Requirements for submission of a GAID Portfolio Review Application

There will be two portfolio review cycles in Graphic & Interactive Design (GAID) each academic year: the end of the Fall semester (December) and the end of the Spring semester (May). The portfolio reviews will take place in the week after final studio course reviews. Specific dates for the reviews will be announced at the beginning of each semester in the Graphic Design 2001 classes. They will also be posted on Blackboard and in the GAID suite. All full-time GAID faculty will serve on the GAID Portfolio Review Admissions Committee.

Applicants must have completed all Tyler Foundations courses and the 2 prerequisites for the major: Graphic Design 2001 and Computers for Design 2021 with a C-minus or better.

Students who have outstanding sophomore or foundation studio requirements that would prevent them from going into GAID required courses at the junior level in the next academic year SHOULD NOT apply for admission to the major until those requirements are completed (or will be completed) by the time the student starts the GAID major.

Students who have no more than one (1) foundation studio deficiency and/or two (2) sophomore studio deficiencies may apply for admission to the GAID major as long as they can enroll in the junior level GAID required courses the following year. Foundation deficiencies would have to be completed during the first semester in the major. While it is strongly recommended that sophomore deficiencies be completed in the summer before starting junior level courses in GAID, all sophomore deficiencies must be completed prior to moving on to senior level courses. Transfer students who are unsure of their status should consult with the GAID Program Head.

Students who want to postpone taking the required studio courses in the GAID for a year CANNOT apply for admission to the GAID major until they are ready to register for the GAID required courses.

Students who are accepted into the GAID major MUST take the required junior level courses (Advanced Graphic Design 3001 and 3002; Typography 3011; Intermediate Computers 3021) in the academic year immediately after their admission to the major. Advanced Graphic Design 3001 is offered in Fall semesters only.

DO NOT apply for admission to the Graphic & Interactive Design major unless you are certain that you want to continue in the major. If you take Graphic Design 2001 and Computers for Design 2021 in the Fall but are not sure that you want to continue in GAID, you should wait until the Spring semester to apply for admission to GAID, assuming you do ultimately decide you would like to go on in the major.

Students may revise and re-submit an application for admission to the GAID major one time, for a total of two application cycles. It is NOT required to repeat Graphic Design 2001 in order to submit work to a second cycle. Students who revise and submit their applications must do so within 3 semesters of the first application. For example, a student who first applied in the Fall semester, could resubmit in the following Spring semester, but no later than the Fall or Spring of the following academic year.

In each portfolio review cycle, first-time applicants to the portfolio reviews will be considered FIRST for admission to the major. Students who revise and resubmit work to a second portfolio review cycle will have their applications reviewed AFTER all first time applications have been reviewed. This insures that second time applicants will not have an unfair advantage in the review process. NOTE: Only work from Graphic Design 2001 and Computers for Design 2021 will be considered in these reviews. Students cannot submit work from any other class, including Graphic Design 2002.

Students who fail to submit all of the required materials for the Portfolio Review will be disqualified, but may re-apply at the next review cycle as a first-time submitter. Late submissions will not be reviewed.

Applicants to the GAID major will receive one of the following decisions from the committee after the review is completed: (I) accepted (II) not accepted (III) revise and submit. Students who receive a (III) revise and submit evaluation can re-apply in the next portfolio review cycle.

Students who pass the portfolio review for admission to the GAID major will be informed via TUMail. Within 1 week of receiving this email, admitted students must reply to the acceptance email to confirm that they definitively want to major in GAID. Students who do not confirm by that deadline will forfeit their admission to the major and will need to re-apply in the next GAID portfolio review cycle as a second-time submitter. Students are limited to no more than two applications to the major.

Transfer students who are admitted to the GAID major at the end of a Fall semester cycle should consult with their advisor about their Spring course schedule.

There will be no formal waitlist after the Fall review cycle. If seats are not awarded or taken, they will roll over into the Spring review cycle. Students who were not admitted to the major in the Fall review, but who have a reasonable chance of being admitted if they re-apply in the Spring, will receive this response to their application: (III)revise and submit. This does not guarantee admission in the Spring cycle, but does mean that there is a reasonable possibility for admission. However, any student not admitted in the Fall cycle may re-apply for the Spring cycle.

Students who are going to Rome [or elsewhere] in the Spring can check the box the form stating that they plan to re-apply in the Spring semester if they are not admitted in the Fall cycle. The corporate identity project from Graphic Design 2001 will be held over for the Spring portfolio review cycle. A new form and the PDF portfolio for the new cycle must be submitted again. The PDF portfolio will not automatically carry forward. 

It is strongly recommended that potential applicants for admission to the GAID major attend  the official advising meetings with the Portfolio Review Chair, where the application process will be explained. This meeting will also be recorded and be available via blackboard. The instructors in each section of Graphic Design 2001 will also explain the process.

The Graduate TA for Graphic Design 2001 will work closely with students who plan to submit an application for admission to the program. Students who have questions about the correct preparation of their files should consult with the Graduate TA for Graphic Design 2001.

Students who have completed or who are currently enrolled in the two prerequisites for the GAID major (Graphic Design 2001 and Computers for Design 2021) and intend to submit an application for the Portfolio Review will be able to obtain an application form, portfolio template and detailed application instructions on Blackboard by mid-semester.

Rev 12-15