School of Visual Arts MFA in Art

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How to apply:

The Master of Fine Arts Program in Art with its emphasis on professional study is designed for the mature individual who by previous training and study has sufficiently prepared for the undertaking. It is strongly suggested that applicants have a minimum of 12 credits of Art History at the undergraduate level. Any qualified student who has graduated from an accredited college that offers a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or a Bachelor of Fine Arts in the area of Art or the equivalent, may seek admission.

The process of applying for admission to graduate school at Penn State requires an applicant to complete the Electronic Application and to submit the following application materials to the graduate program:

• Two official transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended, both undergraduate and graduate.
• A Transcript Request Form is provided for your convenience.
• International applicants must submit official or attested university records, with certified translations if the records are not in English.
• Notarized copies are not sufficient.
• Standardized test scores as required (TOEFL, GRE, MAT, GMAT, etc.). *
• Application for Visa Document (International students only).
• Assistantship/Fellowship application (optional).
• 3 letters of reference attesting to the applicant's scholarship and ability to work independently. No forms are required. The name of the applicant should be written on the outside of the envelope. Letters should be sent directly to the Penn State School of Visual Arts. The address is listed below.
• Statement of professional aims.
  • This statement should include the applicant's intentions for his/her proposed study, some indications of his/her philosophy, beliefs, and goals in regard to education and art and should give evidence that he/she is prepared to undertake the work outlined for the Master of Fine Arts Program.
  • In the upper right-hand corner of your statement, please indicate your proposed area of concentration.
• Portfolio of slides, or a CD/DVD with images of the work. A selection of no fewer than twenty examples should be presented. The majority of the work should be in the area of the applicant’s interest with a lesser emphasis on related areas. Format digital images as jpegs with a resolution of 72 dpi and no more than 600 pixels in the largest dimension. It is suggested that in the case of time-based work, clips of no more then 3 minutes should be included as part of the portfolio. YOU MUST INCLUDE A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE FOR THE RETURN OF YOUR PORTFOLIO.

* GRE scores are not required for application to the MFA program, although TOEFL scores are required from all international applicants.

Please mail the above required forms or documentation by the postmark deadline:

December 15 – Fellowship Application Deadline to be considered for the following fellowship and scholarship awards: University Graduate Fellowship; Bunton-Waller Graduate Award; Graham Endowed Fellowship; Fund for Excellence in Graduate Recruitment.

January 15 – Graduate Admissions deadline and for consideration for Graduate Teaching Assistantships. Priority consideration given for admissions. This is a postmark deadline.

School of Visual Arts MFA in Studio Art
The Pennsylvania State University
210 Patterson Building
University Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814.865.0725

If you do not wish to pay the application fee by credit card, please download the Application Fee Form and mail it along with your non-refundable application fee of $45.00 U.S. to:

Graduate Enrollment Services
The Pennsylvania State University
114 Kern Building
University Park, PA 16802

APPLICATIONS WITHOUT FEE PAYMENT CANNOT BE PROCESSED.

For more information, please contact:

Ann Tarantino , Graduate Program Coordinator in Art
210 Patterson Building
814.863.0111
adt116@psu.edu