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Entrance Portfolio Submission Guidelines

If you are applying to become an art or art education major in the School of Art and Design, you must be accepted by portfolio review. The School of Art and Design requires at least three weeks from the portfolio deadline date to complete the review.

Portfolios will be evaluated on the basis of drawing and design ability, original ideas, craftsmanship, and overall presentation. You will receive separate notification of the result of your review directly from the College of the Arts.

Application Glossary of Visual Arts Terms Tips on Photographing Artwork

 

(Please see your advisor for requirements of your Concentration Admissions Portfolio.)

 

Portfolio Requirements

Content

The portfolio is composed of digital photographic images of your studio work.  A total of ten to twenty still images and/or moving images should be submitted.  The portfolio must include a minimum of four (4) samples of representational drawing made from direct observation (i.e., not copied from photographs, comics, or “fantasy”).  At least two works should be original works (not assignments) that express your own identity and imagination as an artist.  If you took previous coursework at another university and are requesting that these courses be substituted for equivalent courses at Kennesaw State, you must also submit at least four strong examples of artwork for each art course that you wish to have evaluated .  (Works submitted for transfer may expand the total portfolio size beyond 20.)  Current students may submit work from their KSU studio classes as well as work done outside of class.  Work submitted may be in any medium, including design, applied arts, or time-based media.

Format

Your portfolio of digital images should be submitted through the online application available here.  Each image should be identified individually following this format: TitleMeadium.filetype (“ SunsetPhotograph. jpg”).  Images should be of high enough resolution to be crisp and clear.  Poor image quality will negatively affect the evaluation of your portfolio.  The application will accept most of the commonly used file types, including:

• Image: jpeg, png, gif, jpg
• Video: mpeg, mpg, mp4, mov, avi, wmv, m4v, vob
• Document: PDF strongly preferred. Also accepts txt, rtf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, sib, mus, ppt, pptx
• Audio: mp3, m4a, aiff, wma, wav, aac

Any moving images should be no longer than two minutes. The four drawings from direct observation must be the first four images you upload. Sculpture and three-dimensional works should be represented by two different views .

Image Inventory

In addition to the digital images, you must also create and upload an image inventory document in 12-point Arial with the following information.  The order of the image inventory must match the order that you upload images. Do NOT include your name in this document or with the individual images.

• Name of Image as Uploaded
• Title of Work (titles are italicized, not put in quotation marks)
• Dimensions (height, width--and depth for 3-D works)
• Medium
• Year work was made
• If it was created for a class assignment, please 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.” 

 

Examples:

 

Evaluation Criteria

The portfolio review committee uses the following criteria to evaluate portfolios:

• Design and Composition – Emphasis, focal point, eye movement, economy, balance, and demonstrated problem-solving ability.
• Conceptual Inventiveness – Creativity and effort to communicate
• Representation of Form – Accurate description of subject matter based on perceptive reality and visual observation
• Craftsmanship – Basic fine motor skill and attention to detail

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 Assistant Dean will use this information in making the final decision regarding whether an applicant will be declared a major in the School of Art and Design.

 

Additional Information for Transfer Students

In order to transfer studio courses for credit, you must have received at least a “C” in the course AND receive credit for it through the portfolio review.  Transfer students should have their portfolio reviewed and evaluated before registering for art courses.  At least four images must be included for each course that you wish to transfer.  Line 5 of the image caption in your portfolio should indicate what class it was created in (see above examples).  Arrange works from the same class consecutively in the portfolio.  Transfer students should submit, along with this application and your portfolio, an unofficial copy of all transcripts with catalog course descriptions of any art and art history courses taken. Credits from non-accredited institutions will not transfer.  If we do not accept your work as equivalent through the portfolio review, you must repeat the course here.  Some transfer course credits may be determined to not be equivalent to specific KSU courses; if that is the case, you may request that they be transferred as art electives.

 

Submit your application and portfolio to:

Samuel G. Robinson, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Services

College of the Arts

Kennesaw State University

1000 Chastain Rd. #3101

Kennesaw GA 30144-5591

Or hand deliver to:

College of the Arts

Room 201, Joe Mack Wilson Building on Bartow Avenue

Questions about the application process can be directed to the
College of the Arts Office of Admissions, 770-423-6614 or COTA-Admissions@kennesaw.edu

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The College of the Arts at Kennesaw State University supports, defends and promotes academic freedom in artistic expression, as outlined by the American Association of University Professors, and diversity of all kinds as outlined by the university's Human Relations Position Statement.

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