There are five fields of study in the minors program of the Humanistic Studies Department: literary studies, creative writing, gender studies, culture and politics, and critical theory. Students minoring in Humanistic Studies must elect one of these fields and then meet the following requirements:Secure an appropriate Humanisitic Studies departmental faculty member as a minor advisor.In consultation with the minor advisor, successfully complete 18 credits of study in the minor field. Minor field courses are those courses identified by the Humanistic Studies department as satisfying the minor requirements for each of the five minor fields listed above. Each field has specific courses approved for minor study in that field.Successfully complete an approved thesis in the minor field under the direction of the minor advisor.

MICA's liberal arts core requirement focuses less on teaching a generic canon of knowledge, and more on providing students with the critical thinking, analytical, and research skills they need for lifelong learning. Coursework in this area has been carefully crafted to complement, deepen, and enrich the studio practice of each MICA student, and also allows them to develop a conceptual and critical framework for artistic inquiry.