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Admissions Information

Admission to the Art Major

(BFA in Art and BS in Art Education)

All students in the BFA and BS programs are identified as "Interest" students until passing an Entrance Portfolio Review. Students may only enroll in ART 1150, Drawing I and/or ART 1100, 2-D Design, until accepted through the portfolio process.

I am a new, entering first-year student interested in becoming an art major

Admissions for entering first-year students

  1. You must first apply for admission to the university and be accepted. Be sure to list art or art education as your intended major. If you already have a strong portfolio of creative work, you may choose to submit your entrance portfolio the semester prior to registering for classes. Otherwise, you can wait until you have completed your first two studio art classes at KSU.
  2. When registering for your first semester (usually during orientation), check to see if you can enroll in a Learning Community for potential art majors ("art interest" students). This will automatically sign you up for Drawing I (ART 1100) and 2-D Design (ART 1150), the required courses for beginning art students, along with other required courses. It is a convenient "pre-packaged" schedule.
  3. If no Learning Community spots are available, sign up for Drawing I (ART 1100) and 2-D Design (ART 1150) individually, along with KSU 1101 and other general education courses.
  4. By the twelfth week of the semester, submit your entrance portfolio for review along with the art major application to the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management in Wilson 201.
  5. The College of the Arts will inform you of the results, which may take several weeks after the deadline. If you pass, you are officially an art major. If you fail after taking Drawing I and 2-D Design at KSU, you may choose to re-submit, but you may not take any further studio art classes beyond ART 1100 and ART 1150.
I am a current KSU student (undecided or another major) who would now like to become an art major

Admissions for current KSU students

  1. Come to the Visual Arts main office in VA 202 and fill out a form to declare your interest in becoming an art major. You may also indicate a change of major online through Owl Express. All art courses are limited to majors, so you must change your status in order to enroll.
  2. If you already have a strong portfolio of creative work, you may choose to submit your entrance portfolio the semester prior to registering for art classes. If not, you should wait until you have begun your art studies.
  3. Sign up for Drawing I (ART 1100) and 2-D Design (ART 1150) at the earliest opportunity.
  4. By the twelfth week of the semester, submit your entrance portfolio for review along with the art major application to the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management in Wilson 201.
  5. The College of the Arts will inform you of the results, which may take several weeks after the deadline. If you pass, you are officially an art major. If you fail after taking Drawing I and 2-D Design at KSU, you may choose to re-submit, but you may not take any further studio art classes beyond ART 1100 and ART 1150.
I am a transfer student interested in becoming an art major and I am not transferring art studio classes for credit

Admissions for transfer students not seeking studio art credit

  1. You must first apply for admission to the university and be accepted. Be sure to list art or art education as your intended major. If you already have a strong portfolio of creative work, you may choose to submit your entrance portfolio the semester prior to registering for classes. Otherwise, you can wait until you have completed your first two studio art classes at KSU.
  2. During your first semester, sign up for Drawing I (ART 1100) and 2-D Design (ART 1150). If you have not already designated art as your major, you will need to come by the Visual Arts main office in VA 202 and fill out a form. You may also indicate a change of major online through Owl Express. All studio art courses are limited to majors, so you must change your status in order to enroll.
  3. By the twelfth week of the semester, submit your entrance portfolio for review along with the art major application to the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management in Wilson 201.
  4. The College of the Arts will inform you of the results, which may take several weeks after the deadline. If you pass, you are officially an art major. If you fail after taking Drawing I and 2-D Design at KSU, you may choose to re-submit, but you may not take any further studio art classes beyond ART 1100 and ART 1150.
I am a transfer student interested in art who has already taken drawing and design classes

Admissions for transfer students seeking studio art credit

  1. You must first apply for admission to the university and be accepted. Be sure to list art or art education as your intended major.
  2. If you have already taken studio art classes elsewhere and wish to receive credit for them, prepare your entrance portfolio along with the art major application and submit it to the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management in Wilson 201 during the semester prior to your initial enrollment. Equivalency for Drawing I and 2-D Design or any other specific studio art classes that you have taken elsewhere should be requested with the application for admission to the art major. In order to do this, you will need to include in your entrance portfolio a sampling of work from all studio classes for which you are seeking credit. Equivalency will only be given for studio courses after approval through this portfolio evaluation; results will depend upon the quality of the work submitted in the portfolio. Transfer student portfolios may be evaluated at any time up until each semester's deadline; early submission is recommended.
  3. The College of the Arts will inform you of the results, which may take several weeks after initial submission. You may not receive equivalency credit for all courses, and thus may have to repeat some classes. You must pass the entrance portfolio in order to become an art major and to enroll in further studio art courses.
  4. If you pass, you are officially an art major, and you will also be informed of which transferred classes, if any, have been accepted towards your degree. If you fail the entrance portfolio, you may enroll Drawing I and/or 2-D Design at KSU and resubmit a new portfolio. If you fail after taking Drawing I and 2-D Design at KSU, you may choose to re-submit, but you may not take any further studio art classes until you pass.
  5. Transferred courses that are not accepted may still count as electives for your degree.

Entrance Portfolio Submission Deadlines

(Transfer students and current students or new, incoming first-year students)

For Spring 2012: 5 p.m. Monday, November 14, 2011

For Fall 2012: 5 p.m. Monday, April 2, 2012

Approximately 3 weeks are required from the time we receive your portfolio to complete the review.

Advanced Placement

I obtained a College Board Advanced Placement in Studio Art during my studies in high school

AP credit in studio art

  1. You must first apply for admission to the university and be accepted. Have your AP scores sent well in advance. Be sure to list your major as art.
  2. Students who have completed AP exams in studio art with scores of 4 or 5 may be able to earn credit as follows:
    2-D Design = ART 1100, Two-Dimensional Design and Color Theory, 3 credits
    3-D Design = ART 1200, Three-Dimensional Design, 3 credits
    Drawing = ART 1150, Drawing I, 3 credits
  3. If you have completed AP exams in studio art and feel that you are ready to submit an art major entrance portfolio, prepare your entrance portfolio along with the art major application and submit it during the semester prior to your initial enrollment to the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management in Wilson 201. Students must also submit portfolios for each AP course for which they are requesting credit, following the guidelines for transfer courses in the portfolio guidelines. Your AP work will then be evaluated for its equivalency to courses at KSU.
  4. The College of the Arts will inform you of the results, which may take several weeks after initial submission. If you pass, you are officially accepted as an art major. If you fail, you may not continue as an art major. You will also be informed if your AP work has been accepted for the equivalent credit at KSU. It is possible to be admitted and not receive credit, and vice-versa.
  5. If you are not seeking credit for your AP coursework or are unsure of your work's quality, you should enter as a new, first-year student and enroll in Drawing I and 2-D Design at KSU and submit the entrance portfolio at the appropriate time.
I obtained a College Board Advanced Placement in Art History during my studies in high school

AP credit in art history

  1. Students who have completed AP work in Art History may have their scores submitted for credit. Have your AP scores sent well in advance.
  2. Credit will only be awarded for test scores of 4 or 5.
  3. Art History = ARH 2750 and ARH 2850, 6 credits

 

Admission to the Concentration (BFA only)

The concentration portfolio must be submitted by the designated deadline during the second semester of enrollment in the concentration area. Requirements for the portfolio will be determined by the area faculty and will be posted to the department website. Faculty will review the portfolios as soon as possible following the deadline for submission, and the Assistant Dean will communicate final decisions to the students. Students will either be admitted to the concentration or denied admission, in which case they will not be able to take any additional courses in that concentration area. Students may apply to more than one concentration area at a time, and may apply to a second concentration area if they are not admitted to their first choice. Admission into any concentration area is dependent upon the strength of the students' portfolios, their academic performance in all classes as well as in visual arts courses, and space available in the concentration areas. BFA students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in their concentration area courses.

The portfolio requirements for the concentration areas are detailed below:

Ceramics

Applicants to the concentration in ceramics must submit a BFA application for concentration and a portfolio that includes the following:

CONTENT

A minimum of six pieces of work including the following:

  • Three using ceramics as the primary media
  • Three representing at least two other three-dimensional media
  • Each piece must have two images that best describe the piece in the round (six pieces - twelve images)
  • Students may submit additional works if they wish (up to 10 pieces)

FORMAT

  • Images should be formatted into a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation with a 4:3 or letter-size page setup.
  • The work should be photographed with good lighting and a clean background. Preferably gray fading to black.

  • Images should be inserted as 72 dpi JPEGs saved at the size they will be displayed on the PowerPoint slide.
    (Make sure images are scaled to fit within PowerPoint slide—not too small to lose detail and not too big to be cropped-off the slide.)
  • Each PowerPoint "slide" should have a black background and should be labeled at the bottom or left side in white 12-point Arial type with the following information:
    1. Title (titles are italicized, not put in quotation marks)
    2. Dimensions (height, width—and depth for 3-D works)
    3. Medium
    4. Year work was made
    5. If it was created for a class assignment applicants should indicate for which class it was created and a brief description of the assignment; if it was not for a class, indicate it as an "original work."
  • The PowerPoint file should be submitted on CD or DVD
Drawing & Painting

Applicants to the concentration in Drawing & Painting must submit a BFA application for concentration and a portfolio that includes the following:

CONTENT

FORMAT

  • All work should be identified with name, title, date, media, and dimensions using 12-point Arial type.
  • The portfolio should be formatted as one Microsoft PowerPoint file. Include text into the PowerPoint.
  • Images should be inserted as 72 dpi JPEGs saved at the size they will be displayed on the PowerPoint slide.
    (Make sure images are scaled to fit within PowerPoint slide—not too small to lose detail and not too big to be cropped-off the slide.)
  • Include an Artist's Statement in a Microsoft Word document.
  • Files should be submitted on CD or DVD.
Graphic Communications

Please download this document for instructions: BFA-GraphicCommunicationsApplication110914

Photography

Applicants to the concentration in photography must submit a BFA application for concentration and a portfolio that includes the following:

CONTENT

  1. Artist Statement
  2. Artist Curriculum Vita (resume)
  3. Twenty examples of Photographic Works (This work should represent, though is not limited to; assignments from previous photography courses, current work and any personal projects.)
    • 5 examples of black and white photography printed traditionally from film and darkroom techniques
    • 5 examples of color photography
    • 5 examples of medium format camera use
    • 5 additional images of your choice

Portfolios will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  1. Conceptual Inventiveness
  2. Content
  3. Composition and Framing
  4. Print/Image Quality
  5. Presentation
  6. Technique
  7. Writing Skills

FORMAT

  • Assembled in a PowerPoint presentation, each image should be clearly labeled with the following:
    Title / Medium / Size / Date
  • Images should be inserted as 72 dpi JPEGs saved at the size they will be displayed on the PowerPoint slide.
    (Make sure images are scaled to fit within PowerPoint slide—not too small to lose detail and not too big to be cropped-off the slide.)
  • Must be submitted on a Mac formatted CD
Printmaking

Applicants to the concentration in printmaking must submit a BFA application for concentration and a portfolio that includes the following:

CONTENT

  • Current Resume
  • Artist statement
  • A combination of up to twenty pieces of their strongest work that show skill in 2-Dimensional Design, Drawing, and Printmaking I
    This work should represent, though is not limited to; assignments from all 2-dimensional media including drawing, painting, photography, digital design, and printmaking

Portfolios will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  1. Craftmanship
  2. Composition and Framing
  3. Print/Image Quality (view tips on taking good photographs of your artwork)
  4. Presentation
  5. Skill level/Technique
  6. Writing Skills/clarity of personal vision

FORMAT

  • Assembled in a PowerPoint presentation with a black background and white font.
    Each image should be clearly labeled with the Title / Medium / Size / Date
  • Images should be inserted as 72 dpi JPEGs saved at the size they will be displayed on the PowerPoint slide.
    (Make sure images are scaled to fit within PowerPoint slide—not too small to lose detail and not too big to be cropped-off the slide.)
  • Must be submitted on a Mac formatted CD
Sculpture

Applicants to the concentration in sculpture must submit a BFA application for concentration and a portfolio that includes the following:

CONTENT

  • A typed statement of no more that 300 words indicating why the student is interested in becoming a sculpture major and what the student plans to do with a studio background in sculpture.
  • Six examples of works of sculpture. Two of these should be identified as completed outside of a formal class. Images of functional ceramic vessels are not acceptable.
    • A minimum of three different media should be represented among the six examples.
    • Two views of each image are required. An additional "detail" image may be submitted where particular details are not seen in the other full-view images.

FORMAT

  • Images should be formatted into a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation with a 4:3 or letter-size page setup.
  • The work should be photographed with good lighting and a clean background. Preferably gray fading to black.

  • Images should be inserted as 72 dpi JPEGs saved at the size they will be displayed on the PowerPoint slide.
    (Make sure images are scaled to fit within PowerPoint slide—not too small to lose detail and not too big to be cropped-off the slide.)
  • Each PowerPoint "slide" should have a black background and should be labeled at the bottom or left side in white 12-point Arial type with the following information:
    1. Title (titles are italicized, not put in quotation marks)
    2. Dimensions (height, width—and depth for 3-D works)
    3. Medium
    4. Year work was made
    5. If it was created for a class assignment applicants should indicate for which class it was created and a brief description of the assignment; if it was not for a class, indicate it as an "original work."
  • The PowerPoint file should be submitted on CD or DVD

Concentration Portfolio Submission Deadlines

(For all students in the second semester of the declared concentration )

For Spring 2012: 5 p.m. Monday, November 7, 2011
For Fall 2012: 5 p.m. Monday, March 26, 2012

Approximately 3 weeks are required from the time we receive your portfolio to complete the review.

Admission to the BA in Art History

There are no special requirements for admission to the art history major. Students may declare the major by filling out a form in the Visual Arts Office, or by requesting it through Owl Express. Students should plan to begin their language study as early as possible; German is recommended.

Admission to our Graduate Program

I am applying for admission to the M.A.T. program

Requirements for Portfolio

CONTENT

The portfolio is composed of photographic images of your artwork. A total of twenty still images and/or moving images should be submitted. The MAT Art degree is based on the Comprehensive Arts Education model, focusing on the areas of production, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics. The program is also aligned with the five standards defined by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) as recognized in Rule 505-3-.11 Art Education Program in the State of Georgia. Thus, the portfolio should reflect art competencies in various media including but not limited to: drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, computer images, models, mechanical drawings, or any other art work.

FORMAT

Portfolios should be submitted as Powerpoint files. The file name should be the candidate’s name, last name first (“Smith Jane.ppt”). Images should be of high enough resolution to be crisp and clear. Poor image quality will negatively affect the evaluation of your portfolio. Standard 4x3 page setup is preferred, and background color should be black. Any moving images should use a commonly available player and be embedded in the Powerpoint file and should be no longer than two minutes.

All submissions must be on a CD or DVD that is Macintosh-readable. Disks should be sent in paper sleeves with your name legibly printed on the disks, the sleeves, and the envelope. If you would like your CDs or DVDs returned, you must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Portfolios without self-addressed, stamped envelopes will be held for 1 year after notification. If still unclaimed, the portfolio will be discarded.

LABELING

Each Powerpoint “slide” should be labeled at the bottom or left side in white 12-point Arial with the following information. Do NOT include your name with the individual images.

Title (titles are italicized, not put in quotation marks)
Dimensions (height, width--and depth for 3-D works)
Medium (only if the medium of the original work is photography should it be listed as such)
Year work was made

Examples:

Untitled Figure Study
18” X 24”
Charcoal on newsprint
2007

Montana Plains
8” X 10”
Photography--film negative, digital print
2006

Untitled
10’ X 8’ X 12’
Sculptural installation--steel, wire screen, & electronics
2006

Working with Time
24” X 36”
Digital media—Photoshop, Illustrator (screen capture)
2006

Evaluation Criteria

The portfolio review committee has determined that the following criteria be used to review portfolios:

  • Composition – Emphasis, focal point, eye movement, and balance
  • Craftsmanship – Basic fine motor skill and attention to detail
  • Conceptual Inventiveness – Effort to communicate and creativity

Each of these criteria will be assigned a value from the list below by the faculty reviewer:

  • Excellent – roughly equivalent to an A (4.0) grade
  • Good – roughly equivalent to a B (3.0) grade
  • Adequate – roughly equivalent to a C (2.0) grade
  • Weak – roughly equivalent to a D (1.0) grade
  • None – used if evidence of criteria is not evident or applicable

The Art Education Admission Committee will use this information in making the final decision regarding whether an applicant will be accepted as a MAT Art candidate.

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Concentration Portfolio Deadlines

For Spring 2012:
5 p.m. Mon., November 7, 2011

For Fall 2012:
5 p.m. Mon., March 26, 2012

"Art interest" students are those who have interest in becoming an art major, but who have not yet been accepted.

Entrance Portfolio Deadlines

For Spring 2012:
5 p.m. Mon., November 14, 2011

For Fall 2012:
5 p.m. Mon., April 2, 2012