First-Year Applicants
Important Dates
- November 1: Priority consideration will be given for ECW portfolios submitted prior to November 1
- November 30: Priority university admissions application date
- February 15: Evidence of Creative Work and application submission deadline.
Application Steps
- First-year applicants must submit an online application found at admissions.psu.edu
- Submit Evidence of Creative Work via SlideRoom
Notes
Many graphic design students also qualify for the Schreyer Honors College. Please consider the requirements and benefits of the Honors College at shc.psu.edu. Also note that many requirements in the B.Design in Graphic Design program also satisfy honors requirements, such as study abroad.
Change of Major Applicants
Important Dates
- February 15: Submission deadline
Application Steps
- Contact your academic adviser to initiate change of major
- Submit Evidence of Creative Work via SlideRoom
Notes
Applicants must have a 2.5 or greater cumulative GPA. The graphic design major is a four-year program beginning the fall semester of acceptance.
Transfer Applicants
Important Transfer Eligibility Information
Fall term admission only. Only applicants who have 2 or less academic semesters of attempted college coursework (roughly 34 attempted credits) by their projected date of enrollment may apply for consideration.
Important Dates
- February 15: Application deadline
- February 15: Evidence of Creative Work submission deadline
Application Steps
- If you are enrolled in another university, you must submit an application to Undergraduate Admissions.
- Submit Evidence of Creative Work via SlideRoom
Notes
Applicants must have a 2.5 or greater cumulative GPA. The graphic design major is a four-year program beginning the fall semester of acceptance.
Evidence of Creative Work (ECW)
The ECW is designed to give the committee insight into how you observe, think, and communicate via visual information. This insight can be derived from a wide variety of visual techniques—do not feel constrained by methods, materials, or styles that you consider to be “design-y.” Do what you do best to make the most impactful interpretation of the ECW requirements.
ECW submissions will be evaluated by the ECW Review Committee, which is comprised of graphic design faculty.
The ECW must consist of:
- Examples of Visual Work
- Original Poster Design
- Daily Activity Journey Map
- Statement of Intent
1. Examples of Visual Work
Submit three (3) samples of your best work. These pieces do not need to be created specifically for this submission. However, it is important to show work that represents your current skills and experiences. Visuals may be graphic design or images from related disciplines such as photography, illustration, drawing, painting, reproductions of 3-D media, time-based work, or animations, etc. Please limit time-based submissions to a duration of 90 seconds.
2. Original Poster Design
“An effective poster should attract attention, appeal to the intended audience, communicate a message to the viewer, and imprint itself upon their memory.”
Topic: Select a subject that relates to a particular social or environmental issue about which you feel strongly (e.g., Energy, Pollution, Deforestation, Hunger, Health Care, Education, Racism, Animal Rights, etc.).
Medium: You may execute your design either digitally or in traditional media. You may use a computer program (Photoshop, Inkscape, InDesign, etc.) or create your poster using conventional approaches like drawing, painting, collage, photomontage, cut paper—it’s up to you.
Submission Requirements: Images must be no larger than 8.5″ x 11″ and 5 Megabytes in size (10 Megabytes for PDF files). PLEASE NOTE: You must orient your picture so that the design is right-side when you submit it.
3. Daily Activity Journey Map
Document a daily activity. The activity can be anything—brushing your teeth, pouring a bowl of cereal, looking for your car keys, walking to the bus stop, etc.
What are the stages in the sequence of this activity? What is the end goal of the activity? What equipment or materials are involved? What locations? What frustrations or hindrances do you encounter? How do your thoughts and feelings change through the stages of this sequence?
Represent all this information in a way that is concise, clear, and easy for someone who might be unfamiliar with this activity to understand.
Submission Guidelines: Format, medium, and materials are up to you.
• Single Image: no larger than 8.5” x 11” and under 10 Megabytes.
• Multipage document: save as a PDF file under 20 megabytes.
• Animation or video: must be between 15 and 90 seconds.
• Others: If you make use of a format that does not fit any of these specifications, please use the above as guidelines for file size.
4. Statement of Intent
Write a brief statement (no longer than one page) that explains your interest and life experience in the discipline of graphic design and the intent and strategy behind your Original Poster and Daily Activity Journey Map.
Evidence of Creative Work Submission
Once the ECW is completed, upload the digital files to Slideroom.
There are a number of different applications that can help you resize your images. For example, Photoshop, PaintShop Pro, and PixResizer all have the capability to resize images and manipulate file sizes. SnipShot is a tool that can be used to resize and crop images online for a minimal fee. Photosize is a free tool that can be used to resize and crop images online.
Minor Applicants
Important Application Dates
Minor application deadline is February 15
- Submit a design portfolio, poster, and statement of intent as detailed below.
- Upload your materials to SlideRoom. Please create an account and follow instructions.
- If you are an applicant from Integrative Arts and you have begun taking the Graphic Design sequence of approved courses, please check “advanced standing” in Slideroom when applying
Please feel free to contact our pre-minor adviser Rodney Trice with any questions you may have.
The Design Portfolio for Minor Applicants
The minor portfolio will be evaluated by the Portfolio Review Committee which is comprised of graphic design faculty. The portfolio must consist of the three items listed below:
1. Examples of Visual Work
Submit three (3) samples of your best work. These pieces do not need to be created specifically for this submission, however it is important to show work that represents your current skills and experiences. Visuals may be graphic design or images from related disciplines such as photography, illustration, drawing, painting, reproductions of 3-D media, time-based work or animations, etc. Please limit time-based submissions to a duration of 90 seconds.
2. Original Poster Design
“An effective poster should attract attention, appeal to the intended audience, communicate a message to the viewer, and imprint itself upon their memory.”
Topic: Select a subject that relates to a particular social or environmental issue that you feel strongly about. Examples: Energy, Pollution, Deforestation, Hunger, AIDS, Health Care, Education, Racism, Animal Abuse, etc.
Medium: You may execute your design either digitally or in traditional media. You may use a computer program (Photoshop, In Design, Quark Express, etc.) or create your poster using conventional approaches like drawing, painting, collage, photo montage, cut paper; it’s up to you.
Submission Requirements: Images must be no larger than 8.5″ x 11″ and 10 Megabytes in size (20 Megabytes for PDF files). PLEASE NOTE: You must orient your pictures so that the design is right side up when you submit it.
There are a number of different applications that can help you resize your images. For example, Photoshop, PaintShop Pro, and PixResizer all have the capability to resize images and manipulate file sizes. SnipShot is a tool that can be used to resize and crop images online for a minimal fee. Photosize is a free tool that can be used to resize and crop images online.
3. Statement of Intent
Write a brief statement (no longer than one page) that explains your interest in the discipline of graphic design. How has design inspired you to consider the discipline as a career? What area of design most fascinates you?
Submit your visuals and written statement to the . Please create an account and follow instructions.
Submit a digital copy of your visuals in JPG, PNG, GIF, or PDF format.
SlideRoom accepts videos that are up to 60MB in size in the following file formats: .m4v, .mov, .mp4, .wmv, .flv, .asf, .mpeg, .mpg, .mkv.
Integrative Arts Students
It is recommended that IA students wishing to incorporate graphic design coursework first confer with the IA adviser, then submit the materials listed below.
Important Application Dates
Submission deadline is February 15
Step 1. Cover letter (1 page)
Write a cover letter addressed to the graphic design faculty. Introduce yourself, briefly describe why you wish to incorporate graphic design coursework into your Integrative Arts program. You may also wish to reference the accompanying essay and how it supports your application.
Step 2. Essay (3-4 pages)
Write a succinct and compelling essay telling us:
- What aspects of this diverse profession most interest you
- What traits and accomplishments (skills, creativity, advocacy, innovations) you possess that show why you’re suited to pursuing graphic design
Step 3. Upload to SlideRoom
Once your letter and essay are well-crafted, create separate PDF files and upload to Slideroom. Submit your materials to Slideroom. Please create an account and follow instructions.
Information for Integrative Arts Students Wishing to Incorporate Graphic Design Coursework
- Courses available for approved Integrative Arts students: GD 100, GD 101, GD 102, GD 200, GD 201, GD 202
- Integrative Arts students approved to take the 100-200 level Graphic Design sequence of courses do not have to complete the spring portfolio gateway for Graphic Design pre-major students.
- Integrative Arts students approved to take the 100-200 level Graphic Design sequence of courses may be interested in the Graphic Design minor. Please speak with your adviser and contact our pre-minor adviser Rodney Trice for further details.
Questions
Additional Assistance
Technical assistance is available in SlideRoom. If you are unable to supply digital images through SlideRoom, or if you have questions about the portfolio, Huiwon Lim.
MFA Graduate Applicants
In addition to the steps and materials detailed on the Graduate School website, you will need to submit the following materials as part of your Graphic Design MFA application.
1. Portfolio:
Submit a portfolio for review using the Slideroom web application at https://psu.slideroom.com/ The portfolio should consist of 18-20 examples of the applicants original artwork presented in a digital format. The majority of the work should be in the area of the applicant’s interest with a lesser emphasis on related areas. If you are unable to supply digital images through Slideroom or if you have questions about the portfolio process, please contact the Penn State School of Visual Arts by calling 814.865.6570.
2. Statement of Professional Aims:
Submit a Statement of Professional Aims for review using the Slideroom web application at https://psu.slideroom.com/ The Statement of Professional Aims should include your intentions for proposed study, an indication of your personal philosophy, beliefs, and goals in regard to education and art, and evidence that you are prepared to undertake graduate level work in the Master of Fine Arts program.
For additional MFA program information, contact:
Jean Sanders, Associate Professor of Art
Studio Graduate Program Officer
210 Patterson Building
University Park, PA 16802
jms31@psu.edu