Portfolio Submission Procedure & Guidelines for Art Majors

The School of Art & Design at Kennesaw State University admits students in the Fall (August) and Spring (January) semesters each year. We offer two degree programs for which you must submit a portfolio for entrance: the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art (concentrations in art education, art history, ceramics, graphic communications, illustration, painting and drawing, photography, printmaking, sculpture, sequential art, and textile and surface design), and the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Animation.

The School of Art and Design (SOAAD) Entry Portfolio requires 4 artworks (see below) and a 200-word artist statement: 

Apply and Submit Your Portfolio

 

 

 

Requirements

  • This artwork demonstrates your preferred, strongest media and technique with that media. We recommended that the work be done from observation or follow a technical process that is well-known.
  • This artwork is something created from imagination with little reliance on direct references. This work best expresses your ideas and feelings. 
  • The fancy word for this is “ideation.” Take a couple recent pages from your sketchbook or find similar sketches and brainstorming sessions from a past art project and capture those as scanned or photographed images. Another sample of this type of work is a video that captures your process for a given artwork. 
  • If you have strong work that doesn’t neatly fit into one of the previous three categories, we want to see it. Perhaps you want to be an art educator, or an art historian and you have a lesson plan, abstract or scholarly paper to share. Perhaps, you have created murals with augmented reality components. Show us your unique vision. 
  • Using Microsoft Word or a similar word processing tool, please tell us why you want to be an art student at KSU in the School of Art and Design. What do you see yourself doing using art as a profession? What are your goals in the program over the next 4 years? Tell us about yourself and your interests as well. 

  • The School of Art and Design Portfolio Committee will use the following values to evaluate your portfolio: 

    • Technical skill and proficient use of the media. 
    • Creativity, originality, and innovative use of ideas and subject matter. 
    • Ideation and artistic thought process. 
    • Professionalism with following directions, presenting your work (including making sure your materials are photographed well and uploaded properly), demonstrating strong writing skills (grammar and spelling), and submitting relevant choices for each artwork type.  

Additional Guidelines for Some Applicants

  • It is possible to substitute credit earned prior to enrolling for specific KSU studio art degree requirements. This credit can be earned in one of two ways:

    • By taking one or more of the AP Studio Art Exams (Two-Dimensional Design, Three-Dimensional Design, or Drawing), or
    • By taking studio art courses at another institution

    In either case, you must submit work to be reviewed by our faculty before a determination can be made whether substitution is possible. This review can take place at the same time as your application to the major, or after you have been formally accepted to the School of Art & Design. Also, please make sure your transcripts from your previous institution are in the hands of the KSU Admissions Office.

    • Earn a score of 3 or higher on the exam and make sure the most recent transcripts reflecting these scores are sent to the KSU Admissions Office.
    • Submit a minimum of four images that demonstrate your highest level of proficiency in the media from each course. For example, if you are requesting credit for 3-Dimensional Design, you must submit four images of 3D work. These can be included in, or in addition to the works required for the entrance portfolio.

    The courses eligible for substitution based on an AP score are:

    • ART 1100 Two-Dimensional Design & Color Theory
    • ART 1150 Drawing I
    • ART 1200 3-Dimensional Design

    A substitution will only be approved based on receipt of an official score report from the College Board showing that a 3 or higher was earned on the relevant exam, and after successful determination by the faculty of the School of Art & Design or equivalent proficiency.

  • Submit a minimum of four images that demonstrate your highest level of proficiency in the media from each course. For example, if you are requesting credit for Printmaking I, you must submit four printmaking images. These can be included in, or in addition to the works required for the entrance portfolio.

    Transfer equivalency will be granted based on approval by the Office of the Registrar, a minimum grade of “C” or better in an equivalent course, and successful determination by the faculty of the School of Art & Design of equivalent proficiency.

    It is strongly recommended that you review the course descriptions in the Undergraduate Catalog for information about the content of these courses before completing the application.

    A substitution will only be approved based on receipt of an official score report from the College Board showing that a 3 or higher was earned on the relevant exam, and after successful determination by the faculty of the School of Art & Design or equivalent proficiency. 

Apply and Submit Your Portfolio

Frequently Asked Questions

  • All decisions will be communicated via email. If you are currently enrolled as a KSU student, this will be sent to your students.kennesaw.edu email address. All other communications will be sent to the address you indicate on your application. 
  • You will be notified of a decision via email within three (3) weeks of receipt of your portfolio.
  • Students may only apply twice for admission to the School of Art & Design. We recommend that you attend an Open Studio night. At this event, faculty can conduct an unofficial review of your portfolio and provide valuable feedback. Visit https://arts.kennesaw.edu/visual-arts for more information.

  • This is a two-step process. First, the Office of the Registrar will determine the course credit is eligible to transfer.

    How the Registrar evaluates transfer credit

    Most studio art courses that meet this standard will be assigned elective credit in your record, and flagged with a “T” in your Owl Express record (e.g., ART 1T00). Once this happens, it is up to our faculty to determine how these classes may or may not be substituted for specific KSU courses. This determination is made based upon their review of the images you submit in your portfolio. For example, if you took a basic drawing course at your previous institution and receive a B, and the faculty determine that you demonstrate sufficient drawing proficiency to move on to the next level of drawing, they will approve a substitution for Drawing I. If, they determine that you need to repeat Drawing I, you can work with your advisor to find a way that your basic drawing course may be used for elective credit, however you would still need to take Drawing I to fulfill that specific requirement.

  • No, there isn’t, we really want you to choose art that best represents what you can do and who you are as an artist. Examples of current student artwork are available on our website.
Apply and Submit Your Portfolio

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