Graduate Applicants
DEADLINE
The application deadline for entrance in 2013 has passed, but selected graduate programs may consider late applications. Contact the Graduate Program Director in each department for further information.
Next application deadline » January 10, 2014
ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPTS
You must submit official transcripts (displaying the registrar’s signature and school seal)
of all undergraduate and/or graduate study indicating satisfactory completion or evidence of anticipated completion of an undergraduate degree program from an accredited college or university.
If you are an international student completing requirements for a diploma rather than a degree, before your application can be reviewed you must submit a written statement prepared by an appropriate official at the school you are attending verifying that the status of the diploma is equivalent to a baccalaureate degree earned in the United States. All academic credentials must be translated into English.
MAT program
It is a state requirement that any candidate applying to a post-baccalaureate teacher education program in Rhode Island has achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 as an undergraduate. It is additionally a Department of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design’s requirement that a candidate has achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in her/his studio studies. A candidate who has already completed a Master’s degree must also meet these same cumulative GPA requirements in her/his graduate degree.
PORTFOLIO
Applicants are required to submit 10 to 20 examples of their work. Certain programs suggest more specific ideas or requirements for your portfolio. Those department requirements are outlined below the general portfolio instructions.
Your portfolio must be reproduced and may be submitted using Slideroom,
an online portfolio submission service or as digital image files on a CD
or DVD. Detailed instructions for using
Slideroom are available on the site (risd.slideroom.com). Slideroom charges $10 for using this submission option.
If you choose to send your portfolio directly as digital files, each image should be submitted as a separate file in .jpg format. Individual file sizes should not exceed 3MB. Do not combine images in a prepared presentation or slideshow of any type (e.g., PowerPoint or Keynote). You should also include a printed thumbnail page of the images on your disk. Please do not affix any adhesive labels to your CD/DVD.
Time-based work or performance pieces may be submitted as QuickTime or.mpg files on a CD or DVD. You should include a work description sheet along with your CD. Number the examples you are submitting and on your description page list the corresponding number, medium, size, date of completion and title for each work. It is very important that your full name and address are clearly noted on your CD/DVD and your description and thumbnail pages.
CD/DVDs will not be returned.
Architecture
Applicants are required to submit a hard-copy portfolio that includes reproductions of art and/or design work, free-hand drawings, two- and three-dimensional work in any media, or written material. The layout of your portfolio should be simple, direct and thoughtful. We strongly encourage using a quality binding technique such as perfect-bound, tape-bound or saddlestitching.
In addition to the hard-copy portfolio, you must submit a digital portfolio, either through Slideroom or on a CD or DVD. Please submit each image (not page spread) of your portfolio as a separate file in .jpg format. Individual file sizes should not exceed 3MB. Do not combine images in a prepared presentation or slideshow of any type (e.g., PowerPoint or Keynote), and please do not affix any adhesive labels to your CD or DVD. You must include a printed thumbnail page of the images on your disk.
Return postage is required if you wish to have your portfolio returned first class. International students should send postal coupons to cover return postage. Portfolios will be returned before May 15.
Please note: All portfolio materials will be handled with great care, but neither RISD nor the Admissions Office takes responsibility for loss or damage.
Digital + Media
Each applicant must submit a portfolio consisting of 20 images or representative examples in the medium/format best suited to presentation of the work. Many people submit a web-based portfolio of digital materials, including video. You may also include a CD or DVD of interactive work, a list of URLs and/or a 10-minute video of excerpts of video work or CG animation. Please mark disks as either Mac- or PC-compatible.
Graphic Design
Applicants are required to submit digital images that can be easily accessed for a quick overview and clear representation.
- Present all work in digital form (via Slideroom or a personal website) supported by hard copy for reference only; please do not send original posters, books, etc.
- Submit a total of 20-25 images
- Individual images (.tif or .jpg files) should not exceed 2MB; film and video should be in Quicktime format; for longer works, please provide excerpts only
- Include a .pdf hard copy of your image list, with a caption for each that includes medium, date and a brief description that helps us understand your work in context (i.e., a captioned thumbnail sheet in binder pages or in book form)
- Please provide a back-up disk (even if your work is posted on a website)
Interior Architecture
Portfolios are required with submissions, in either hard copy or digital format. If you’re submitting imagery on a CD, DVD or thumb drive, please
include a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 images as a single pdf file.
Landscape Architecture
Applicants to the two-year MLA program are required to submit 10 to 20
reproductions of their work; applicants to the three-year MLA program
are strongly encouraged‚ but not required‚ to submit the same number of
samples. MLA applicants should give a summary of relevant design and
environmental experience. For more information, email the department at ldardept@risd.edu.
Photography
Applicants should submit 20 images in the form of a PowerPoint or Keynote slide show, either using Slideroom or on a clearly labeled CD. The CD should also include two separate text documents: an Artist's Statement (about the work submitted), and a work description list. Note: Individual image file sizes in PowerPoint or Keynote should not exceed 2 MB. The CD icon on the desktop should be labeled with the applicant's name.
Teaching + Learning in Art + Design (TLAD)
MAT
Submit a portfolio consisting of 20 images exhibiting the depth and breadth of your studio experience: 10 images should represent work that reflects your investigations within a single medium; 7 images should represent your confidence in handling a variety of media; and three images need to be samples of drawings. Include with your portfolio a numbered image list of thumbnails identified by title of the work, medium, size and date.
MA Art + Design Education » Community Arts Education + Professional Development Tracks
Submit a portfolio of 20 images that most clearly represent your creative practice as an artist or designer. Include with your portfolio a numbered image list of thumbnails identified by title of the work, medium, size and date.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Applicants must submit a written statement (500–750 words) outlining their interest and goals in pursuing graduate study. Please be certain to include your full name and address on your statement form.
Please Note: Some programs suggest more specific ideas or requirements for your statement of purpose. Those department requirements are outlined below:
Teaching + Learning in Art + Design (TLAD)
MAT
Submit a written statement (500–700 words) describing your work as an artist or designer – what is it about? How do you feel your academic, studio or work experience prepares you for entry to a graduate teacher education program? Discuss how, in your opinion, the quality of an educator’s artistic practice contributes to high quality arts learning for children and youth. The significance of arts education in K-12 schools is not fully recognized; provide a succinct argument for the inclusion of the visual arts as a required and core subject for all students in K-12 schools.
MA Art + Design Education » Community Arts Education Track
Submit a written statement (500-700 words) describing your work as an artist or designer - what is it about? How do you feel your academic, studio or work experience prepares you for entry to a graduate program that has a focus on community arts education, especially for urban underserved youth? Discuss your interest in connecting your creative practice to work in the public sphere. Why is obtaining this graduate degree important to you; how do you think it will support your career aspirations?
MA Art + Design Education » Professional Development Track
Submit a written statement (500–700 words) describing your current work as an art or design educator. Why is obtaining this graduate degree important to you? How do you think it will support your career aspirations?
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Applicants should arrange to have three letters of recommendation written by professors, instructors or professionals with whom you have recently worked or studied. These letters are required. We strongly suggest that your recommenders use our recommendation form (pdf). Recommenders may also use their own stationery, but it is critical that they include your full name in their letter. Recommendations should be sent by the writer directly to the Admissions Office in time to meet the January 10 deadline.
Download recommendation form »
TESTS
Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
Results from the Graduate Record Examination are not required, but MA, MAT and MLA candidates are encouraged to submit their scores.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
If English is not your native language, you must submit results from the TOEFL. Proficiency in English is a prerequisite for acceptance and applicants must attain an acceptable score on this test. Different versions of this examination may be available, depending on where you are in the world. We expect a minimum score of 93 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (IBT), which is becoming more widely available. On the paper-based version, which is still in use in some testing centers, we expect a score of 580. Finally, some applicants may have taken the Computer-Based TOEFL (CBT),
which uses a different scoring scale; if you took this version of the test, we expect a result of at least 237. You should plan to take the TOEFL well in advance of the application deadline since (depending on the test center location and the test format) it may take six weeks for
your scores to be sent to RISD.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Students may choose to submit results from the IELTS in place of the TOEFL. RISD expects a minimum score of 6.5 from an IELTS examination.
SENDING YOUR MATERIALS
Depending on how you choose to submit your portfolio, you may use one or two different mailing addresses to submit all of your required credentials.
Your transcripts, recommendations and any required test results should be sent to our mail handling center by your school(s), recommender(s) or test agency. Please also send your personal statement and résumé or CV to:
Rhode Island School of Design
Admissions Mailing Center
PO Box 2667
Providence, RI 02906
USA
Please submit your portfolio (if not using Slideroom) directly to:
Graduate Admissions Office
Rhode Island School of Design
Two College Street
Providence, RI 02903
USA