MFA Degree Program
Prospective graduate students are encouraged to visit the SUNY New Paltz Photography program, to tour our facilities, and meet faculty and students.
Please email Nadia Sablin (sablinn@newpaltz.edu), Andrea Frank (franka@newpaltz.edu) or call 845-257-2786 to make an appointment.
Admission Requirements
- One official copy of all undergraduate and graduate course work; the baccalaureate transcript should be from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA). New Paltz is encouraging of interdisciplinary scholarship and we support applicants with degrees from non-studio areas who are able to demonstrate a strong body of work.
- Two letters of reference from former teachers or other professionals in the field familiar with the candidate’s qualifications who can support the candidate’s ability to do graduate work.
- A 300-500 word letter of intent that states the candidate’s goals for graduate study.
- Completion of the online portfolio submission process requires:
- Uploading a 300-500 word artist’s statement discussing the candidate’s concepts, material processes, research methods, and influences, and
- A minimum of 20 images, the majority of which must be in the major field to which application is made.
- Please note that we require a minimum of 12 individual pieces; additional detail photographs and installation documentation can be included. You may include external links to videos as part of your portfolio. Each work sample must be labeled with the title of work, medium, size, and date. Images can be labeled and ordered as they are uploaded. For good image quality and fast upload, we recommend jpeg images no larger than 1280 x 1280 pixels @ 72 ppi.
- Each image should document a finished work, or present a detail or alternate view of finished work. Please do not submit composite images that include explanatory text, preparatory drawings and comparisons with other pieces. Our online portfolio includes a label section and we encourage you to provide more details and context about your work there and in your artist statement.
Priority is granted to applications received by January 15. Applications will still be considered after this date as long as studio spaces remain available. We encourage potential applicants to check with the faculty to verify availability. In order to maintain a cohesive community, we prefer admissions to take place for the Fall semester. We strive for a dynamic and highly qualified cohort and recognize that students often come from diverse backgrounds; exceptions to application requirements, deadlines and matriculation dates will be reviewed on a case by case scenario.