MA Design Admissions

By permission of the Kansas Board of Regents, application for admission to graduate programs in the Department of Design may be refused if available instructional space does not allow the addition of more students.

A departmental graduate faculty committee reviews transcripts and evaluates applications to determine admission qualifications. Applicants to the M.A. program must have undergraduate and/or professional backgrounds judged by the Graduate Faculty to be appropriate preparation for the specialization selected.

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Application Requirements

A complete application for admission consists of the following:

1. Graduate Application Fee

2. Curriculum Vitae or Resume

3. Statement of design philosophy and approach

4. One unofficial copy of the transcript where the undergraduate degree was confirmed, and one copy of the transcript where any graduate degree/credit was earned (if applicable)

5. Three recommendations from people in a position to comment on your abilities and performance

6. A portfolio of your design work, or samples of written or other creative artifacts you have produced if your prior education or training was not in a design-related discipline. Portfolio content should represent the scope of your knowledge and experience to date. Please include any documentation of your work that might explain the task, challenge or process involved, your role and the role of others in its execution. We prefer receiving your portfolio digitally (upload under “other documents” during the online application process). The portfolio is limited to 10MB (not zipped) in PDF format.

Additional requirements for international applicants:

  • Submit proof of English proficiency, such as an official TOEFL or IELTS score report if English is not your native language or if you do not have a degree from an accredited U.S. college or university.

  • Financial statement showing you have funds for your first year of study. The financial statement may be submitted after the admission decision is made.

Students must be in good standing with their graduate degree program in order to participate in the certificate program. A graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred for admission.

Please contact our Admissions Coordinator, Joan Weaver, if you have any questions at jweaver@ku.edu or 785-864-3167.

Deadlines

  • Fall Priority Deadline: April 15

  • Fall Final Deadline: July 15

  • Spring Priority Deadline: November 15

  • Spring Final Deadline: December 1

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