Studio Art Entry-Portfolio Review Process

All students admitted to UNT who wish to major in Studio Art are designated as a pre-major in Studio Art until the entry-portfolio review process is completed and the student is accepted into one of the seven concentrations.

Important: You must complete the Foundations courses before you may complete the entry-portfolio review process. Read the first question and answer for details.

Due Oct. 15 in Fall | March 15 in Spring

Late portfolios will not be accepted. Submit all contents through unt.slideroom.com, the portal for submitting application materials.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When may I apply?

Students must have completed the following:
a) Completion of Foundations courses (four courses total) with grades of C or better

  • Grades must be posted; these cannot be in-progress courses.
  • If you are not sure if you have completed these or not, contact your academic advisor.

b) Completion of at least nine credit hours (three courses) of 2000-level or higher studio art courses.

  • At least one course must be in the concentration you wish to pursue
  • A grade of “B” or better is required in the concentration-specific course.
    • For example, if you are applying to Ceramics, you must have completed at least one Ceramics class with a B or better; if you are applying to the Photography concentration, you must have completed at least one photography class with a B or better, etc.

c) Students must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher.

All eligibility requirements must be met. Your portfolio will not be reviewed if you do not meet the eligibility requirements. If you have questions about whether or not you meet the eligibility requirements, contact your academic advisor.

2. May I apply to more than one concentration?

Yes! For instance, if you want to review for Ceramics, you must have taken and completed and earned a B or above in a Ceramics course. If you want to review for both Ceramics and Photography, you need to have taken and completed and earned a B or above in both Ceramics and Photography.
You must apply for each concentration by indicating in which areas you are interested in the online form that is part of the Slideroom.com application. You may pursue multiple concentrations as a double major should you be accepted to both. Upon notification of your acceptance(s), you will be asked to confirm the concentration(s) that you intend to pursue.

3. What if I am not a UNT student?
Acceptance into the concentration does not constitute acceptance to UNT. You must be accepted by UNT Admissions to pursue a B.F.A. at UNT. But, you absolutely may submit your portfolio in advance of your application and acceptance to the university. All eligibility requirements still apply; the current or transfer GPA is considered as the overall or cumulative GPA.
4. What if I don't pass the entry review?
You will receive feedback on your portfolio, and you may reapply in any subsequent long semester. You should discuss additional details and course planning with your CVAD academic advisor.
5. When will I be notified of acceptance?
You will receive a notification within one month of applying (Fall: Nov. 15 | Spring: April 15). Once you confirm acceptance, you will receive notification of the next steps and a degree plan.
6. How will my portfolio be assessed?
Portfolios will be reviewed by faculty in each concentration based on the following criteria in the Studio Art Entry Review Rubric.

Portfolio Requirements

1. Artwork

Apply separately to each concentration you would like to study.

Submit your work that best highlights your skill, technical competencies (see below), and concepts from the media area in which you plan to concentrate. Your submitted work will be assessed on the following medium-specific competencies.

Technical Competencies by Concentration

For all concentrations, successful work submitted must demonstrate technical proficiency with the chosen medium, be high quality, and be presented professionally.

Ceramics: Demonstrate basic technical skills in hand-building and/or throwing

Drawing and Painting: Demonstrate technical skills in paint application, color mixing, compositional arrangement, and drawing methods.

Metalsmithing and Jewelry: Demonstrate good craftsmanship and finish.

New Media Art: Demonstrate proficiency in video capture, audio recording, and non-linear editing and exporting using digital cameras and editing software.

Photography: Demonstrate proficiency in image exposure, color correction, and tonal correction using digital cameras and editing software.

Printmaking: Demonstrate proficiency in creating strong visual matrixes, printing matrixes with fidelity, and curating prints that use at least two printmaking processes. Images 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9 will show three limited editions of three consistent prints each. Additional images may be prints or other related media. Artworks should be photographed or scanned showing the whole print, including the deckle, torn, or cut edge of the paper.

Sculpture: Demonstrate basic technical skills in woodworking, welding, mold-making and casting.

A minimum of half of your portfolio should be based on the concentration for which you seek entry. The portfolio requires 12 to 18 individual artworks. If appropriate, include detailed images.

The artwork must be legible.

Please document your work with the best possible photographs. Some good guides include the following.

2. Transcripts

Upload your transcripts to unt.slideroom.com, the portal for submitting application materials. UNT students must include an unofficial copy of their transcripts, which may be downloaded from My.UNT.edu. For transfer students, you must include unofficial transcripts from all previous institutions attended. All transfer transcripts will be included if you get your unofficial transcripts from the UNT Office of the Registrar. Acceptance to the program is contingent on a 2.5 GPA and good academic standing.

Save as a portable document file, .pdf, using the following file-naming convention: Last_First_Transcripts (example: Smith_John_Transcripts).

3. Statement

Write a statement of up to 2,000 characters responding to the following prompts.

  • Describe your artwork's strengths, weaknesses, and plans for further development.
  • Give examples of one historical and one contemporary practice/artist/method related to your artwork.
  • Describe the relationship between form and content in one of the artworks in your portfolio.
  • What resonates with you about the concentration to which you are applying?
  • Explain your work from a creative and technical standpoint. What is your body of work about and how are you expressing your ideas with the medium of your choice?