MFA Admission Criteria

Degree program admission is based on the following criteria:

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for summer start dates. 

• Completion of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.
• A minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Completion of an application for admission into the MFA program.
• Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate colleges and universities.
• Two letters of recommendation from educators, employers, or professional colleagues familiar with the applicant’s work. Letters should be submitted online during the application process, or sent to Graduate Admissions. In situations where a student has been away from academic study for ten years or more, he/she should consult the program director to identify who could best recommend the student for admission into the program.
• Non-native speakers of English who did not graduate from an English-speaking institution of higher learning will be required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. Candidates will be required to submit TOEFL scores of 570 (paper-based) or 88 (internet-based) or higher, or an IELTS score of 6.5 or higher.
• A resume or curriculum vita.
• Portfolio of representative professional work completed in the last five years.
• A personal interview (in-person or via video conference), with the director of the MFA

Additional Portfolio Requirements

Electronic downloadable formats are required and a table of contents document must be included. Links to websites are not a substitute for submitting a portfolio, and CD/DVD submissions will not be accepted. Additional documentation such as reviews, up to five pages, may be included in the portfolio. All work in the portfolio must have been completed in the last five years. A table of contents document must be included. 

• Choreographic/Performance Art/Time-Based Works: Movement-based artists must submit 15 minutes of video files. For all time-based work please indicate in the title-descriptions, spaces, title, medium, duration, and date. With longer pieces, indicate any time-frame which you’d like the review committee to focus on; for example [13:34 - 16:54].
• Visual Works: Visual artists must submit 15 images. Include title, medium, dimension and date of each image. Up to four images may be details of other objects in the portfolio.
• Written Works: Writers must submit 15 pages. Submissions may include poetry, short stories, writing for performance (excerpts from scripts, spoken word texts, or scores for dance theatre, etc.).