency in the studio electives as determined and required by the professor.