Photography (MFA)

Required application materials

1. Application Form: Complete the online application. All applicants are required to apply online.
2. Application Fee: A nonrefundable $50 application fee paid as part of the online application. A $10 SlideRoom fee is also required.
3. Transcripts
4. Résumé: Submit a brief résumé/curriculum vitae summarizing your academic qualifications, relevant work experience, volunteer/community work, travel, exhibitions, public speaking, or any other relevant experiences as they may relate to your field of study, including dates and positions held. Please also note any special language or computer skills that you have.
5. Statement of Purpose: Please outline your reasons for applying to this program. In what ways will you contribute to the subject matter of the program? You should include a thoughtful description of your background, tentative plan of study or area of inquiry in the field as you now envision it, your professional goals, and how this graduate program will help you realize those goals. If you have not been enrolled as a student in the past five years, please address anticipated opportunities and challenges in pursuing the degree, and future career expectations upon completion of the program. (500-750-word limit)
6. Recommendation Letters: You are required to submit two letters of recommendation from faculty or people with whom you have worked professionally. Recommenders can submit recommendations online; instructions are included with the online application. If preferred, the recommendation form can instead be sent by mail in a signed, sealed envelope. To send by mail, download the PDF recommendation form found in the online application, complete the personal information, save the form, and forward it to the recommender for completion and submission. Applicants can also send signed and sealed recommendations to the Office of Admission using an Application Materials Cover Sheet.
7. Portfolio: The portfolio must be completed in SlideRoom only. Submit 20 images of fine art work, which may include painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, video, installation, or performance. You can also submit up to four three-minute clips of time-based work in any medium. Be prepared to provide title, medium, dimensions (height first), date, and description for each image. All videos and moving images must be submitted in SlideRoom. Video files should be no longer than five minutes in length.
8. Test Scores:TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE: All applicants whose first language is not English must submit valid TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores. The minimum score required for TOEFL (IBT) is 92, for IELTS is 7.0, and for PTE is 63. Our TOEFL institution code is 2638.
   A TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score is not required for applicants
   
   • Whose primary language is English
   • Who have earned a four-year degree from a U.S. college/university or from a university where English is the primary language of instruction
   Upon review of your application, the Office of Admission reserves the right to request a TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score.
   Arrange for the testing service to send your test scores directly to The New School using the codes listed above. We accept scores from the past two years. If your scores are older, you must retake the test.
   Applicants also have the option of enrolling in The New School English as a Second Language (ESL) program. Students must pass Level 6 to waive the TOEFL/IELTS/PTE requirement. Visit the ESL website for more information.
9. Interview: As part of the admission process, all finalists for the program will be interviewed by the Graduate Faculty.