Art, Design, and Film and Media Arts Admission Requirements

The portfolio should be a collection of 12-20 images of your most recent work.

The portfolio should represent your interests, highlight your ideas and conceptual abilities, demonstrate your technical skills, your willingness to experiment, and your commitment to visual expression and communication.

You should select works that demonstrate the depth and breadth of your experiences.

The composition of the portfolio should be balanced to emphasize your strengths and should consist of a variety of media and approaches. This may include examples related to your program of interest; for example, if you’re interested in the studio arts, you may want to include painting, sculpture, printmaking, illustration, ceramics, metalsmithing, etc. If your interest is in our design programs, you may want to include examples of design, typography, textiles, perspective, fashion drawings, product and furniture.

It is strongly suggested that a minimum of six drawings from observation be included if you are applying to illustration or have strong interest in painting and printmaking. Observational drawings can include still lifes, figure drawings, landscapes, etc.

You can include examples of assignment-based projects that are the product of instruction, but we also want to see work that reflects your individual ideas and direction outside of the classroom.

Descriptions of the work submitted are strongly recommended to provide insight to your creative and conceptual thinking as well as the describe purpose/concept of your pieces. These descriptions should be added in the applicant portal during image upload.

Please include one of the following writing samples (300 words maximum):

• Statement of Interest: why you are applying to this particular program of study.
• Artist/Designer Statement: a general introduction of your work as an artist or designer, why you chose particular subject matter, why you work in a certain medium, etc.
• Identify one piece in your portfolio that you are most passionate about and tell us the story behind it.

All first-year and transfer applicants to the School of Design's B.F.A. and B.I.D. programs must submit a portfolio.

The portfolio should be a collection of 12-20 images of your most recent work.

The portfolio should represent your interests, highlight your ideas and conceptual abilities, demonstrate your technical skills, your willingness to experiment, and your commitment to visual expression and communication.

You should select works that demonstrate the depth and breadth of your experiences.

The composition of the portfolio should be balanced to emphasize your strengths and should consist of a variety of media and approaches. This may include examples related to your program of interest; for example, you may want to include examples of design, typography, textiles, perspective, fashion drawings, footwear and furniture.

You can include examples of assignment-based projects that are the product of instruction, but we also want to see work that reflects your individual ideas and direction outside of the classroom.

Descriptions of the work submitted are strongly recommended to provide insight to your creative and conceptual thinking as well as the describe purpose/concept of your pieces. These descriptions should be added in the applicant portal during image upload.

Please include one of the following short answer questions (200 words maximum):

• Statement of Interest: why you are applying to this particular program of study.
  • This choice is strongly recommended for communications design applicants.
• Identify one piece in your portfolio that you are most passionate about and tell us the story behind it.

Please provide a 500-word writing sample that answers the following questions and then upload your essay through the online applicant portal:

• What is design? What can it do in the world? 
• What about design inspires you?

Film applicants should:

1. Pick one of the following options:

• Short film: Submit a film- or video-based work that is no longer than five minutes.
• Film excerpt: Submit a five-minute excerpt from a longer work (excerpts over five minutes will not be reviewed).
• Multiple films/videos: Submit multiple films and/or videos with a total runtime of five minutes or less. These should be complete shorter pieces, not a montage or reel of shots from films.
• Still photographs: Present eight to 12 still photographs that you have taken for this piece. When viewed in order, they either tell a story with a beginning, middle and end or portray a unique character. Please include a no more than 200-word written narrative about the character in the photos.

Note: Submit your very best work. You must be the author or have had a major creative responsibility in the project. Make sure to properly identify your role in the submission.

2. Provide the following writing submission:

In 500 words or less, write a personal statement where you discuss your submitted work. In your statement, please answer the following questions:

• What was your role in the project?
• What is this work about?
• How does this work relate to the kinds of stories you want to tell?
• How did you make decisions about the style and aesthetics of this work?
• How have your distinctive experiences, identities or views of the world shaped you as an artist?