MFA Studio + Design

Fall 2013 MFA Studio and Design Programs

  • Graphic Design
  • Industrial Design
  • Photography
  • Painting/Sculpture/New Media
  • Ceramics
  • Metal

The application deadline is January 4, 2013.

Applications and application material received after this deadline will not be reviewed for admission. The School of Art + Design Graduate Committee will finalize all admission reviews by mid-March of 2013. Applicants will be notified of admissions decisions shortly after.

Preparing the Graduate Application

The application process is online. The application fee of $70.00 for domestic applicants and $90.00 for international applicants is required before the application can be considered for review. The fee is paid by credit card. Please review the site information and note that applications cannot be submitted past the deadlines indicated. Select in the online application the MFA program of your choice. If you are applying to New Media, select “Art and Design” only.

The GRE or GMAT exams are not required.

Items that need to be uploaded are:

  1. Official Transcripts: An academic record of all course work will be uploaded into the Educational section of the on-line application. The academic record will be reviewed by the School of Art + Design Graduate Office and forwarded to the review committee with the application and additional applications materials also submitted on-line.

  2. Letters of reference: Three letters of reference are required for all applicants. All letters should be submitted online by the references and the instructions for this process are included with the on-line application. The reference will be asked to write a letter and should provide information regarding the applicant's maturity, dependability, and potential for teaching, in addition to evaluating the applicant's creative and scholarly achievement. All letters of reference submitted on-line are available for view by the School of Art + Design Graduate Office and will be forwarded to all review committees with all application material.

  3. Vitae or Resume: One copy per application is required and uploaded into the Statements section of the on-line application. Include work and teaching experience, awards, exhibition record, and publications. This information will assist in consideration for graduate appointment positions.

  4. Statement of Intent: Your statement of intent is a personal essay of up to 1,000 words that describes your work and outlines your artistic and educational objectives. Statements are uploaded in the Statement section in the on-line application. This material will be available for view by the School of Art + Design Graduate Office and forwarded to the review committee with all application material.

  5. Portfolio: Your portfolio should showcase your strongest work and convey an understanding of your creative research practice. Portfolios must be submitted online, through the Fall 2013 Graduate Portfolio Submission form, and on CD or DVD. The portfolio should consist of 15 to 20 images (required), up to 2 movies (optional), a website link (optional) and a work description sheet (required).

    Each image should not exceed 3MB. On the online form, the images will be arranged by file name in alphabetical order, and this is how your portfolio will be presented to the review committee — you may wish to take this into consideration in determining file names. Movies should not exceed 1 minute, or 50MB. These video files should be in a conventional file format (such as .mov, .avi, .mp4). The work description sheet should include your full name followed by an itemized description of each work, including title, year, materials, and dimensions. You may add a brief description of the work.

    Label the CD or DVD with your full name and program designation, without attaching an adhesive label to the CD or DVD.

    Please send the CD or DVD and the work description sheet to:

    School of Art + Design Graduate Office
    138 School of Art + Design Building
    408 East Peabody Drive
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    Champaign, IL 61820

    Never submit original work or printed material: it will not be included in the review process, and we will not return your portfolio.

  6. For international students:  English Proficiency test results (TOEFL or IELTS). See for details:  http://www.grad.illinois.edu/admissions/instructions/04c. Please note that the School of Art + Design sets a slightly higher standard compared to the general campus requirements:  a minimum TOEFL score of 96 iBT (or 590 on the paper-based exam, or 250 on the computer-based exam), or a 6.5 IELTS score is required for admission.

About financial aid

The School of Art + Design offers several opportunities for financial support for graduate students. The applicant should check the appropriate boxes on the Graduate Application online.

The School of Art + Design encourages domestic applicants to apply for financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for possible Federal Work Study (FWS) Graduate Assistantships. To be considered for this financial aid, applicants should file a FAFSA application electronically using the FAFSA website: www.fafsa.ed.gov. Additional information regarding this financial aid can be found on the University of Illinois Office of Student Financial Aid (OFSA) website: www.osfa.illinois.edu. The OFSA will notify applicants electronically if they are eligible for a FWS Graduate Assistantship.

The types of financial support provided by the School of Art and Design are:

  1. Graduate Fellowships: A competitive award granted to degree candidates who have demonstrated high scholar and merit and awards. The Graduate Review Committee in the School of Art + Design and the University of Illinois Graduate College determines the candidates for all fellowship awards. A fellowship does not require service and the stipends range from $10,000 to $17,000 for the academic year. All fellowships include a waiver of tuition and a partial waiver of university student fees.

  2. Graduate Appointments: Teaching Assistant, Graduate Assistant (often technical support), and Research Assistant positions are available each academic year. The Graduate Review Committee in the School of Art + Design determines the candidates for all positions. As with fellowships, all positions are competitive, and they are awarded to candidates that have demonstrated high scholarship and merit. Currently a nine-month 25% graduate appointment offers a stipend which is currently $7,410.06 for the academic year. The appointment requires ten hours a week of service and a full waiver of tuition and partial waiver of university student fees. International Students may have to pass an EPI exam http://cte.illinois.edu/testing/oral_eng/main.html in order to be considered for a teaching appointment.