MFA Design for Social Innovation Application Requirements

All graduate applicants are required to complete the online application form and submit the nonrefundable $80 application fee.

You must enter valid credit card information in order to submit the online application.

Your Statement of Purpose articulates your aspirations, vision and interests, and why you feel DSI can support your goals. We aim for the Statement of Purpose to be open-ended. You can start with one of these prompts or take a different route: Tell us about a time when you collaborated. Tell us about a time you have been critical and/or responsive. Tell us what activates/animates you. Connect this to what you hope to carry out at DSI.

Format: No more than 500 words. Submit as a pdf via the online application portal.

Online submission is available through the online application. After you submit your application, you will have access to a checklist to upload materials like the Statement of Purpose.

If you are experiencing difficulty uploading your materials via the online application, please email them to Graduate Admissions and include your full name and date of birth in the email.

Applicants must submit a résumé, which should include professional experience as well as related activities such as research, awards and exhibitions.

Online submission is available through the online application. After you submit your application, you will have access to a checklist to upload materials like the résumé.

If you are experiencing difficulty uploading your materials via the online application, please email them to Graduate Admissions and include your full name and date of birth in the email.

Applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation from instructors or practicing professionals.

Online submission is available through the online application. Applicants will be required to provide the email address and contact information for their references. A “Send Email” button for each recommendation is provided to send the online form to the email address you provided for your recommender.

If your recommender is experiencing difficulty (uploading the letter via the recommendation portal, receiving emails, etc.), please instruct them to email the letter to Graduate Admissions and include your full name and graduate program in the email.

Note: The School of Visual Arts does not provide letter of recommendation forms.

Applicants must submit official transcripts from each college or university they’ve attended. In order to be considered official, transcripts must come directly from the institution(s).

Please Note: Unofficial transcripts, screenshots, or PDFs emailed by applicants do not fulfill this requirement. There are no exceptions to this policy. Please follow the guidelines below.

Electronic Transcripts

• SVA accepts secure electronic transcripts from Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, and Credentials Solutions.
• Applicants from institutions in India should request and submit official transcripts directly through TrueCopy Credentials. Requests are processed by TrueCopy Credentials and will be sent electronically to SVA Graduate Admissions.
• Check with the registrar’s office at your institution to see if your school issues its own digital transcripts or if it’s a member of any of the organizations mentioned above. (Important Note: Please be sure that all electronic transcript submissions are directed to “Graduate Admissions” at gradadmissions@sva.edu.)

Mailing Transcripts

• Transcripts may also be submitted in an unopened envelope that is stamped and sealed by the college registrar of the issuing institution.

Please address to:

School of Visual Arts

Graduate Admissions

209 East 23rd Street

New York, NY 10010                                           

Special Notes

• Pending acceptance, all graduate applicants currently enrolled in school for their Bachelor’s degrees for the Spring or Summer 2022 semesters are required to submit verification of graduation before they attend SVA.
• All transcripts from foreign institutions must be officially translated into English and U.S. grading equivalencies. For more information, see the below accordion.

Applicants who have academic documents from institutions outside of the U.S. are required to provide original, attested, or certified true copies of academic records for all institutions attended. These records should be in the original language issued.

Please Note: SVA does not review PDFs or screenshots sent directly via email from applicants.

Records Not in English

For records not in English, applicants must also submit an official translation of all academic documents. Translations must be a complete, literal, word-for-word translation in the same format of the original academic document.

All foreign post-secondary (university level) transcripts should be converted into U.S. educational equivalencies. Those records that are not converted into U.S. equivalencies must be evaluated by an external evaluation agency. The evaluation should be course-by-course and include:

• Name of educational institution
• Country where institution is located
• Length of study
• U.S. educational equivalent (two-year or four-year college)
• Courses studied per academic year
• Conversion of grades/marks/final examination results into equivalent U.S. grades of A, B, C, D or F for each course evaluated
• Total credits earned
• Conversion of course hours into U.S. semester hours of credit
• Cumulative grade point average (GPA) on a 4-point scale
• U.S. degree equivalent

The School of Visual Arts should be listed as the recipient of the evaluation. Transcripts may take up to six weeks to be evaluated. The original academic records must be submitted in addition to the evaluation.

The School of Visual Arts strongly recommends that international academic records be evaluated by either of the following approved external evaluation agencies:

Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE): Course-by-course evaluations for college transcripts.

P.O. Box 514070 Milwaukee, WI 53203

Phone: 414.289.3400

World Education Services (WES): Course-by-course evaluations for college transcripts.

Bowling Green Station

P.O. Box 5087

New York, NY 10274

Phone: 212.966.6311

Please note: Pending acceptance, all graduate applicants currently enrolled in school for their Bachelor’s degrees for the Spring or Summer 2022 semesters are required to submit verification of graduation before they attend SVA.

In addition to the general application requirements, international applicants whose primary/native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English. The following are acceptable ways to demonstrate English proficiency:

A minimum score* of 79 (internet-based or paper-delivered) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

• The CEEB code for the School of Visual Arts is 2835. This is the code that must be supplied to ETS in order to have TOEFL scores mailed to SVA.
• Please note this means a composite score for a single test date. We are not accepting MyBEST TOEFL scores.

A minimum score of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

• IELTS is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL), British Council and IDP Education Australia: IELTS Australia.

A minimum score of 6 in all categories of the English proficiency examination administered by the New York University American Language Institute in New York.

• For information on taking the NYU test, call 212.998.7040.

A minimum score of 53 on the Pearson PTE Academic.

Requirement Waivers

• This requirement may be waived for native English speakers who are citizens of any of the following countries and attend schools where English is the primary language of instruction: England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, India, South Africa and Common Wealth Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago).
• SVA will consider waiving the English proficiency exam requirement for students who have earned a degree at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university. Students seeking this waiver must submit a written request with their application materials.

There are three broad options for portfolio/work sample submissions. We are interested in examples that you feel connected to themes of social design, social impact, and/or social justice.

Applicants must submit one URL for their portfolio/work sample submission. The link can be to a personal website, Google Drive or Dropbox. Please make sure that all PDFs and files uploaded can be accessed and downloaded. We do not accept files via email.

Please submit one of the following options:

1. Case Study: Describe, analyze, and reflect on initiatives that you have led or on which you have collaborated, or have lived experience. Provide an analysis of complete campaigns with an explanation of the issue, response, and outcomes, if available, including thumbnail photos of any visual elements. 

Format: 1- 3 Case Studies, Max 5 pages total (including images if necessary), submitted as a PDF (uploaded to a personal website, Google Drive or Dropbox) or provide a URL. 

2. Visual Work Samples: Share examples of your work with a description of how you've collaborated or contributed to using design approaches, including processes, learnings, and outcomes (communication/graphic design, 2-D, 3-D, interactive design, data visualization, service design, and/or system design). 

Format:  10-15 examples as a PDF (uploaded to a personal website, Google Drive or Dropbox) or provide a URL. 

3. Project Proposal: Write a proposal for a future project (this can be real or imagined) you would like to do. Your proposal should include the following elements: Description/Summary, Background/Context, Motivation, Objectives, Research Methods, Inspiration, and Evaluation. Must include proper citations where appropriate.

Format: No more than 3 pages, submitted as a PDF (uploaded to a personal website, Google Drive or Dropbox) or provide a URL. 

It is recommended, though not required, that applicants are familiar with programs such as Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, film/video editing software, online collaboration and facilitation tools, and mapping software. We find candidates are best prepared for the program if they have at least 2 years of work experience, internship experience, or advocacy experience. Course audits are available for those that are not familiar with core design applications. Lack of design experience should not discourage candidates from applying.

Submission of the following items will be considered supplemental: Writing Sample and/or Video Essay. Please email these materials directly to dsiinfo@sva.edu.

Applicants under consideration will be contacted to schedule an interview and will be conducted via Zoom. We welcome applicants to email any access needs related to interviews to dsiinfo@sva.edu. 

We’re looking for passionate, committed people from all cultural and educational backgrounds who are curious about the world’s diverse systems and environments. We welcome generalists with a breadth and depth of experience, who might find other disciplines too confining, people who like to act as much as they like to think, and who want to engage with the world creatively.

The statement of purpose is important; we want to understand your perspective, your thought process, and the questions you ask yourself as you approach a problem. We’ll be spending a lot of time together, and want to know as much about your hopes and ambitions as we can. Write from your heart as well as your head. Tell us why you want to join DSI, about the life you want to begin here on the day you arrive. And yes, we’re looking for collaborative workers, independent thinkers, good communicators, and visual thinkers.

Including references to work you’re inspired by in your Statement of Purpose and/or Work Samples is encouraged.