Fine Arts: How to Apply
Admission to the graduate division is highly selective and competitive. CCA admits to its graduate Fine Arts Program students who have demonstrated intellectual promise and creative achievement. Candidates are evaluated based on a thorough review of their qualifications and preparedness for graduate study.
Applications are now being considered for Fine Arts. Applicants should submit all materials as instructed below.
Focus Areas
Please note: the Graduate Program in Fine Arts application will ask you to choose one of two focus areas.
Studio Practice
Rooted in critically engaged studio practice, this focus area enables students to gain a deeper understanding of their own artistic ideas and vision. The curriculum addresses the various ways in which artistic practices relate to and affect larger social and cultural landscapes while developing the individual skills that students need to pursue careers in the visual arts. Most students are interested in this general curriculum.
Social Practice Workshop
The Social Practice Workshop is a focus area within the larger interdisciplinary program that incorporates art strategies as diverse as urban interventions, Utopian proposals, guerrilla architecture, "new genre" public art, social sculpture, project-based community practice, interactive media, service dispersals, and street performance. This concentration incorporates a more enhanced focus on preparing students to conceive projects, articulate narratives that support them, and cultivate a network of fellow practitioners and supporting institutions.
Dual Degree
Students interested in applying to the dual-degree program with the Visual and Critical Studies Program must complete two separate applications and follow the admissions requirements for each program.
Application Requirements:
- Application ($70 nonrefundable fee required)
- Portfolio
- Personal essay
- Résumé / Curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation
- Official college transcripts
Application
Applicants must complete and submit the application online; hard-copy, or paper, applications are no longer accepted. All applicants are required to pay a nonrefundable $70 application fee. (Note: Due to the volume of applications received, CCA is unable to return any materials; please do not submit any original artworks or writings.) Apply online now.
While the Graduate Program in Fine Arts is an interdisciplinary program, the first round of the admission process is made up of committees that specialize in specific areas of studio practice. Keeping this in mind, please specify the media that best characterizes the work in your portfolio. Your answer on the application will help determine the make-up of your initial review panel.
- Ceramics
- Glass
- Interdisciplinary
- Jewelry / Metal Arts
- Media Arts
- Painting / Drawing
- Performance
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Textiles
- Wood / Furniture
Personal Essay
A personal essay of 500 to 1,000 words must accompany the application. Describe your work and outline your artistic and educational objectives.
Portfolio
Applicants should submit their portfolio online by registering for a SlideRoom account specifically for CCA applicants. Once an account is registered, instructions on how to create the portfolio will be provided.
In addition to academic and professional work, applicants are encouraged to include examples of personal work, too. CCA faculty reviews all submitted portfolios. (Note: Supplemental portfolio materials sent separately to the Admissions Office are reviewed at faculty discretion.)
The portfolio can include up to 15 still images (not to exceed 5 MB each), video and time-based or interactive media (not to exceed 60 MB each), or other creative visual pieces.
Please keep in mind that once your portfolio has been uploaded and submitted to the college no further changes can be made. Portfolios are due January 5, 2012. (Note: A $10 administrative fee is charged at the time you submit your portfolio with SlideRoom.)
For technical issues with your portfolio, please email help@slideroom.com for assistance.
Résumé / Curriculum Vitae
Please outline your educational and professional background and relevant experiences and activities, including community work.
Transcripts
Official, sealed transcript of undergraduate coursework must be sent to the Enrollment Services Office—Graduate Admissions (address below). Applicants who have taken graduate coursework are welcome to also send transcripts in support of their graduate application.
For international applicants, all transcripts must be in English or accompanied by a certified English translation of the original.
All admitted students who were still in the process of completing a bachelor's degree at the time of applying must send the final transcript before enrolling to verify completion of the bachelor’s degree, including official notation of date of graduation, no later than August 1, 2012. Unofficial (unsealed) copies are not accepted.
Letters of Recommendation
Two letters of recommendation are required from academic or professional sources. No personal recommendations please. We highly recommend that you take advantage of our electronic recommendation process. This will ensure that we receive your recommendations in a timely fashion and it is convenient for your recommenders.
When submitting your electronic application, you can provide the email address for your recommenders. Your recommenders will receive the recommendation form electronically and then return it electronically to CCA.
Interview
Applicants may be contacted to arrange an interview with the graduate program manager or a faculty member.
In addition to these requirements, international students must submit the additional requirements.
All documents and portfolio are due by January 5, 2012.
Official college transcripts and supplemental application material should be mailed to:
California College of the Arts
Enrollment Services Office—Graduate Admissions
1111 Eighth Street
San Francisco, CA 94107-2247
Phone: 415.703.9523
Fax: 415.703.9539
graduateprograms@cca.edu
Graduate Fine Arts Merit Scholarships
The graduate fine arts admissions committee selects a limited number of outstanding students for the prestigious graduate merit scholarships. For the 2011–12 academic year the renewable awards ranged from $18,000 to $36,000 per year.
Diversity Scholarships
The graduate division awards several entering students special diversity scholarships. Last year these renewable awards ranged from $10,000 to $22,000 per year.
Teaching Assistantships
Teaching assistantships are based on merit and are awarded by the graduate chairs in conjunction with graduate faculty in the second year.