The On-line MFA: Continuing Ed in the Real World

Vida Kluko
MFA candidate, Miami International University MIUO, scheduled for graduation 12/2008.

Most of my MFA classmates are graphic design instructors at Universities who need an MFA to continue teaching.

An on-line degree enables a working designer to live their regular life, live anywhere, with kids, and a job. I, unfortunately, had to eliminate sleep to fit it all in, but luckily I have that option. I have never met my classmates, I do not know what they sound like. Does Casey have a Texas twang? Does Gustavo have a deep melodic voice? It doesn't matter. Every night for the past 3 years we read each other's design essays and design history essays. We are required to comment and post alternative views. Every night we review PDF files of our classmates design projects and write critiques and notes. We write and write and design. In the beginning this process was very hard. I felt like I was scuba diving - exploring an amazing environment - but not able to use all my full senses and communication abilities. Clearly, you develop the communication avenues you are afforded or you drown [pun].

My current MFA thesis project creates "information murals" as a softer and friendlier alternative to current public service advertising. The design and testing progress is documented on my project blog:
http://infomurals.typepad.com/

I understand traditional Graphic Design education institutions are very dismissive of the on-line degree programs. But, I believe the future of design education lives somewhere between a brick institution and my own underwater experience.

Watch the video of this presentation here: http://www.socialstudiesconference.org/node/266