Portfolio
Demonstration of Your Visual Skills Through an Accepted Portfolio or Suffolk Coursework
Path 1: The Accepted Portfolio
If you provide a portfolio at the time of application and it is determined that the portfolio demonstrates appropriate skill and potential, you will be granted direct admission to one of our Art & Design degree programs. This could be either an undergraduate or transfer portfolio. Portfolios can also be presented for review to a Suffolk representative at National Portfolio Day Events, which are held throughout the country (see details below).
|
Path 2: Suffolk Coursework
If you do not submit a portfolio with your application you may be admitted to Suffolk University as an Undeclared Art & Design major and complete the following process in order to be admitted to a major (Note that the following policy also applies to any student without a portfolio who has declared a major other than Art & Design, but who wishes to pursue an Art & Design major.)
Register for Specific Studio Courses from the Art & Design Curriculum. An Undeclared major enrolls in the same studio coursework in the first (Fall) semester as someone with an accepted portfolio. During the first semester of coursework, an Undeclared major typically enrolls in three studios courses, which vary depending on the intended program:
ADF S101 Foundation Drawing I
ADF S166 2D/Color
ADF S171 Integrated Studio I (for Graphic Design; optional for Studio Art)
ADI S110 Digital Orthographics (for Interior Design)
|
If you are an Undeclared major, your work will be assessed at the end of the first semester based on your studio course grades. If you earn a 2.7 GPA in your studio courses with no grade lower than a C+, you will be invited to declare your major in the Art & Design program of your choice. If you do not meet the GPA requirements in your studio courses, you may continue with second-semester studio courses; these will vary depending on your preferred Art & Design major. Your work will be assessed again at the end of the first semester based on your studio course grades. The same grade standard (a 2.7 GPA in second-semester studio courses with no grade lower than a C+) will apply during your second attempt. Only two attempts are allowed.
An Undeclared student who is not admitted into an Art & Design program after completion of two attempts may apply completed studio courses towards an Art Minor in Foundation Studies, Graphic Design, or Studio Art. In some cases, completed studio courses might also be used as elective credits in another major.
For Undeclared students who enter mid-year, Spring- semester studio courses will be used for assessment. Depending on factors such as preferred Art & Design major, transfer credits, and Spring course offerings, the studio courses such students take will vary.
Otherwise, the policies for no portfolio/Undeclared students outlined above will apply.
Degree Requirements - 126 credits
Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with this major
Studio Art Major Requirements: 15 courses, 47 credits
Core Requirements (13 courses, 41 credits)
Students in the Honors Program have the option of completing the Honors version of a course.
Electives (2 courses, 6 credits)
Choose two of the following for at least 6 credits:
Note: The letter "S" preceding a course number indicates a studio course, for which a studio fee is assessed.
Residency Requirement Policy: In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.
About the Studio Art Major
Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.
View the Program Page
Studio Art Major Learning Goals and Objectives
Learning goals and objectives reflect the educational outcomes achieved by students through the completion of this program. These transferable skills prepare Suffolk students for success in the workplace, in graduate school, and in their local and global communities.
| Learning Goals |
Learning Objectives |
| Students will... |
Students will be able to... |
| Understand and employ the principles of visual language |
- Demonstrate perceptual acuity in two- and three-dimensional work
- Demonstrate conceptual understanding of complex visual systems
- Demonstrate technical facility with the tools current to their chosen art & design field
- Demonstrate visual communication skills common to their chosen art & design field |
| Understand and employ the creative thinking process |
- Effectively solve visual and design problems specific to their chosen discipline
- Use experimentation to test new ideas
- Evaluate their work and the work of their peers through the critique process
- Use the reiterative process to develop new and original solutions to visual and design problems |
| Understand their potential in the professional art & design field of their choosing |
- Evaluate their work in relation to the historical precedents of their chosen field
- Visually present their work in a professional manner using the tools current to their chosen field
- Orally present and support their work in a professional manner to peers and professionals from their chosen field
- Demonstrate fluency in the technologies current to their chosen field
- Demonstrate knowledge of the significant contemporary aesthetics and social issues relevant to their chosen field
- Employ professional practices current to their chosen field |
About the Studio Art Major
Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.
View the Program Page