Apply to PNCA’s Graduate Programs

Your portfolio is your best opportunity to show us who you are as an artist or designer. Be sure to highlight your strengths as well as work that can indicate your goals for developing a creative practice at PNCA.

You are required to submit 10-15 images of visual artwork including but not limited to: drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, digital painting, graphic design, video work, animation, sound, performance art, interdisciplinary art, etc.

Include Title, Medium, and Dimensions (or length for time-based work) information where applicable. You are encouraged to submit descriptions with each piece if you would like.

If you have any questions about what to include, contact us in the Admissions Office at 503-821-8972 or pncaadmissions@willamette.edu. Please don't submit original works directly to the Admissions Office.

For each piece you will upload to your portfolio on our application page, you will need

• Title
• Medium
• Dimensions (2D/3D artwork) / Length (Time-based work)

File format guidelines:

Fill out your application and upload your remaining application materials:

General Requirements

• Unofficial Undergraduate Transcript
  • Submit an unofficial transcript from the institution that granted/ will grant your undergraduate degree. This can be a scan of a paper transcript or a digital file downloaded from your degree-granting school. If admitted to PNCA, your official transcript in its original sealed envelope will need to be submitted to PNCA before starting classes.
• Resume/CV
  • Submit a resume and/or CV that is up to date. Include professional experiences as well as related activities such as awards and exhibitions. Your total submission should be limited to two pages.
• Two References
  • The strongest references are those who are familiar with your practice/ scholarship/ skills/ experience. Recommendations from relatives or personal friends may not be acceptable. Applicants are asked to enter the name, title, organization and relationship of the recommenders selected as part of the online application process.

Review program specific application information below to include them in your application.

The individual Graduate Program Enrollment Committees review applications once they have received all required materials from the applicant including the letters of recommendation. You will be notified by email and mail. Notifications begin by the end of February for summer and fall enrollment.

• 3 Essay Questions
  • Who is your intellectual family? Which artists, critics, writers, theorists, philosophers, activists, etc. have influenced how you see the world? What have you done, or what will you do differently based on that perspective? [500 word limit]
  • In your view, what part of contemporary image-making or visual culture needs a critical eye and why? [500 word limit]
  • Why do you want to be a student in PNCA's Critical Studies program? What do you plan to do with this degree? [250 word limit]
• A Writing Sample [1500 - 2000 words]
  • Submit a writing sample from the last two years. This can be an excerpt from an academic paper, a review of a piece of art, a blog post - anything that you think highlights how you use the written word.
• Minimum GPA: 3.0

• Statement of Purpose [500 -700 words]
  • Please use this statement to address the focus of your work and the direction you wish to pursue in the MFA in Print Media. Discuss your reasons for applying to the MFA in Print Media and the goals you wish to achieve during your time at this program. Be specific as to your focus of research and how you see this evolving or changing during your time in the Print Media program. Discuss how the "print matrix" informs the outcomes of your work and reference the influences and issues that shape the context for your creative practice.
  • Applicants to the Dual MFA/MA program track should also address why you are a fit for this program. Be sure to communicate how the combination of the Critical Studies MA program and your MFA will support your goals or practice.
• Portfolio of 10-15 images
  • How to put together a strong portfolio for Print Media: The Print Media application review committee is looking for documentation of recent work that best represents your current creative practice and research. This selection of work can be a variety of disciplines and formats as it relates to your application for Print Media.

• Statement of Purpose [500 -700 words]
  • Please use this statement to address the focus of your work and the direction you wish to pursue in the MFA in Visual Studies program. Discuss your reasons for applying to PNCA's MFA in Visual Studies Program and the artistic goals you wish to achieve during your time in the program. Be specific as to your focus of research and how you see this evolving or changing during your time in the Visual Studies program. Describe the pathway you envision for yourself as part of the program. Discuss the issues, concerns and influences in your work. Please reference three contemporary artists that inspire your practice.
  • Applicants to the Dual MFA/MA program track should also address why you are a fit for this program. Be sure to communicate how the combination of the Critical Studies MA program and your MFA will support your goals or practice.
• Portfolio of 10-15 images
  • How to put together a strong portfolio for Visual Studies.
    • The ideal applicant for Visual Studies creates a portfolio of recent work that best represents their current creative practice and interest. This selection of work can be in a variety of disciplines and does not necessarily need to be a single, cohesive body of work. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the program, varied modes of making are understood and appreciated.

• Statement of Purpose [500 -700 words]
  • Use this statement to address the focus of your work and the direction you wish to pursue in the Low-Residency MFA in Visual Studies program. Discuss your reasons for applying to PNCA's Low-Residency MFA in Visual Studies program and the artistic goals you wish to achieve during your time in the program. Be specific as to your focus of research and how you see this evolving or changing during your time in the Low-Residency MFA in Visual Studies program. Describe the pathway you envision for yourself as part of the program. Discuss the issues, concerns and influences in your work.
• Portfolio of 10-15 images
  • How to put together a strong portfolio for Low Residency Visual Studies: It is recommended that submitted work be recent and represent the applicant’s strongest work. We look for portfolios that show evidence of engagement in critical thought. This selection of work can be in a variety of disciplines and does not necessarily need to be a single, cohesive body of work. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the program, varied modes of making are understood and appreciated.

• Statement of Purpose [500-700 words]
  • Describe specific goals around creative writing, reading, and writing community immersion. In the statement, indicate the genre track in which you want to do your primary work. Choose from the following options: Prose (nonfiction or fiction); or Poetry; or Cross-Genre (writing that crosses genres or mediums); or Literary translation.
• Creative Writing Sample
  • Submit a creative writing sample in the genre in which you want to do your primary work. The sample may be comprised of:
    • 15 pages of Poetry
    • or 20 pages of Prose
    • or 20 pages of Cross-genre
    • or 15-20 pages of Translation
• Critical Writing Sample
  • Submit a 3-5 page sample of critical work on writing forms and methods.