1.Transcripts and Evaluations
US Institutions
A scanned transcript from each US college or university attended for credit
must be uploaded into the application. In addition, you must have one official
transcript (sealed and stamped) from each college or university attended for
credit sent directly to the PennDesign Office of Admissions, 110 Meyerson Hall,
210 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6311. Alternatively, we will
accept official electronic transcripts sent directly from the US institution to
us at admissions@design.upenn.edu.
Non-US Institutions
Applicants completing undergraduate and/or graduate degrees from institutions
outside of the United States or that have completed more than one year of study
for credit at a non-US institution are required to submit a BASIC
course-by-course evaluation from World Education Services. http://www.wes.org/.
You do not need to send us an official transcript from your school. If you are
admitted to your program before you have received your undergraduate degree, you
will be required to submit a second WES evaluation or upgrade showing your
conferred degree prior to entering the School of Design in the fall.
Study Abroad Programs.An applicant receiving a degree from a US college or
university who has participated in a study abroad program does not need to
submit a WES evaluation for that program IF the course names and grades from the
program abroad appear on their main transcript. If the course names and grades
from the exchange program do not appear on their main transcript and they
attended the program for only one or two semesters, they may have the study
abroad institution send us an official (paper) transcript instead of submitting
a WES evaluation. However, if the study abroad program was longer than two
semesters, they must submit a WES course-by-course evaluation from the study
abroad program in addition to their official main transcript.
2. Letters of Recommendation
You must submit three letters of recommendation with at least two from
college instructors. Applicants who have been out of school for several years
may submit recommendations from employers or others in a position to evaluate
their professional abilities and academic potential. You will need your
evaluators’ e-mail addresses when you fill out the recommendation section of the
application.
3.Personal Statement
You must upload a personal statement, no more than 500 words long, describing
your background, interest in your field, and your academic and career
objectives. You should be as specific as you can about the area in which you
plan to study. If you are an MFA applicant, you should include your ideas, as
well as the stylistic and conceptual priorities for your work.
4. Résumé
You must upload a résumé including employment, activities, community service,
education, and academic or professional honors.
5.Digital Portfolio
A digital portfolio must be submitted for applicants to Architecture,
Landscape Architecture, Fine Arts, and Urban Design programs as well as the
post-professional MSD: Historic Preservation program. Applicants to the Master
of City Planning with a Concentration in Urban Design are strongly encouraged to
submit a portfolio of their design work although it is not required. All work in
the portfolio, including images and concepts, must be original material created
by you, and should be identified as academic, professional, or personal. If
professional or team projects are included in the portfolio, you must clearly
identify your specific role and responsibility in the production of the project.
Labels and writing should clearly explain the work. Paper portfolios are not
accepted.
Architecture, MSD, and Landscape Architecture Portfolios
Every applicant to the Master of Architecture, Master of Science in Design
(Advanced Architectural Design, Environmental Building Design, and Historic
Preservation concentrations), Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of
Science in Architecture, or PhD in Architecture program is required to submit a
digital portfolio. Paper portfolios will NOT be accepted, and if submitted, will
not be returned. The portfolio is a synopsis of one's creative work. As a visual
essay, it tells a story of a person's interests, skills, and development over
time. It should include projects that best express one's visual, spatial, and
constructional abilities. These projects might include drawings, paintings,
sculpture, or photography; graphic, industrial, or interior design;
architectural, landscape, or urban design. The faculty who evaluate the
portfolios look less for competence in architectural or landscape architectural
design and more for a coherent demonstration of visual and spatial abilities
expressed through a basic understanding of material and construction. Applicants
to the MEBD and MSD should include at least five fully developed projects done
solely by the person submitting the portfolio; other group work can be
added.
The digital portfolio should be formatted as one PDF document no larger than
10 MB, with no more than 20 pages (maximum page size 10 x 12") or 10 pages
(maximum 10 x 24") if you use spreads. Cover pages or table of contents do not
count towards total pages. We suggest that you keep the format consistent. For
instance, if you are using spreads, use all spreads. If you are using pages,
don't mix in spreads. Once your application is submitted, you will not be able
to make changes to your portfolio or upload a new one.
City Planning and Urban Design Portfolios
Applicants to the Certificate in Urban Design program should submit
portfolios containing reproductions of their work in the visual arts and design.
Applicants to the Master of City Planning program with a concentration in Urban
Design are strongly encouraged to submit a portfolio. Applicants with
professional experience who wish to include examples of their professional work
may do so, but are advised to limit these to projects in which they had
principal design roles. If examples of collaborative projects are submitted, the
applicant's contribution should be specifically described. The digital portfolio
should be formatted as one PDF document no larger than 10 MB, with no more than
20 pages (maximum page size 10 x 12") or 10 pages (maximum 10 x 24") if you use
spreads. Cover pages or table of contents do not count towards total pages. We
suggest that you keep the format consistent. For instance, if you are using
spreads, use all spreads. If you are using pages, don't mix in spreads. Once
your application is submitted, you will not be able to make changes to your
portfolio or upload a new one.
Fine Arts Portfolios
A portfolio is required of all applicants to Fine Arts, Time-Based and
Interactive Media, and Emerging Design and Research programs. The portfolio
should indicate your major interest, represent your best work, and demonstrate
your abilities. At least half of the portfolio should consist of work completed
in the last two years. Applicants may choose to provide still images and/or
video. All work in the portfolio, including images and concepts, must be
original material created by you, and should be identified as academic,
professional, or personal. If professional or team projects are included in the
portfolio, you must clearly identify your specific role and responsibility in
the production of the project. Labels and writing should clearly explain the
work.
Still Images
NOTE: The following instructions are guidelines. You may have to take
additional steps to reduce the size of your portfolio if it is larger than 10 MB
before you can upload it into your application.
For still images, a total of up to twenty (20) images should be submitted.
You will need to combine your images into a single PDF to upload. The portfolio
should contain a total of twenty (20) RGB JPEGs. The review panel reviews slides
at 1920 x 1080 pixels. If your images are larger than this, please follow these
directions:
Resize in Photoshop, Image->Image size
First set the Resolution to 72 Pixels/Inch
Set the Width so it is less than 1920 and the height so it is less than
1080
Save a copy of each image as jpeg at 90% quality (or 11/12 quality) for
your submission
Each file should be just around 1 mb
To create your pdf, in Photoshop, go to File->Automate->PDF
Presentation
Add your files
Check Presentation
Make Background Black or White
Don't include any text options
Leave "Advance Every" unchecked
No transitions
Click OK
Use the "Press Quality" Preset in the next PDF dialog box.
Video Submissions
We will accept up to 5 video links. Each video can be up to 10 minutes long.
It is acceptable to provide excerpts if videos are longer than 10 minutes.
Submit all video work by providing up to five links to your Image List PDF. Copy
and paste the link to your video along with the title, date, running time and
intended format of presentation. Video hosting sites include (but are not
limited to) YouTube and Vimeo.
Image List for Fine Arts Portfolio Submissions
To describe your work, please include a list as follows: upload an additional
PDF document titled "Image Lis" describing the images uploaded and link URLs.
The list should be headed with your name and list the image number, title, date,
medium, and dimensions of each work. For video submissions, copy and paste the
link to your video, also including the running time, intended format of
presentation (for example video installation, online video, cinema screening, or
not specified) for each video.
6. Test Scores
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required of all but MFA
applicants regardless of whether they are from the U.S. or abroad. To register
for the GRE, go to Educational Testing Service at www.gre.org. Official test
scores must be sent by ETS to the School of Design. The correct institution code
to use when requesting scores is 2926; you do not need a departmental code.. We
suggest a minimum of 160 Verbal, 148 Quantitative, and 4.5 for Analytical
Writing. Keep in mind that these are not cut-off scores.
International applicants whose native language is not English and whose
undergraduate training of at least 4 years has not been conducted in the English
language must submit satisfactory certification of adequate English proficiency
sufficient to pursue graduate study, both comprehension and expression in the
spoken and written word. Applicants must submit scores of either the
International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic), Pearson's PTE
Academic, or the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). We suggest a
minimum score of 100 on the TOEFL, 68 for the PTE Academic, and a band score of
7.5 for the IELTS, but these are not cut-off scores and we will review any
complete application we receive. If you have spent a minimum of 4 years in an
English-speaking institution (for your Bachelor's, for example), you will not be
required to submit a TOEFL, PTE, or IELTS score.
Applicants may register for the IELTS at www.ielts.org, for the TOEFL at
www.ets.org/toefl, and for the PTE Academic at pearsonpte.com. The correct
institution code to use when requesting official TOEFL scores is 2926; you do
not need a departmental code. Candidates admitted to the School of Design may be
required to successfully complete an English Language Program prior to
matriculation. They will be notified of this condition in their letter of
admission.