Graduate Admissions

MA in Art Education deadlines: 

Fall Term - August 1
Spring Term - December 1
Summer Term - April 1

The MA in Art Education is a liberal arts degree that is employed within the fields of PK-12 Art Education, Art Museum Education, Community Arts Education, and Visual/Sensory Literacy Programs.

Admission is selective and competitive based on the number of well-qualified applicants and the limits of available faculty and facilities. Those who meet stated minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must have:

• An undergraduate degree in art education or related degree;
• A minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA;
• Access to internet for general computer use;

MATERIALS

Applicants submit:

Graduate College requirements:

• Found on the Graduate Admissions website - including official college transcripts, a letter of interest/intent and english language proficiency test results (if an international student from a country where English is not an official language.)

Art Education program requirements:

1. Contact information for three references
2. Portfolio of 15 - 20 images of personal artwork & student work saved as a single Adobe PDF file.  
3. Teaching Philosophy
4. Statement of research interests in Art Education

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The application for the MA in Art Education is done entirely through the Graduate College. The MA in Art Education has a rolling admission allowing students to start fall, spring, or summer terms. Please reference the top of the page for submission deadlines.

Apply to the Graduate College

QUESTIONS AND MORE INFORMATION

For information about tuition and fees, go to www.bgsu.edu/bursar.html.

For more information about the program, contact Assistant Professor, Audrey Hilligoss at reeveam@bgsu.edu or the main office at the School of Art:

1018 Fine Arts Center
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0204
(419) 372-9942
Fax: (419) 372-2544

MA in Art History Deadline: February 14, 2025 at 11:59 pm

The MA in Art History is a liberal arts degree that is often used in the fields of history, museum studies, or curatorial work and can be viewed as a basis for further study towards a Ph.D.

ELIGIBILITY

Admission is selective and competitive based on the number of well-qualified applicants and the limits of available faculty and facilities. Those who meet stated minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths.

Prerequisites to Graduate Work
For admission to the MA in Art History program, an undergraduate background in fine arts, art history, or humanities is highly recommended. Deficiencies in art history may have to be addressed prior to formal acceptance into the MA program.

MATERIALS

Applicants submit:

Graduate College requirements:

• Found on the Graduate Admissions website - including official college transcripts, a letter of interest/intent and english language proficiency test results (if an international student from a country where English is not an official language.)

MA in Art History program requirements:

1. A research paper from a recent art history course
2. A Cover Letter describing goals, objectives, educational background, and personal history
3. A resume
4. A statement of purpose
5. Three original recently dated letters of recommendation

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Separate applications must be made to the Graduate School AND the School of Art by the deadline listed above. Each of these units has specific requirements and application procedures that must be satisfied before the applicant can be considered for admission.

Apply to the Graduate College

Apply to the School of Art

Note: Applications are only reviewed once a year for admission in the fall.

Questions regarding the admission process should be directed to:


Lisa Molnar
1000 Fine Arts Center
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0204
(419) 372-5529
Fax: (419)372-2544
lmolnar@bgsu.edu

MDes applications due: 

Fall Term - August 1
Spring Term - November 1
Summer Term - April 1

The job market needs designers with strong training in collaboration, strategic thinking, design research methods, and social innovation. The MDes, a terminal degree program, will provide graduates with strong skills and perspectives in areas related to these complex issues for the public good. The curriculum is designed to graduate students with the types of skill required to be a successful design profession, ready for more complex roles, specifically design leadership.

MDes students are able to complete their graduate work of 60-hours within a variety of two, three, and four-year plans to accommodate working professionals.

ELIGIBILITY

• Admission to the MDes in Integrative Design requires a four-year undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum 2.75 GPA.
• The MDes program prefers applicants with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design or Communication Design, but will consider candidates with other degrees AND design-related experiences.

All candidates completing the application process will be evaluated by the Division of Graphic Design, the Graduate Coordinator and Graduate Faculty representatives from the School of Art. On the basis of the Admissions Team’s evaluation of the applicant’s academic profile and assessment of the applicant’s likelihood for success in the MDes degree program by reviewing transcripts, resume, personal statement, recommendation letters, and a portfolio of work, the program’s Graduate Coordinator will make a recommendation for admission to the Graduate College and the Graduate College would then grant admission if all requirements are met. Those who meet stated minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths.

Applicants to the MDes program are not required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
Bowling Green State University is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students, or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, or disability.

Prerequisites to Graduate Work
It is recognized that students will enter the program with different experiences and backgrounds. Those without previous professional design work experience or an undergraduate degree in design, may need to complete additional coursework prior to or shortly after entering the program. Prerequisite coursework includes experience in visual design courses with technical proficiency in the Adobe Software. Students lacking this background will need to take courses before beginning the program and will be counseled through process.

MATERIALS

Applicants submit:

Graduate College requirements:

• Found on the Graduate Admissions website - including official college transcripts, a letter of interest/intent and english language proficiency test results (if an international student from a country where English is not an official language.)

MDes program requirements:

1. Resume
2. Letter of Intent: Letter should outline goals, educational, professional and personal background. Letter should draw a correlation between applicants work, thinking and processes to illuminate the ability to develop creative work through visual and critical research and the motivation to explore and experiment while focusing on design studies.
3. Digital Portfolio: Consisting of 10-15 recent works/examples/contributions. Applicant must provide contextual information of: title, description, media, size and year. A multi-page single PDF or URL of the portfolio with descriptions is preferred for submission, however individual files of projects with descriptions can be uploaded as well. See instructions below.
4. Three (3) letters of recommendation: Letters should denote competencies in creative thinking, problem-solving and leadership skill sets.

Portfolio Requirements:
Submit a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 15 projects. Only work completed within the last five-seven years should be included with preferably at least half of them should be works made in the last twenty-four months.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The application for the MDes is done entireley through the Graduate College and must be submitted by the deadline listed above.

Apply to the Graduate College

Note: Applications are only reviewed once a year for admission in the fall.

Questions regarding the submission process should be directed to:


Lisa Molnar
1000 Fine Arts Center
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0204
(419) 372-5529
Fax: (419)372-2544
lmolnar@bgsu.edu

Graduate Admissions - MFA in Art

Admissions have closed for the 2024/25 Cohort

MFA Deadline, 2025/26 Cohort: February 14, 2025 at 11:59 pm 

Admission to the MFA program at Bowling Green State University is highly competitive, offering admission to a maximum of 10 outstanding candidates overall in the areas of ceramics, digital art, drawing, glass, jewelry/metals, painting, printmaking, and sculpture every year. Successful applicants should demonstrate an ability to develop creative work through extensive visual and critical research, a strong educational background, and motivation to explore and experiment while focusing on their chosen areas of specialization.

The Master of Fine Arts is the terminal studio degree designed to prepare students to be professional artists. The MFA degree also provides the preparation and appropriate credentials to teach at the college or university level. Students are expected to complete their graduate work of 60 credits by attending school full-time over a two-year period (including summer coursework).

ELIGIBILITY
Application requires the presentation of a comprehensive portfolio in addition to general admission procedures. Admission is selective and competitive based on the number of well-qualified applicants and the availability of faculty and facilities. Those who meet stated minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths.

Applicants to the M.F.A. program are not required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
Bowling Green State University is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students, or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, or disability.

Prerequisites to Graduate Work
Admission to the MFA in Art requires the equivalent of a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or 60 hours in art and 12 hours in art history.

MATERIALS

Applicants submit:

Graduate College requirements:

• Found on the Graduate Admissions website - including official college transcripts, a letter of interest/intent and english language proficiency test results (if an international student from a country where English is not an official language.)

MFA program requirements:

1. A cover letter that addresses your educational background, goals/objectives, brief personal history, and reason for applying to graduate school at this time. Also include an artist statement (direction of work, influences).
2. A portfolio consisting of recent works, preferably from the proposed area of specialization. (see specifications below)
3. Image descriptions including title, medium, size and year
4. Resume
5. Three original recently dated letters of recommendation (sent under separate cover)

Portfolio Requirements:

REQUIREMENTS FOR DIGITAL IMAGES:
Submit a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 images. Only work completed within the last three years should be included. Preferably at least half of them should be works made in the last twelve months.

Accepted images: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif Videos: .m4v, .mov, .mp4, .wmv, .flv, .mpeg, .mpg, .asf Audio: .mp3, .wma, .ogg, .flac
The maximum file size that SlideRoom will accept is 5mb for images and 60mb for video.
The ideal image size is 1280 x 1280 at 72dpi

All files should be saved with the following convention:
LastnameFirstinitial_image no.(Area of Study).jpg
[e.g., SmithR_1(Painting).jpg, SmithR_2(Painting).jpg and so on.]

When uploading works in SlideRoom, label corresponding artworks with details of the works submitted (including Title, Media, Size and Date) and description.

For Digital Arts Only
For time-based work (video, animation, installation pieces, etc), please submit one or more videos.
For interactive work (web, interactive installation, etc.): in addition to still images, please submit a URL
Copy URL into description of the piece
Create a screen capture (video), or .swf, etc.
If using a URL, please upload a screen shot as reference

APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Separate applications must be made to the Graduate School AND the School of Art by the deadline listed above. Each of these units has specific requirements and application procedures that must be satisfied before the applicant can be considered for admission. 

Apply to the Graduate College

Apply to the School of Art

Note: Applications are only reviewed once a year for admission in the fall.

Questions regarding the submission process should be directed to:

Lisa Molnar
1000 Fine Arts Center
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0204
(419) 372-5529
Fax: (419)372-2544
lmolnar@bgsu.edu