Undergraduate Art and Design Admissions

Art students making ceramic bowls.

厙ぴ勛圖

Your creative future starts here.

Explore ideas, materials, and methods while developing the artistic, technical, and professional skills to bring your work into the world. 

  厙ぴ勛圖 offers undergraduate degrees in Art Education, Graphic Design, and Studio Art. No portfolio is required for admission. 

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Art Education

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Become an Artist and Educator. Build a strong foundation across the visual arts while preparing to teach students in elementary, middle, and high school settings. 

The Art Education program combines studio practice, art history, instructional methods, classroom experiences, and student teaching leading to Colorado K–12 Visual Art teacher licensure. 

Admission requirement: Apply to 厙ぴ勛圖. No portfolio is required for admission. 

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A student project with art education majors.

Graphic Design

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Turn Ideas into Visual Communication. Develop as a creative problem-solver through the study of typography, branding, publications, packaging, web, motion, interactive design, and emerging technologies.   

Build technical and professional skills through hands-on projects, internship experience, and a senior portfolio that prepares you for work in design and the creative industries. 

Admission requirement: Apply to 厙ぴ勛圖. No portfolio is required for admission. 

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Graphic Design Senior Showcase 2024.

Studio Art

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Build a Creative Practice of Your Own. Experiment across traditional and digital media while developing the technical skills, critical thinking, and individual voice needed for a life in the arts. 

Explore areas including Ceramics, Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture & Digital Fabrication, and Integrated Media Arts—with opportunities in game design, digital illustration and animation, video and photography, and immersive media.   

Admission requirement: Apply to 厙ぴ勛圖. No portfolio is required for admission. 

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Students doing a bronze pour in the Maxine and Don Schwartz Sculpture Foundry.

How to Apply

Scholarships Opportunities

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Submit a digital PDF portfolio containing five examples of your artwork + a statement of goals to be considered for scholarships.

Questions? Email Donna Goodwin, Reggie Winters or Jessica Castleberry.

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In addition to university-level scholarships, the School of Art and Design also offers talent and foundation scholarships through portfolio submission. To be eligible, you must be admitted to a program within the School of Art and Design.

If you are a returning student who wants to renew their scholarship for another year or who wants to be considered for additional scholarships, you must complete the . It is recommended that you fill it out between when it opens on November 1 and the priority deadline on February 1. Portfolio submissions are still accepted after this deadline.

  • New students:
    • Apply by 3/15 for full scholarship consideration, but funds may be available after this, so submit your application even if it is after the preferred deadline.
    • Scholarships offered by 4/1泭
  • Returning students:
    • Apply for full scholarship consideration by 4/15
    • Scholarship offered in May

*Please note that scholarship offers may not show up immediately in My厙ぴ勛圖.

Include the following materials in a single PDF document:

  • Cover Page
    • First and last name
  • List and descriptions of artwork
    • Title of each work
    • Media used
    • Description of each piece (50 words or less)
  • Images of artwork
    • Include five different pieces
    • One piece per page
    • Include only one image of each piece
  • Statement of Educational Goals
    • Between 250 and 500 words
  • Scan/photograph flatwork (drawings, paintings, etc.) to fill the digital image completely. Do not include a border, matte, or frame.
  • We strongly encourage incoming first-year students to include work in a variety of media.
  • If you are submitting video, animation, or other time-based work, please include a web link in your PDF.
  • If you have an online portfolio or professional website, you may include a link on your cover page.
  • Photograph your work on a large, smooth, neutral, solid-colored background (gray or beige) without distracting textures.
  • Do not shoot your artwork on a pure white or black background (the dramatically light or dark color of the background will interfere with your camera���s internal metering system and produce an under- or over-exposed image).
  • Shoot your work so that it is perpendicular to the camera lens. Otherwise, the lens will create unusual distortions.
  • When shooting two-dimensional pieces, it may be easier to lay your work on the ground and position yourself above the work. Using a ladder or tripod may help you position yourself high enough to avoid cropping any of the artwork. Large work may need to be propped up on a support and shot straight on.
  • When shooting three-dimensional work, make sure to position the work carefully for the most descriptive point of view. This may require positioning yourself above or below the work, or shooting an additional view from a different vantage point.
  • Shoot tightly, emphasizing the piece you are shooting. Pay attention to everything in your frame. Do not include mattes, frames or distracting background elements.
  • Do not shoot any framed artwork under glass. The camera will capture distracting highlights and reflections in the glass.
  • Shoot your work outdoors, preferably on an overcast day. Do not shoot in a bright sunny location. The sunlight will create extreme highlights and distracting shadows. If you cannot shoot on an overcast day, then place your work on the north side of a building, again to avoid extreme lighting.
  • If your camera has manual controls, you should ���bracket��� your exposures, meaning you should shoot at the camera���s suggested meter reading as well as shooting two additional frames, one under and one over the suggested meter reading. For example, if your automatic setting records the piece at f/11, shoot another at f/16 and another at f/8.
  • Ask your art teacher for assistance if you are unsure about capturing good quality images for your portfolio.

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You are welcome, but not required, to use one of our templates to create your scholarship portfolio. If you choose to use a template, you may modify it as you see fit.

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Contact PVA Admissions