• Applicants are required to submit a typed writing sample between 2,500 and 3,000 words long.
• Content is at the discretion of the applicant. Applicants are encouraged to submit papers or articles that have been published or presented, if applicable.
• Personal interviews are required.

• A CD with 15 to 20 images must be submitted (jpeg or tiff, and at least 600x500 pixels). Images should be in a folder with your name on it, titled and numbered sequentially, i.e., Smith_John_001.jpg. Portfolios should include at least 10 images of work in a major studio art medium, and at least 2 examples of work in painting, drawing and three-dimensional media. If the portfolio does not demonstrate proficiency in painting, drawing and three-dimensional media, completion of additional coursework may be required for acceptance into the program.  
• Applicants are required to have completed a minimum of 30 credits in studio art, 12 credits in art history and 30 credits in liberal arts and sciences. Coursework in a language other than English is also required.  
• We strongly recommend that applicants to the MAT program have taken the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) required for New York State certification and include a copy of LAST scores in their application. Information on registering for the LAST is available at www.nystce.nesinc.com.  
• Personal interviews are required. Prospective students living beyond a 1,000-mile radius of New York City may request to waive the in-person interview. In such instances, a telephone interview is required.

• Applicants must submit their portfolio through SlideRoom. To access the portal and find out more information, click here.
  • Portfolios submitted via cd, dvd, url or email will not be reviewed.
• Applicants will have the ability to upload the following to SlideRoom:
  • Still imagery: 15 - 20 images. All images should be in .jpg format. Digital images should be no larger than 1500 pixels on th largest dimension, at 72 ppi.
  • Video: mov, flv, or wmv files, not to exceed 10 minutes in length, up to 60MB each.
  • Audio: mp3 not to exceed 10 minutes in length, up to 10MB each.
• Applicants must also submit a 500 to 750 word writing sample, preferably an original essay describing an event in your life that has proven to be central to your artistic development.
• Select applicants will be invited to interview. All interviews will be conducted via Skype.

• MPS Art Therapy applicants must submit 15 to 20 digital images (jpeg format preferred) on CD or to through SlideRoom (to access the portal and find out more information, please click here). Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a portfolio that reflects a wide range of work a wide range of work.
• In addition to digital images, applicants may submit work on DVD (NTSC format only).
• Applicants must have completed a minimum of 18 credits (or equivalent) in studio art and 12 credits in psychology (developmental and abnormal are required; courses in introduction to psychology and theories of personality are recommended).
• An admissions interview is required. In-person interviews are preferred, but those unable to travel to New York City will be interviewed by phone or via video-conferencing/Skype. 

• Applicants are required to submit a typed writing sample(750 words) critiquing a brand of their choice. Subject matter should include the following:
  • Relevance in the market
  • Historical significance (if any)
  • Assessment of the brand’s positioning
  • Creative analysis
• Applicants are required to submit a typed statement of purpose outlining why they have chosen to apply to this program, what they hope to achieve during their course of study and what the concept of “branding” means to them.
• Any other material outlining the applicant's expertise in this discipline is encouraged but not required, including any or all of the following: 
  • Design portfolio
  • Brand strategy or positioning proposal and/or white paper
  • Any branding work currently in the market that they have contributed to with a statement outlining the challenge, their participation and a rationale for the result. 
• Personal interviews may be required. Prospective students living beyond a 1,000-mile radius of New York City may request to waive the in-person interview. In such instances, a telephone interview is required.  

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university. The program is highly selective.

• Statement of Purpose Guidelines:A statement of approximately 1,000 words explaining the development of your interest in pursuing an MA degree in Critical Theory and the Arts must be submitted. In the largest sense, what’s on your mind? Where are you now, and where have you been? The statement should touch on your life and education to date, the range of your interests, your background (if any) in studying critical theory—whether in college or on your own—and your experience in the arts, whether as an artist or in a number of other ways. What are a few of the important books you have read to date? What are you reading lately? What would you hope to gain in the program? Where might it lead for you?
  • Artists: include information about your practice and what your concerns are. We would be interested in seeing or reading your work, but a portfolio is not required.
  • Please indicate if your interests are especially social, political, philosophical or art historical.
  • If your background is especially unique—as an independent scholar or writer, as some combination of this with work as an artist, or as someone who has tried many things and now wants to try something else—don’t hesitate to let us know; we’re interested.

• Writing Sample Guidelines: Please also submit something you have written, of at least several pages and on any topic, that will help the admissions committee get a sense of your interests and who you are. The writing can be a college essay or something you have published.

• Interviews: Personal interviews are required. Prospective students living beyond a 500-mile radius of New York City may request a telephone interview in place of a visit.

• Enrollment of individuals from historically underrepresented groups in higher education is a priority of this program.

• Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a portfolio that showcases their best work and includes a wide range of media.
• 20 high-quality digital or photographic prints (8.5x11") must be submitted.
• A 3-5 minute sample reel showing your best work is required for those applicants interested in animation, motion graphics and digital video. Supplemental creative works on DVD (NTSC format only), Macintosh- or PC-format CD (U.S. operating systems), or URLs should also be submitted.
• In the statement of purpose, applicants should indicate their anticipated area of study, i.e., animation, motion graphics & digital video, interactive media, installation & digital fine art, or multidisciplinary study.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a portfolio that reflects a wide range of design work and a fluency in type and typography. All portfolios submitted must be in PDF format and contain no more than 20 pages.

Portfolios should be submitted on a clearly labeled CD or DVD, which contains an Apple OS-readable folder titled LastnameFirstname. This folder should contain the following:

• Your PDF file titled, LastnameFirstname.pdf
• (Optional) A video folder titled LastnameFirstname
  • Videos, containing no more than five video files. These files must be in Quicktime format. Videos must be no longer than 3 minutes each. Web links to online videos will not be accepted.

Important Notes:

• Other presentation formats (PowerPoint, Keynote) will not be accepted.
• Slides, printed portfolios and all other file formats will not be accepted.
• Paintings, photographs or illustrations will only be considered when in the context of design. Only the first 20 images will be reviewed if you have more than the suggested amount.
• Web or online portfolios will not be accepted.
• All interactive/web projects should be presented as screenshots or images and are to be included within the 20 image file limit.

• Applicants are required to submit a typed short essay (750 words) critiquing a design object, event or concept.
• Applicants are required to submit a typed writing sample of published or unpublished writing between 1,000 and 2,000 words. Content is at the discretion of the applicant; however, the piece should demonstrate the applicant’s research and analytical skills and facility with language. The published sample can be from any context, including contributions to academic or commercial publications, books, catalogs or exhibition wall texts.
• Personal interviews are required. Prospective students living beyond a 1,000-mile radius of New York City may request to waive the in-person interview. In such instances, a telephone interview is required. 

Design skills and mastery of applications are recommended, including all programs in Adobe Creative Suite, After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, HTML and Flash. Remedial courses for those who do not have mastery of the core design applications can be arranged and should not discourage candidates from applying.

Resume/CV: This should include your professional experience as well as any research, awards, or exhibitions

Statement of Purpose Essay: An essay articulating the individual’s vision for how he or she will contribute to the betterment of the world, of up to 500 words in length and submitted in Word or PDF format.

Portfolio:

• Option 1: reflecting a wide range of design work from communication design, product design, 3-D and interactive design, data visualization and system design. Portfolios should be submitted on a CD in Apple OS X-readable format, titled with last and first name. This folder will contain any combination of the following: 15- 25 still images of print or photography, in jpeg format, no more than 1 MB each, and including a one-page digital slide sheet in PDF format, titled with last and first name which contains a thumbnail and description of each image. Up to three video files, in Quicktime format, no larger than 5MB each, and no longer than two minutes. A word document with up to five urls of websites.
• Option 2: Case Histories reflecting initiatives that the applicant has led, and that demonstrate social innovation. Up to three case histories of complete campaigns, with written text explaining the problem, solution and results if available, with thumbnails of visual elements.

Personal interview: Applicants under consideration will be contacted to schedule an interview.

Submission of the following items will be considered supplemental: Writing Sample; Video Essay; Recommendation Letters.

The Image Portfolio is the most important component of your application. It should represent 1-3 photographically cohesive bodies of work based on style, concept and execution. Images may be derived from digital or film originals. Total of 20 images on a CD for the Macintosh platform formatted as follows:

• Digital images must be between 2000 to 3000 pixels in either width or height.
• Fifteen images as flattened JPG files
• Five images with all Photoshop layers, channels and paths intact, submitted as either TIF or PSD format. If you are using Adobe Lightroom to process your files, please submit the 5 layered files with 2 layers: the original-before and the processed-after and label the layers accordingly.
• Images should be clean, sharp, color correct, sized and named correctly. We recommend naming the layers of the TIF or PSD files.
• Files must be labeled as follows: First initial, last name, project title (or number) of image, e.g., jdoe_project01.jpg.

Files that disregard the above criteria will not be reviewed. Most importantly, only submit the work you are excited about!

Please contact mpsphoto@sva.edu with any questions or concerns regarding portfolio submissions. 

Twenty (20) images must be submitted on a CD or DVD for the Macintosh platform and formatted exactly as follows:

• 8-bit, RGB, Adobe RGB
• 3000 pixels on the longest dimension
• 150 DPI
• Saved as .jpg file
• Name files as: lastname firstname imagenumber (0-20).jpg (Ex. Smith Jane 04.jpg)
• Text file including: Full name, contact information, website
• Image information for each piece: title, year, medium

Writing Sample: Applicants are required to submit a succinct essay on their work and its defining characteristics and relevance (500 words) that includes an analysis of the current status of fashion photography and how their work relates to or refutes it.

Interview: Personal interviews may be scheduled only on a case-by-case basis. Departments will contact applicants to schedule in-person or phone interviews. 

• Exactly 12 images on CD must be submitted (jpeg format for the Macintosh platform). Files must be labeled as follows: First initial, last name, image number (e.g., jdoe_1). Digital images must be 1500 pixels in width or height at 72 dpi. No PowerPoint or other type of presentation format or online portfolio will be accepted.
  OR


  Exactly 12 Slides can be submitted as an alternate to the digital format. Each slide must have the slide number, applicant's name and orientation of the slide clearly indicated on each slide.

• Video artists and those artists whose work addresses time or motion may submit a DVD (NTSC format only, no Quick Time or other formats will be accepted). DVDs should not exceed five minutes in length and should be labeled with the artist's name and the title, date and running time of each work on the DVD.
• Printed inventory sheet with title, dimensions, materials and date of each piece. 

• Applicants must submit their portfolio (still images) through SlideRoom. To access the portal and find out more information, please click here.
• The portfolio requirements for SlideRoom are: 20 still images in .jpg format, not to exceed 5 MB each in file size. SlideRoom will allow you to create an inventory of works with the following information for each file: title, date, medium, dimensions or running time and optional notes.
• Application portfolios will be viewed on a 1280 x 800 reolution screen. Files should be sized approximately 1280 x 800 pixels at a resolution of 72 dpi.
• Applicants are also required to submit a typed writing sample between 500 and 1,000 words long. Content is at the discretion of the applicant.
• Applicants should be proficient in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Personal interviews are available, but not required. 

• Applicants are required to curate a portfolio and encouraged to demonstrate a broad range of
• Portfolios need not be visual, as the department looks to a broad range of references as parallel influences to interaction design. Work must, however, demonstrate a core competency in an approach, a method and a background. Some examples include:
  • Design work should demonstrate visual literacy, craft, and show process as well as the final product or swervice.
  • Usability and social science research should communicate concept and thinking, and the ultimate findings.
  • Strategy and writing should make clear the audience, challenge and outcomes with samples of work.
  • Code and programming should show samples, process and outcome.
  • Project management should make clear the responsibilities, challenge and problems solved.
• Format: You must submit your work online (preferred) or via a disk.
  
  • If you choose a Web-based format, submit a single URL with your application. All links in your portfolio must be active through August 2013.
  • If you choose a disk format, it must be accessible from a Macintosh platform to be considered. Title the disk, lastname-firstname. Include any instructions for viewing.
• Interviews: All prospective students, whether living in New York City or beyond, will be required to take part in an in-person or telephone interview as part of the application process. 

Please submit ONE of the following:

• Online portfolio submission for MPS Live Action Short Film applicants is available through SlideRoom. To access the portal and find out more information, please click here.
• Video: A DVD (region 1 only) or Mini DV format. Work must not exceed 10 minutes in length.
• Still Imagery: 10-20 images on CD (jpeg format for the Macintosh platform). Please also include an image list and printouts of the images as well. Files must be labeled as follows: First initial, last name, project title (or number) of image (e.g., jdoe-project.jpg). Digital images must be 1500 pixels in width or height at 72 dpi.
• The images should express the concepts of a central theme. A brief written commentary may accompany the images.
• No PowerPoint or other type of presentation format or online portfolio will be accepted.
• Interviews: A select group of applicants will be chosen for in-person interviews. Selected students living beyond a 1,000-mile radius of New York City may request to waive the in-person interview. In such instances, a telephone interview is required. 

Applicants must submit their portfolio (still images and/or videos) through SlideRoom. To access the portal and find out more information, please click here. SlideRoom will allow you to create an inventory of works with the following information for each file: title, date, medium, dimensions or running time, and optional notes.

The portfolio requirements for SlideRoom are:

• 20 still images in .jpg format, not to exceed 5mb each in file size
• Videos uploaded as either .mov or mpeg4 files, not to exceed 60mb each in size, and total no more than 10 minutes (no matter how many videos are submitted)
• Application portfolios will be viewed on a 1920 x 1080 resolution screen. Files should be sized approximately 1920 x 1080 pixels at a resolution of 72 dpi.

Portfolio Submission Format

Any of the following formats are acceptable:

• Link to an online portfolio
• CD or DVD (please provide .jpgs, .mov, and other file formats compatible with Mac platforms; please do not include PowerPoint, Keynote, or .exe files)
• Physical printouts
• Video profiles should be in Quicktime .mov format, and must not exceed 20MB in file size. Videos can also be published online with a link (and password if required), or included on the Project Porfolio CD or DVD disc.

Important Submission Guidelines

You should conceive of your portfolio as a collection of projects. We are open to projects of varying aesthetic, formal and conceptual types. Whatever their form, projects should:

• Demonstrate an ability to think through a problem
• Articulate the designer’s approach and resolution in compelling ways
• Manifest solutions and offerings that show craft, rigor and delight.
• Please include at least 10 projects in your portfolio. These 10 projects may vary in complexity and kind. Below is a partial list of some possible project types:
  • Research project
  • Designed object/artifact
  • Craft/hack/mod
  • Business venture
  • Conceptual work
  • Published work
  • Pro-bono initiatives
  • Competition entries
• Several of your projects should show process along with finished work; we want to see how you came to a resolution, including some of your decision points along the way. Do not be afraid to show broken models, failed attempts, iteration and learning.

Be sure to include any published work (on the web, in print, or in exhibition), awards or competition submissions, and any other materials that evidence your commitment and passion for the enterprise of problem solving, celebration and design.

For accomplished designers: We will review your portfolios for concept development, sketching, iteration, research, problem solving, analytical thinking, strategy, prototyping, presentation and storytelling.

For qualified candidates entering the world of design: Products of Design welcomes candidates who do not have a formal design degree or experience in professional design practice. While these candidates’ portfolios may not emphasize the specific competencies listed previously for practicing designers, they must convey the applicant’s acute ability to think analytically and strategically, and to harness this thinking toward successful problem solving. Your portfolio projects may be less visual, but please include snapshots of your process, images of the project in its final form, screenshots or PDFs of written documentation, and any documentation or press coverage of results.

Communication design and graphic ability: In addition to strong strategic, research, and three-dimensional abilities, we are especially interested in candidates possessing strong two-dimensional skills who can create visually convincing artifacts. These can include graphic design, typography, motion graphics, branding, advertising, packaging, writing, websites, apps, and other collateral elements.

Optional Video Profile: Applicants are asked to submit an optional, speak-into-the-webcam video profile, 2-3 minutes in length, answering the following questions:

• What is your assessment of the current state of the design industry?
• Where do you see yourself within it, both now and in the future?
• At what scale are you most interested in working? Personal? Interpersonal? Community? Political? Global?

• Applicants must write a concise treatment for a documentary film they might wish to produce (two to three double-spaced pages in length). Be specific in detailing the nature of the issue to be addressed and describe the stylistic approach to be taken. Please be precise about what the audience will see on the screen and what the story will be from beginning to middle to end. Please submit ONE of the following:
• Video work: must not exceed ten minutes in length. DVD (region 1 only)
• Still imagery: 20 images on CD (jpeg format for the Macintosh platform). Files must be labeled as follows: First initial, last name, project title (or number) of image (e.g., jdoe_project.jpg). Digital images must be 1500 pixels in width or height at 72 dpi. The images should express the concepts of the central theme. A brief written commentary may accompany the images. No online portfolios will be accepted.
• Applicants without prior filmmaking experience must create a visual documentation of a subject. Using a visual vocabulary (video, photographs or mixed media), they must create a body of work that fully explores a documentary subject.
• Please contact the department with questions about the application requirements at mfasocdoc@sva.edu.

Assignment: A unique and complete short story/visual narrative utilizing one of the following three themes:

• PIE – The baked good, mathematical equiva­lent, information graphic, etc…
• The iconography of THREE – The number 3, the trinity, triptych, etc…
• EVIL – The embodiment of, as told in mythol­ogy or folklore, Satan himself, etc…

The format and content is up to each applicant to write, design and execute as he/she sees fit. Examples such as sequential narrative, illustrated novel, nar­rative body of work, animated short, etc. will be accepted. Minimum 2-5 pages/images required, or 2-5 minute minimum for video or animation submis­sions. Submitted in digital format (jpeg or PDF for­mat for the Macintosh platform), using labeling and file size guidelines as outlined below.  In addition, a brief (+/-500 word) typed statement outlining why the applicant chose the theme must accom­pany the short story/sequential narrative.

Portfolio: 15 to 20 digital images (jpeg format for the Macin­tosh platform). Files must be labeled as follows: first initial, last name, project title (or number) of image, e.g., jdoe_project.jpg. Digital images must be 1500 pixels in width or height at 72 dpi. No PowerPoint or other type of presentation format or online portfolio will be accepted. The work should be of professional publication quality or published work.

Statement of Purpose: A typed statement between 500 and 1,000 words defining why the applicant has chosen to apply to this program, what they hope to achieve during their course of study and what “storytelling” means to them. This statement of purpose replaces the one described in the general application requirements section.

Supplementary Material: Any other material outlining the applicant’s expertise in this discipline is encouraged but not required, including any or all of the following: Animation, audio, film or design portfolio/samples/video: mov, flv, or wmv files, not to exceed 10 minutes in length, up to 60MB each. Audio: mp3 not to exceed 10 minutes in length, up to 10MB each.

Published works of literature or professional writing samples.  Any published works of visual narrative or sequential samples that the applicant has contributed to or created, along with a writ­ten statement describing the challenges and achievements met along the way.

Applicants should be proficient in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, familiar with Adobe InDesign and own one mobile smart device (tablet or smart phone). Personal interviews are available, but not required.