RISD : Rhode Island School of Design : GRADUATE APPLICATION

CONTACT
Admissions Office
Rhode Island School of Design
Two College Street
Providence, RI 02903-2791 USA
telephone: 401 454-6300; 800 364-7473
fax: 401 454-6309
e-mail: admissions@risd.edu

APPLICATION FORM + FEE
The graduate application form must be filled in completely and accompanied by a $60 application fee (non-refundable).

You may apply electronically or submit your application in a paper format:

>> begin the online application process now

>> download the graduate application (.pdf); upon completion, mail it to the address above

DEADLINE + NOTIFICATION

Application Deadline
Graduate candidates must submit all required credentials by January 21.

Notification of Admission
The only binding notification regarding the decision on your application will be an official letter signed by the Director of Admissions. Decisions will be mailed on or before March 24.

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 the status of the diploma to be the equivalent of a baccalaureate degree in the United States. All academic credentials must be translated into English.

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 form (pdf), which you may download here. (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 (see address at the top of this page) in time to meet the deadline.

PORTFOLIO
Applicants are required to submit 10 to 20 examples of their work. Your portfolio must be reproduced and may be submitted as 35mm slides or as digital image files on a CD or DVD.

Slides should be arranged in a plastic slide-holder page. If you choose to send your portfolio 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 (i.e. PowerPoint). You should also include a printed contact sheet/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 in video format or as QuickTime files on a CD or DVD.

Whichever format you select, include a work description sheet. 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 individual slides or CD/DVD and your description and thumbnail pages.

Return postage is required if you wish to have your portfolio returned First Class. In the case of portfolios submitted as slides, send a self-addressed envelope or mailer with the correct amount of postage. CD/DVDs will not be returned. 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.

Some programs suggest more specific ideas or requirements for your portfolio submission. Those department requirements are outlined below.

Architecture
Applicants are required to submit a portfolio that includes samples of art or design work, free-hand drawings, two or three-dimensional work in any media, or written material. You should choose the presentation format — typically a folder with slides or photographic reproductions — which you feel is most appropriate for the work.

Art + Design Education: MA/Museum Education Strand
Applicants with a degree in art history are not required to submit a portfolio, but may do so if they wish.

Digital + Media
Applicants should submit 20 slides in analog or digital form and may also include a CD or DVD of interactive work, a list of URLs and/or a 10-minute video of excerpts of their video work.

Graphic Design
Despite the program literature, slides are no longer the preferred format given newer digital options for submission. These include:

1) on disk, as individual tiffs or jpegs. Note: keep resolution appropriately small for on-screen or projected viewing (not larger than 2MB or so). Organize and sequence for viewing as a slideshow or in Preview.
2) on disk, in PowerPoint or Keynote self-running sequences
3) posted on a website; provide the URL with a disk submitted for backup

In all cases, be sure to:
· put your name on all your materials, including disks
· include a print-out of disk contents
· organize the work for our viewing (perhaps in folders for Print, Motion, Web, Student Projects, Professional Work and so on)
· provide a copy/backup disk as well
· provide hard copy of your work (in captioned thumbnail form, binder pages, as a book, etc.)
· also, be sure to give us a caption of what we are looking at: medium, date, etc., and any other brief description that helps us understand your work in context

Interior Architecture
Applicants should demonstrate evidence of freehand drawing ability in the form of sketches, drawings or models which show spatial concerns and an interest in the built environment. Details of any completed design projects — real or hypothetical — should also be included. Portfolios should be reproduced and submitted in the format which most appropriately presents the work.

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 applicants are are strongly encouraged — but not required — to submit the same. For more information, e-mail the department (ldardept@risd.edu).

Photography
Applicants should submit 20 images in the form of a PowerPoint or Keynote slide show, recorded 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 icon on the desktop should be labeled with the applicant’s name. If an applicant is unable to submit in this form, a sheet of 20 slides may be submitted. Slides should be clearly labeled on the mount with the artist’s name and numbered in viewing order, and should be accompanied by an Artist’s Statement and Work Description sheet.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Applicants must submit a written statement (500-750 words) outlining their interest in 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.

Art + Design Education: MA
Applicants are asked to address each of the following:
1) What are the reasons for your selection of a particular program strand?
2) Describe the skills, knowledge, and experiences you have in this area that you will bring to your graduate studies.
3) Describe two areas of interest related to your program strand that might be developed as thesis research topics.
4) Describe how an MA in Art + Design Education fits into your professional career plans.

Art + Design Education: MAT
Applicants are asked to address each of the following:
1) Why do you wish to become a K-12 visual arts educator?
2) What makes you think that you have the capacity to be an effective educator?
3)Describe a significant moment in any prior teaching experiences you might have had
4) Art is often placed on the margins of the school curriculum — make a compelling case for a more central role for it in the school life of all students.

Landscape Architecture
MLA applicants should give a summary of design and environmental experience.

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. The Internet-Based TOEFL (IBT) is becoming more widely available and we expect a minimum score of 93 on this scale. The paper-based version is still in use in some testing centers and we expect a score of 580 from this version of the examination. Finally, some applicants may have taken the Computer-Based TOEFL (CBT), which uses a different scoring scale, and we expect a result of at least 237 if you used this version of the test.

You should schedule to take the TOEFL well in advance of the application deadline you have chosen, as it may take (depending on the test center location and the test format) six weeks for your scores to be sent to RISD. Further information about TOEFL is available at www.toefl.org.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Students may choose to submit their result from IELTS in place of TOEFL. RISD expects a minimum score of 6.5 from an IELTS examination. Further information is available at www.ielts.org.

SUMMER PROGRAM IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES
The Summer Program in English Language Studies is recommended for non-native speakers of English who either need to, or would like to, increase their fluency in listening, reading or writing formal English. The program is six weeks long and involves preparing students for the regular RISD curriculum with a rich mix of classes. Students completing the summer program successfully will receive three Liberal Arts elective credits.

During these classes, students will listen to and write English, focusing on the specifics of art and design studies. In the reading and writing course, they will develop critical reading and writing skills: in the studio class, students will focus on the language of art critiques and develop self-confidence in speaking before their peers. Students will live on-campus in our residence halls, study in the collections of the RISD Museum of Art and RISD Library, travel as a group to New York City, and visit the many art galleries and smaller museums in and around Providence. During the six-week program, which begins in late June, students will have the opportunity to practice both formal and informal English within the larger community of students who will be studying at RISD during the summer months.

In rare circumstances, a student may be required to attend and successfully complete this program as a condition of their acceptance to the College.