Undergraduate Portfolio Requirements by Degree

The following are portfolio requirements for admission to each undergraduate program. Please note: SAIC discourages work that is copied or rendered directly from photographs, magazines, or other artists' works. Also, if any work in the portfolio is the result of collaboration, please include the names and roles of those who participated in the completion of the piece.

• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio
• Bachelor of Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Art Education
• Bachelor of Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Writing
• Bachelor of Arts in Art History
• Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Critical Studies
   

Submit 10–15 pieces of your best and most recent work. We will review your portfolio and application materials for merit scholarship once you have been admitted to SAIC.

When compiling a portfolio, you may concentrate your work in a single media or show work in a breadth of media. The portfolio may include drawings, prints, photographs, paintings, film, video, audio recordings, sculpture, ceramics, fashion designs, graphic design, furniture, objects, architectural designs, websites, video games, sketchbooks, scripts, storyboards, screenplays, zines, or any combination of the above.

Submit 10–15 pieces of your best and most recent work. We will review your portfolio and application materials for merit scholarship once you have been admitted to SAIC.

When compiling a portfolio, you may concentrate your work in a single media or show work in a breadth of media. The portfolio may include drawings, prints, photographs, paintings, film, video, audio recordings, sculpture, ceramics, fashion designs, graphic design, furniture, objects, architectural designs, websites, video games, sketchbooks, scripts, storyboards, screenplays, zines, or any combination of the above.

We will review your portfolio and application materials for merit scholarship once you have been admitted to SAIC.
The portfolio may consist of one or a combination of the following:

• 10 pages of poetry
• 20 pages of prose (fiction, creative nonfiction, or drama)
• 10 pages of a graphic novel

Please feel free to submit a visual portfolio with your writing portfolio if you also engage in studio practices.

Writing Sample

Submit one writing sample that is 5–7 pages in length for incoming first-year applicants, 7–10 pages (1750–2500 words) for transfer students. Relevant illustrations and bibliography should be included with the text but are not considered when calculating page limits.

The writing sample is one of the most important parts of the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Art History application and should demonstrate the applicant’s ability to express their ideas and knowledge in written form. Successful writing samples will demonstrate clarity of argument, facility with written language and grammar, and an ability to incorporate and cite research materials. Any expository essay that incorporates research will be considered, and a writing sample in art history is not required (though it is encouraged, especially for transfer applicants).

Portfolio

All BA in Art History applicants must include a visual portfolio as part of their application. In addition to the writing sample, submit 5–10 pieces of your best and most recent work as part of the portfolio. This collection should reflect your interests, skills, and willingness to explore, experiment, and express yourself.

The BA in Art History program incorporates studio practice as essential knowledge for work in art history, and all BA in Art History students take studio classes while at SAIC. Because the first-year studio foundations experience (Contemporary Practices) is shared with all SAIC BFA students, incoming applicants should expect to be immersed in visual and creative practices. While the writing sample and transcript are the most important parts of a BA in Art History application, applicants should use the portfolio to demonstrate their facility with visual making. In addition to conventional studio and design work, students may also submit alternative creative practices (for instance, video blogging, website design, or online curation).

The Undergraduate Program in Art History, Theory, and Criticism at SAIC also offers a BFA with Art History Thesis (BFAAHT).

Transfer applicants with little experience in studio or design practices are encouraged to consider these alternatives.

We will review your portfolio and application materials for merit scholarship once you have been admitted to SAIC.
The Department of Visual and Critical Studies seeks applicants who are interested in exploring meaning and experience within the visual world through a rigorous academic emphasis, and also in exploring different forms, written and visual, through which this research could be presented. 

There are two options for submitting your application portfolio and writing sample:

1. A portfolio showing 2D, 3D, or 4D studio work you've created, along with a writing sample that illustrates your critical skills
2. An alternative portfolio of collected images or objects, along with a critical writing sample that contextualizes the contents in the portfolio