Overview of Your MCAD Login
Your MCAD Login refers to a username and password that you'll use to access all MCAD related systems and services. For most people, your username is the first initial of your first name followed by your whole last name. If a pervious user already had a username with your first initial and last name, your username will be your first initial, last name and last three digits of your Student ID number. Usernames are not case sensitive. The MCAD Login is not connected to Paylocity, and it is not the same as the account students use to apply to MCAD.
For detailed information on resetting your password, see this article. If you already know your password but would like to change it, you can do so here. Students who need to set an MCAD Login password for the first time or have forgotten their password can use the student password reset form. Faculty can use the faculty password reset form. Staff must contact the Help Desk directly for a password reset.
Services You Access with Your MCAD Login
The MCAD login is a "single sign-on" service which gives students, faculty and some staff* access to the following services:
- An MCAD email address, which is your MCAD username + @mcad.edu, and all accompanying Google Workspace services (such as Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Meet, etc). You can log into your email at mail.google.com. You must enter your full address, username@mcad.edu, in order to log in, unlike most services which only require your username. You cannot use the "forgot password" feature of your MCAD Google account itself; instead, use the links provided above or contact the Help Desk.
- The MCAD WiFi network. See this article for instructions on connecting various types of devices to the WiFi.
- The ability to log into lab computers on campus.
- An Adobe Creative Cloud license provided by the college. Here are instructions for installing and licensing Adobe CC on a personal computer and instructions for logging into Adobe CC on a lab computer.
- The Service Bureau, which offers a variety of printing services, and other printers in labs and public spaces around campus which use the Papercut print server. All students must pay to add credits to the Papercut account.
- The Equipment Checkout system, where you can reserve various items to be picked up from the Media Center.
- Servers at MCAD, including but not limited to Class and Studio servers for faculty and students and Departments servers for staff.
- LinkedIn Learning, MyMCAD and Canvas (for students and faculty).
*Casual Labor staff and other MCAD community members often receive access to an MCAD email only and not the rest of these services. If you need additional access, have your supervisor submit our account request form.
This article has details about how to request the name displayed on your account to be changed. If your name has legally changed, you can change your first and last name. If you'd like your Institutionally Recognized name to be different from your current first name, you can submit this form. We do not currently support Institutionally Recognized last names.
Email alias or "long" email address
You may notice that in certain places, your MCAD email is displayed as "firstname_lastname@mcad.edu" rather than your typical first-initial-last-name username@mcad.edu. Don't panic - this is normal. This email address is an "alias" or nickname for your MCAD email address. Emails sent to this address will be received by you, but you cannot use this email address to log in. It exists to help integrate certain of our systems and as a remnant of a previous system to ensure continuity. If you have questions about this, get in touch with the Help Desk.
Below you’ll find more details about when MCAD Logins are activated or deactivated for various kinds of users. For more information, see "Graduating or Leaving MCAD"
Currently Enrolled Students: Degree-seeking students who are currently enrolled in at least one course for credit are assigned an active MCAD Login and @mcad.edu email address. Continuing Education students are assigned an MCAD Login but do not receive an @mcad.edu email address.
For previously enrolled students who have not graduated, there is a one semester (six month) grace period before their email account is disabled. This means, for example, that if you are enrolled in a fall course and choose not to enroll in the following semester, your email account will remain active until the start of the following summer session.
Recent Graduates: Graduating students will have their @mcad.edu email accounts open until one year from the date of their graduation. This applies only to the @mcad.edu email address and not the other services associated with your MCAD Login, such as the service bureau, media center, lab computers, wireless network, software registration, etc. These services are only available to currently enrolled students and will be disabled at the time of graduation or shortly after.
Alumni: At this time, alumni are subject to the "Graduating Students" requirements above and do not maintain an @mcad.edu email account beyond the graduation grace periods.
Withdrawal or Expulsion: If a student withdraws or is expelled from school, their account and all associated services (including email) will be immediately disabled.
Staff: Staff members will receive an email account after completion of all HR paperwork and entry into the HR/Payroll database. Staff accounts will be immediately disabled on the date of termination.
Full-Time Faculty: Full-time faculty who are instructing a for-credit course in the undergrad/grad degree program will receive an @mcad.edu email account. Full-time faculty members will receive an email account on the first day of their contract start date, pending completion of all necessary HR paperwork and entry into the HR/Payroll database. Full-time faculty accounts will be immediately disabled on the date of termination.
Adjunct Faculty: Adjunct faculty who are instructing a for-credit course in the undergrad/grad degree program will receive an @mcad.edu email account. Adjunct faculty members will receive an email account during faculty orientation, pending completion of all necessary HR paperwork and entry into the HR/Payroll database. Adjunct faculty email accounts will be disabled one year after the contract end date. The contract end date is maintained by HR/Payroll and usually coincides with the week after the end of the semester.
A department chair/director may request early log-in access for a newly hired adjunct faculty member who is expected to teach in the upcoming semester by filling out the MCAD Technology Account Request Form and the adjunct faculty member signing an acknowledgement letter administered by Academic Affairs. Access to Blackboard/Canvas may not be granted more than 30 days prior to the first pay day of the semester in which the adjunct faculty member will teach.
Visiting Faculty: Full-time Visiting Faculty will receive an email account on the first day of their contract start date pending completion of all necessary HR paperwork and entry into the HR/Payroll database. Visiting Artist email accounts will be disabled one year after the contract end date. The contract end date is maintained by HR/Payroll and usually coincides with the week after the end of semester.