Portfolio Requirements

Portfolios are submitted through SlideRoom after submitting your application. You will receive an email within five days of submitting your application with instructions on how to access SlideRoom.

Below you will find the specific requirements to prepare your portfolio for our art and design graduate programs. Materials received for other graduate programs will not be reviewed or considered.

Master of Arts in Exhibition and Experience Design 

The portfolio for the Exhibition and Experience Design Program should consist of 20 pages of design work within one single .pdf file. The portfolio should include:

  • Samples of drafting in AutoCad or Vectorworks
  • Proficiency in Creative Suite programs including Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop
  • 3D digital rendering in 3D Studio Max, Sketchup or other programs
  • Additional work in sketching, hand rendering, other software applications a plus

SlideRoom will only allow you to upload one PDF file. You must arrange your work within those 20 pages, and the file can not exceed 20MB.

If you have examples of other forms of artistic pursuits such as photography, painting, sculpture or media, please include these with your portfolio. Creative expression, looseness and playfulness are appreciated.

Master of Fine Arts in Fashion Design

The MFA in Fashion Design portfolio is the central component of your application for admission.

Thesis Proposal: Applicants are required to submit a 250-750 word written thesis proposal with their portfolio in SlideRoom. The thesis proposal presents the scope of work you plan to pursue in the MFA in Fashion Design program and the questions you want to attempt to answer through your research.

Portfolio: You should include your best and most recent work, and your submission should be presented as two separate PDF files.

  1. Your first file should be a 10-page visual representation of your thesis proposal. The committee should be able to establish a connection between the thesis proposal and the visual representation.
  2. The second file should be a 15-20-page selection of your work completed to date. We encourage you to look beyond conventional mediums. Your portfolio should tell a story of your creative process and how your work will confront commonplace thinking in fashion.

Each PDF should not exceed 10MB. 

If you have examples of other forms of artistic pursuits, you are welcome to include these in your portfolio. This is optional and will not be considered if your program’s portfolio requirements are not met. Please make sure the link is set up for public access. If you remove the original or restrict access to the link, it will no longer be viewable in SlideRoom.

Master of Fine Arts in Illustration

The MFA in Illustration portfolio should consist of 15-20 pieces. Work should showcase your best and recent work, highlighting your technical abilities, professional ambitions, and your interests and personality. Examples might include published work, unpublished work, sketchbook pages, comics pages, animation, and gifs. Drawings from observation are required, as we evaluate conceptual ability, technical skills, and narrative sophistication.

Portfolio Procedures

Portfolios are only accepted submitted through  SlideRoom . You should plan to submit your portfolio around the same time you submit your online application for admission.

  • There is a $6-10 (USD) charge for your SlideRoom account access. This fee is separate from the online application fee.
  • Before submitting your portfolio in SlideRoom, you will need your FIT student ID number. Your ID number will be sent to you within five days of submitting your online application for admission.
  • Please select your intended program carefully; you will only be considered for admission to the program that is listed on your current application. 
  • Do not submit more than one portfolio at a time. Refunds are not issued for any reason.
  • Please keep in mind that once your portfolio has been uploaded and submitted to the college no further changes can be made.
  • All portfolio submissions become the property of the School of Graduate Studies and will not be returned. 

Media Guidelines

  • Images - (up to 5MB each) - .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .tif, .tiff, .bmp, .tga
  • Documents (10MB each, 20MB for Exhibition and Experience Design) - .pdf 
  • Videos - (up to 250MB each) - .m4v, .mov, .mp4, .wmv, .flv, .asf, .mpeg, .mpg, .mkv
  • 3D Models (Fashion Design and Exhibition and Experience Design only)- (embedded) - .blend, .3ds, .dae, .obj, .fbx, .dwf, .osg, .osgt, .osgb, .ive, .lwo, .lws, .ply, .wrl, .iv, .shp, .stl, .bvh, .flt, .ac, .x, .dw, .3dc, .geo, .gta, .kmz, .vpk
  • Embedded Media (optional) - You have the ability to paste in a URL to embed media from YouTube, Vimeo, Soundcloud, or Sketchfab directly into your SlideRoom application. While we welcome use of this feature, it is optional and will not be considered if your program’s portfolio requirements are not met. Please make sure the link is set up for public access. If you remove the original or restrict access to the link, it will no longer be viewable in SlideRoom.

The School of Graduate Studies often participates in live portfolio review events. Please note that regardless of receiving feedback through a live a portfolio review, applicants must still submit their portfolio through SlideRoom. Exceptions to this policy can not be made.

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