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Graduate Study

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Portfolio Requirements

School of Art and School for American Crafts

Portfolios submitted to the School of Art and the School for American Crafts should consist of at least 20 examples of the applicant’s best visual work. The work can be presented as a digital portfolio of stand-alone computer files that will run on a MAC or PC. 35mm slides displayed in 8 1/2” x 11” vinyl protective slide pages, are also acceptable.

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School of Design

As part of the entrance requirements, applicants must demonstrate an understanding of design principles and visual computer skills using Adobe products. A portfolio of 10-15 examples must demonstrate a good sense of design, typography, and illustration in addition to the applicant's interests in and aptitudes for advanced study and, specifically, potential for success at RIT. Applicants are encouraged to submit only their best original work. Applicants should not submit work copied from film, television, photographs, magazine/book illustrations or other sources.

Portfolios can be submitted on a CD, DVD or USB flash drive. Files should be saved as JPEG, PDF, QuickTime, or as a digital portfolio created in PowerPoint or Flash (JPEG images are preferred). Please note that digital portfolios will not be returned to students once submitted. Applicants may also submit a URL web address for online portfolios. HTML websites are accepted and encouraged.

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School of Film and Animation

Application deadlines and requirements are listed there.  Two very specific requirements: The portfolio and the video introduction, are outlined below.

The review committee is looking for work that is original in concept and content. It does not need to necessarily be motion media, but should be visual or aural. Examples include films/videos, animation, photos, drawing, paintings, sculpture, stop motion puppets, script, storyboards and original music.

The applicant must present what they consider to be the best of their work, not all their work. The film or videos should total 12 minutes or less. A complete work is preferable to a "demo reel". If there are no short works then a 12-minute excerpt of a longer piece is acceptable.

In addition to this, we are also asking that each applicant produce a 2 -3 minute video self-portrait to be submitted online along with his or her online portfolio. You must appear on camera and speak to the lens. We want to know where you are from, why you want to attend the School of Film & Animation at RIT and what concentration you want to pursue. Please tell us about one significant accomplishment you have made. This is in addition to your written essay. Please do not read your essay on camera. Make sure the sound and picture quality are acceptable.

Applicants must place their portfolios and video self-portrait on a web site that is theirs or an FTP site like Vimeo or Youtube that can be easily accessed by RIT faculty for review. Be sure it is not password protected or if it is, remember to supply us with the password. Your application should therefore include a URL web or FTP address where your portfolio and video self-portrait can be found. If your portfolio is placed on a shared web or FTP site that contains other files, be sure the filename contains your full name as you applied. Please include an inventory sheet or table of contents with your portfolio, and if it is not obvious, clearly indicate what your contribution was to group and collaborative pieces. This can be a separate description or can be included in the portfolio presentation.

NO HARD COPY PORTFOLIOS, DVDs OR ANY OTHER MATERIALS SENT THROUGH THE MAIL WILL BE CONSIDERED.

Please contact our Graduate Enrollment Services if you are unable to upload your portfolio on line.

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School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

The portfolio, along with written records of achievements and recommendations, serves to inform the faculty of the applicant’s readiness for advanced graduate study. It provides a visual statement of the applicant’s performance to date in terms of his or her skills, aesthetic development, and maturity.

Applicants should send 20 images on a CD and/or DVD, representing a cohesive body or bodies of recent work. An artist’s statement accompanies the portfolio, addressing the work being presented and its creative process.

Admission selection for the fall quarter is made in the spring from among all portfolios and completed applications received. Applicants should be certain that portfolios are postmarked no later than January 15 to ensure review of the application. Acceptance occurs only once a year for a fall admission.

Portfolio instructions include the following:

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Other

The Game Design and Development degree program contains a mandatory portfolio as a part of the application process. All applicants, regardless of undergraduate affiliation, are required to submit a portfolio of work. Portfolios may include (but are certainly not limited to) the following types of articles:

Small games or programming exercises from undergraduate work Simple game engines Attempted work in game artificial intelligence Level or map systems Work in computer graphics Usage of current APIs Level designs Character designs Work in user-interface or control systems for games / entertainment Game “mods” for existing titles, constructed using scripting languages Game development narratives Audio treatments (music, audio effects, etc.) Internal and external documentation samples 2D or 3D game art / models / etc.

Group work at the undergraduate level

The primary focus of the portfolio review is to ensure that students have undergraduate preparation in their chosen major track within the Game Design and Development degree. Students will declare their desired major track sequence as a part of the application process: thus a student that wants to major in game AI would have a portfolio representative of their undergraduate preparation for such work (an undergraduate course, AI experiments in existing engines, etc.) The portfolio process is also designed to provide baseline samples of core concepts such as object-oriented programming, computer literacy, and other desired skills. All entering students would be expected to exhibit these skills, regardless of track selection.

All applications must be accompanied by a PDF digital portfolio. Print or bound portfolios or digital portfolios in formats other than PDF will not be accepted or reviewed. Please note, all PDF portfolios should be less than 6.0mb. Files larger than this will not be accepted or reviewed. In the event thereview committee requires additional information or higher resolution images, the applicant will be notified.

Guidelines for portfolio preparation:

Submission. All PDF portfolio files must be submitted via email to gradapp@rit.edu. Include your name in the subject line of the email. Files delivered on CD/ROM or USB drives will not be reviewed or accepted.

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Where to send Portolios

IMPORTANT: All portfolios should be clearly labeled with applicant’s full name as applied.

Electronic portfolios and/or portfolio URLs should be emailed to gradapp@rit.edu

Hard-copy portfolios (if allowed as per instructions above) should be mailed or sent by courier to:

Rochester Institute of Technology
Office of Graduate Enrollment Services
Bausch & Lomb Center
58 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623

Questions? Contact us:

Phone: 585-475-2229
Email: gradapp@rit.edu
Chat: www.rit.edu/grad

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