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Graduate Portfolio Requirements

The artwork submitted in the application should demonstrate original thinking and should be a reflection of yourself and how you view the world. Edit your work. Quality is more important than quantity. Work completed within the last two years is usually the strongest. Portfolios should be submitted at ccsmfa.slideroom.com, separately from your online application (Note there is a $18 fee). If it is not possible for you to upload your work, you may request an online portfolio review.

Portfolio Requirements by Program

Portfolio Best Practices

Check this list to avoid portfolio pitfalls before your submission.

Please do not include drawings of existing or famous characters anime or cartoon or game characters, create original characters instead.
If you are submitting a sketch, be sure that the sketch is a strong representation of your skill and ideas, and has a strong composition, movement, line quality, etc.
Don’t shoot all your photographs in one day or one session to create all the pieces for your portfolio; instead, show us how you use photography over time to document a unique perspective of the world around you.
When recording and editing sound, double-check your volume levels.
Supplemental written-word creative work can be submitted but it will not complete the visual art portfolio requirements detailed above
If you are going to link to a Google folder to share your work, make certain the Share Setting is “Anyone with the link” can view it since we have a team of people who may need to access it.

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Connect with the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research or a Program Chair to learn more about a specific program and CCS.

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Portfolio Requirements

The Portfolios/Examples of Student Works and Artist-Educator Essay will be uploaded to the program-specific SlideRoom application.

Art Education Portfolios/Examples of Student Works are assessed on the presence of the following criteria:

Ideation and Design thinking/Concept development
Creativity/Curiosity
Craftsmanship and Presentation quality/ Communication
Meaning Making/Social awareness/Empathy
The ability to work in interdisciplinary teams, e.g. group projects and collaborations. (Please see below regarding Submission of Collaborative Projects)

All submissions are subject to CCS’ Academic Integrity Policy. Works submitted must be your own original works; reference and inspiration images should be labeled as such.

Portfolio Requirements

Portfolios may display examples of work and experiences from a range of undergraduate disciplines, including but not limited to Architecture, Crafts, Fashion, Fine Arts, Illustration, Interior Design, Industrial or Product Design, Photography, Textiles and Transportation Design.
Applicants to Color & Materials Design should include a minimum of six projects in their portfolio, including academic, personal and professional work. Submit a variety of work that shares the breadth of your skills, however seemingly unrelated to color and materials design.
Portfolios should show use of Adobe Creative Suite, specifically Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and additionally, any rendering software if those skills are established.

We look for work that demonstrates:

A strong interest in color, materials and finish [CMF] design in conjunction with providing insight into your individual work
The use of CMF design to make aesthetic selections that express the functional and emotional attributes of products, artifacts or experiences
Both research and making practices e.g. hand skills including drawing, model-making and prototyping, evidence of construction and making
Good organization and design in presenting ideas and concepts
Engagement with sustainability and human-centered design methods in developing relevant ideas
Material based innovation
The ability to write and communicate in English at a professional level
The ability to work in interdisciplinary teams, e.g. group projects and collaborations. (Please see below regarding Submission of Collaborative Projects)

All submissions are subject to CCS' Academic Integrity Policy. Works submitted must be your own original works; reference and inspiration images should be labeled as such.

Portfolio Requirements

The graduate studies program in User Experience (UX) Design seeks students with the maturity and discipline to engage in an intensive, two-year commitment to prepare for a fulfilling career. Candidate’s submissions will be reviewed for clarity of intentions, structure of thinking, and demonstration of discipline and process. Critical thinking, curiosity, and creativity are essential. Point-of-view about user experiences and interaction design and self-awareness as to career aspirations, which may not be fully formed, are also important.

Portfolios and/or other forms of evidence such as dissertations and thesis projects, may display experience from a wide range of domains, including but not limited to interaction design, product design, industrial design, interior design and architecture, software design, and graphic design; even expertise in engineering, computing, technology, psychology, social sciences, and humanities are welcome. However, they must reflect one or more of the following.
- Design skills: user research, conceptual organization, disciplined process
- Systems skills: holistic viewpoints and systemic modeling in order to understand complex situations and needs, and to design for their improvement.
- Technical skills: evidence of manual dexterity, whether in physical materials, software interfaces, or human interactions, including iteration, refinement, and convergence toward the exploration of ideas.
- Visual thinking skills: evidence of the ability to visualize ideas and systems, and prototyping using images, plans, diagrams, and physical models.
- Technological awareness: Familiarity with new and emerging technologies in AI, AR, robotics, HMI, HCI and mobility systems.

Applicants from non-traditional design and visual arts backgrounds will need to develop competency in Adobe® visualization software (Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign) before commencing the program.

Added consideration will be given to applicants who possess one or more of the following optional skills:
- Professional experience with design or implementation teams in any of the domains mentioned above
- Empathy for social, economic, and global challenges, including but not limited to energy, natural resources, income disparity, and social justice
- Implementation of web, app, or other general coding skills for front-end, back-end, platforms, cloud, and APIs
- Proficiency in toolsets for 2D, 3D, animation, and prototyping of all kinds.

All submissions are subject to CCS' Academic Integrity Policy. Works submitted must be your own original works; reference and inspiration images should be labeled as such.

Portfolio Requirements

Submit any genre of visual art, in any medium – including, but not limited to: digital design, video/film, photography, sculpture, jewelry, painting, drawing, installation, performance, design plans or orthographic, prints, ceramics, fashion, etc.
Portfolio pieces do not need to relate to your intended major but they should show your strongest skills and work.
If you are unsure about what to submit, complete any or all of the following Suggested Assignments below.

Portfolio Requirements

Upload items that communicate your technical and design expertise and problem-solving skills. NOTE: It is required that applicants for the Transportation Design program include a significant number of original sketches in their portfolio submission and/or an additional sketchbook.

Your portfolio should include a minimum of 3-4 design projects including academic, personal and professional.
All projects must have a clear representation of the phases of the design process – including your project brief, research, target market development, concept ideation, development and final renderings and models – presented in a fluid, clear, systematic manner that is graphically composed.
All projects should be collectively presented in / submitted as a single PDF.
Submissions should demonstrate your technical creative skills including freehand sketching in accurate perspective, use of 2D rendering and 3D modeling and rendering software such as Photoshop, Alias, Blender, ZBrush etc.
Include a significant amount of original process sketches and/or a separate sketch book as a PDF attachment in SlideRoom.
The portfolio should reveal a high level of skill in critical thinking, creative conceptualization, overall project development, and visual communication of this development as well as final design results.
All project design work presented in your portfolio should be exclusively created by you unless otherwise noted. (Creative work from another student participating in a group project with you should be clearly identified as not your work. However, research & inspiration imagery/video/animations do not need to be identified if it is evident they are not your work.)

Graduate Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Requirements by Program

Art Education

Color & Materials Design

User Experience Design

Transportation Design

Portfolio Best Practices

Chat with the Chairs

Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Requirements