Post-Baccalaureate Programs and Professional Certificates

The following academic departments participate in SAIC’s Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio:

• Art and Technology / Sound Practices
• Ceramics
• Fiber and Material Studies
• Film, Video, New Media, and Animation
• Painting and Drawing
• Performance
• Printmedia
• Visual Communication Design

Reduced Application Fee Deadline: December 1—$45 Application Fee
Application Deadline: January 10—$90 Application Fee
Apply Online

SAIC requires applicants to apply online. Filing an online application requires a valid credit card and a current email address. You may apply to up to three programs with one application and fee.

Applications must be submitted prior to 11:00 p.m. (CST) on the appropriate deadline. When you click the "submit" button on the Graduate Application form, you will be prompted to enter credit card information to pay the application fee. Your application form is not fully submitted until you have entered your credit card information.

Under no circumstances will an application fee be refunded. After you submit the application form, there will be a waiting period until you are able to see the program-specific application(s) in your portal.  

Once your program-specific applications are available, for each program you will be able to submit your program-specific application requirements (writing sample or portfolio), request the required recommendations, and see any additional checklist items.

A conferred four-year baccalaureate degree or its equivalent is required for admission to all graduate programs at SAIC. Transcripts are records of your studies that list the courses you completed, the grades received, and provide evidence of degree conferral. They may include grade sheets, exam results, final diplomas, degrees, or graduation certificates. Official copies are issued in the original language directly by your university. Copies must bear the official stamp or seal of the institution, as well as the signature of the appropriate official such as the dean, rector, registrar, controller of examinations, or office of teaching affairs. Photos, notarized copies, facsimiles, or email transmissions are not acceptable.

Official translations are expected for all educational documents issued in a language other than English. A translation agency or university language department should issue official translations typed on official stationary and the translator must attest proficiency in the original language and indicate their translations are accurate word-for-word.

During the application process, an unofficial transcript is acceptable for review pending an Admissions decision. Official transcripts are required upon admission. Include transcripts both official and unofficial from all universities/colleges from which a degree was obtained or prerequisites were fulfilled. You can attach unofficial transcripts as .pdf or .jpg files in the Educational History section of the application form. If you are in the process of completing a bachelor's degree when you apply, a transcript showing your first three years of study is acceptable.

Transcripts are considered official if sent directly from the degree- or credit-granting institution to the SAIC Graduate Admissions Office. Hard copy transcripts are considered official if the documents remain in the registrar's original signed and sealed envelopes. Official transcripts can be sent both in digital and hard-copy format. Digital transcripts can be sent from the degree- or credit-granting institution to gradmiss@saic.edu. Hard copy transcripts can be mailed to:

SAIC Graduate Admissions
36 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 1201
Chicago, IL 60603

Statement

Write a 500- to 700-word statement that describes your work. Discuss how you came to focus on the body of work that you wish to pursue at the graduate level. Also, discuss future directions or goals for your work, and finally describe how the SAIC program(s) to which you are applying is/are suited to your professional goals.

Save your statement of purpose as a PDF and upload it as an attachment. You will upload your statement of purpose in your application portal.

Letters of Reference

Two letters of reference are required. You are responsible for securing letters of recommendation from persons who are qualified to write about your potential for success at SAIC. If you are currently a student or are a recent graduate, we recommend you request letters of recommendation from current or former instructors.

Letters of recommendation should be submitted electronically via the Letters of Recommendation section in each program-specific application. In the Recommendations section click Add Recommender, where you will be asked to provide an email address and other details for each of your references. Once you click "Send To Recommender" an email will be sent from your application portal to your references, with instructions on how to submit their recommendations securely through our online portal.

If your references are unable to provide an online recommendation please contact the Graduate Admissions office at gradmiss@saic.edu.

Résumé/CV

A résumé is required for all graduate programs. Upload your résumé in the Résumé or Curriculum Vitae (CV) section of your application form.

E-Portfolio

Your portfolio should include samples of your recent work documented in 15-20 still images, or up to 10 minutes of time-based work, or a combination of the two in which one image is equivalent to approximately 30 seconds of time-based work. Please be sure to include media used and scale (dimensions) of each work in the description section available.

Applicants are required to submit an E-Portfolio. Once you pay the application fee, submit the application form, and the waiting period has passed, your application portal will direct you to create a SlideRoom portfolio for any program you selected in the application form that requires a portfolio of visual or multimedia work.

IMPORTANT: you will be prompted to create a SlideRoom profile and must use the same name, email, and other credentials EXACTLY as they appear in your application form. 

Submission specifications:

• Images: .jpg, .gif, .pdf (up to 5 MB each)
• Videos: .flv, .wv, .mov (up to 60 MB each)
• Audio: .mp3 (up to 10 MB each)
• Text documents: MUST be in .pdf format (up to 10 MB each)

International Language Test Score Requirements

TOEFL: 85 
IELTS: 6.5 
DUOLINGO: 120

International applicants are required to submit evidence of English language proficiency. You are waived from this requirement if you meet any of the following conditions:

• Your native language is English
• You have an undergraduate degree conferred by a U.S. accredited university
• You have an undergraduate degree conferred by a university whose primary language of instruction is English

If you do not meet one of these conditions, you must submit official English language proficiency test scores. You are strongly encouraged to schedule a language proficiency test appointment as early as possible in order to receive official test scores prior to the application deadline.

SAIC accepts official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and Duolingo. The TOEFL Institution Code for SAIC is 1713. Please upload an unofficial copy of your test score results to the International Requirements section of the application form.

Special Requirements

A phone or in-person interview is required. Please contact the Admissions office at 312.629.6100 or gradmiss@saic.edu to schedule an interview to take place between February 25 and April 5, 2020.

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio is a 30-credit hour program designed to help you build a portfolio for graduate school admission. See the specific course requirements below.

1. Curriculum: The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio program is designed to be a full-time, two-semester program. Any exception to this requirement must be approved by the program chair and the department chair and will only extend to one full calendar year.
2. Specific courses: Of the 24 studio credit hours, specific courses may be required depending on the department to which the student has been accepted. All post-baccalaureate students should discuss their schedules with the program chair or the department chair.
3. Full-time Status Minimum Requirement: 12 credit hours

Renowned Faculty

Our faculty are respected professionals committed to preserving and reusing historic buildings, furnishings, sites, and landscapes as well as social inclusion and cultural representation. Their professional affiliations in Chicago and abroad provide a powerful network of connections.

The Resources of a Leading Art and Design School

Students benefit from access to SAIC's state-of-the-art facilities and resources, including our Art Institute of Chicago and Ryerson and Burnham libraries—a major art and architecture research collection. Your peer group includes practicing artists and designers from around the globe.

Chicago: Your Urban Classroom

Chicago is a living laboratory and program projects involve buildings, sites, archives, and collections relating to rural, industrial, urban, and suburban communities.

Real World Experience

Students gain valuable experience through an internship with preservation agencies, conservators, restoration architects or designers of their choosing, or by participating in an SAIC study trip. Other SAIC courses or external professional training may satisfy this requirement.

Seamless Transition to SAIC's MSHP Program

Students who successfully complete the certificate program may choose to work with the program director to transfer credits to our Master of Science in Historic Preservation. Twenty-five percent of the degree requirements are satisfied upon completion of the certificate program.

The SAIC Historic Preservation Certificate is recognized by the National Council for Preservation Education.

Reduced Application Fee Deadline: December 1
Application Deadline: January 10 
Apply Online

1. Completed online application
2. Official college transcripts: A conferred four-year baccalaureate degree or its equivalent is required.
3. Statement of intent (completed with online application). Write a 500–700 word statement that describes your work or research. Please be sure to address the following:​
   1. Why you wish to pursue this historic preservation certificate.
   2. Future directions or goals for your work.
   3. Your understanding of preservation, architecture and place-making. (Save your statement of intent as a PDF and upload it as an attachment.)
4. 2 Letters of reference: A recent employer or educational reference is recommended.
5. Resume/CV
6. English Proficiency Scores - for students whose first language is not English, we require proof of English proficiency which may be submitted via one of the following tests: TOEFL: 100, IELTS: 7, DUOLINGO: 120.

The certificate includes five courses, totaling 15-credit hours, along with an external practicum, that meets the minimum standards and guidelines promulgated by the National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE), consistent with current standards for architectural education being reviewed nationwide by the American Institute of Architects' Historic Resources Committee.

Certificate courses fall into six program areas:

1. Preservation Documentation
2. Materials Conservation
3. Architectural History
4. Preservation Planning
5. Design Studio Focused on Preservation
6. Preservation Practicum

Click here to view the Historic Preservation brochure.