Apply for admission to NC State University

Those interested in studying at the College of Design as undergraduates must apply to NC State University through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Applications for undergraduate studio based majors must be received by Nov. 1. Studio-based majors include: Architecture, Art + Design, Graphic Design, and Industrial Design. Applicants interested in studio-based major must indicate one of the above majors as their first choice on the application. The second choice major on the application CANNOT be another studio-based major in the College of Design.

Qualified students will be contacted for a departmental review on one of the College's Admissions Review Days.

The College of Design offers Design Studies, a non-studio based major that follows the rolling deadline of the university. Students who are admitted to this program do not participate in an Admissions Review Day or submit supplemental information such as the portfolio and College of Design Essay.

Undergraduate Admissions Essay

In addition to your application for admission to the University, the College of Design requires the online submission of an Essay Question Response plus 10 Preview Portfolio Images of your creative work. All materials are due November 1 and must be submitted on-line through your WolfPAW account.

Please note that your Essay Question Response plus 10 Preview Portfolio Images submission will determine admission decisions made by the College of Design. It is the applicant's obligation to include all requested materials in this online submission. Absence of any requested items in this portion of your application will automatically result in a decision to reject your application to the College of Design. The College of Design also reserves the right to deny applicants who submit fraudulent or plagiarized materials. All information submitted for review should be the product of the applicant only.

ESSAY QUESTION GUIDELINES

The faculty and administration at the College of Design would like to gain insight into what you currently know and think about design and its impact on the world around you. Please be mindful that you should answer the Essay Question below from the viewpoint of your chosen prospective major: Architecture, Art + Design, Graphic Design or Industrial Design (please title your submission accordingly).Your response should not exceed 4,000 characters (approximately 750 words). The Required Design Essay Question will be posted within the supplemental information section of the Undergraduate Admission Application.

Undergraduate Admissions Portfolio

The College of Design requires a representative sampling of your creative work. Applicants must submit 10 portfolio images of current work with labels and descriptions following the guidelines below. Descriptions are additional commentary that gives reviewers further insight into your motivation, ideas, thought process and/or the issues addressed by your work. Individual labels and descriptions must not exceed the space provided.

Your portfolio images must be submitted through your WolfPAW account.

IMAGE SUBMISSIONS SPECIFICATIONS

10 preview portfolio images of your creative work: digital photos, scans and/or computer-native files.

ONE PROJECT PER PAGE

• All works should be submitted as individual single images.
• Do not submit image composites. (However, if/where needed, multiple views of the same project within a single image are appropriate).
• Center image within the camera frame.

ALL IMAGES SHOULD BE SIZED AT 1024 X 768 PIXELS (LANDSCAPE) OR 768 X 1024 PIXELS (PORTRAIT)

• Images sized smaller or larger than required may not be adequately displayed to reviewers.
• Images sized smaller may not exhibit necessary detail.
• Images sized larger may not adequately upload to the system.

ALL IMAGES SHOULD HAVE A RESOLUTION OF 72 DPI/PPI (DOTS PIXELS PER INCH)

• Images with resolutions smaller or lager than required may not be adequately displayed to reviewers.
• Images with resolutions smaller may not exhibit necessary detail.
• Images with resolutions larger may not adequately upload to the system.

ALL COLOR IMAGES SHOULD BE CAPTURED, MADE AND/OR MANIPULATED IN RGB COLOR MODE

• Do not use or save images in CMYK color mode.
• Do not convert native RGB color mode files to bitmap, grayscale, duotone, indexed color, lab color or multichannel.
• Black and white images are acceptable.

ALL IMAGES SHOULD BE SAVED AS JPEG FILE FORMAT (BEARING A ".JPG" FILE EXTENSION)

• Save JPEG files with Image Options: "Quality 10" and Format Options: "Baseline Standard."
• Do not submit moving or dynamic media files (i.e., QuickTime, FLV, MPG, AVI, Flash).
• If showcasing film or animation works, create a single image storyboard grid by utilizing a series of key still frames.

TIPS ON PHOTOGRAPHING, SCANNING AND/OR MANIPULATING DIGITAL IMAGES

• When photographing, scanning and further manipulating digital images of your work, be sure that all images are centered, leveled and cropped appropriately.
• When photographing your work, be sure to move in close so that the work fills the camera frame.
• When scanning, always check your scanner's specifications for appropriate settings needed to achieve desired results.
• When manipulating digital images of your work always have and save a starting-point original or back-up.
• All images must be well-lit and in-focus. Severely darkened or out-of-focus images may not be reviewed.
• Be mindful that artificial light sources (incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, etc.) can cause unwanted variations in the color in your work. Choose a lighting source that best suits your work's true appearance and is also match to the appropriate settings determined by your camera. When in doubt, use consistent indirect sunlight.
• Avoid using background colors that could interfere with or distort colors present in your work (e.g., avoid using background colors that may contain patterns or reflective material). A neutral-color drop cloth, table cloth, bed sheet or large-roll of construction/craft paper should be used as a consistent backdrop for your work.

EDITING AND SAVING YOUR PHOTOS/IMAGES

• You can download a 30 day trial of Adobe Photoshop from Adobe.com to save your work. In addition, Web2.0 software is available online that can handle and edit images for use in setting up your files for upload without the need to download the program to your computer.
• Please note: The College of Design cannot answer technical or support related questions regarding the use of these third-party software applications. Please consult the developers of the software or online forums for questions regarding using the actual applications listed.
  • https://www.photoshop.com
  • http://aviary.com/
  • http://www.pixlr.com/

Anni Albers Scholars Admission Requirements (optional)

Anni Albers Scholars must pass three separate sets of admission criteria. Students must be admitted to the College of Design, the College of Textiles, and the Anni Albers Scholars Program. Admissions procedures vary depending on whether a student is an incoming freshman, adding a major, or transferring.

Visit http://www.ncsu.edu/project/design-projects/anni-albers/ for guidelines, qualifying requirements and application form for applying to the Anni Albers Scholars Program

How to Enhance Your Design Knowledge

ARCHITECTURE

Indicators that the candidate promotes diversity, evidence of design-related work, leadership potential, ability to work independently, involvement in community activities, and exceptional experiences.

ART + DESIGN (DESIGN STUDIES, FIBERS AND SURFACE DESIGN, ANNI ALBERS SCHOLAR AND NEW MEDIA AND ANIMATION)

Art + Design applicants should demonstrate the following qualities: high motivation in artifact-making, discipline and patience, ability to manage time, genuine and longstanding interest in some aspect of art and design, flexible thinking, ability to explain and critically evaluate work, broad view of the world through life experiences, ability to work within conditions of ambiguity and uncertainty, willingness to share ideas, ability to collaborate and craftsmanship.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

The Graphic Design curriculum seeks applicants who are curious about the world and socially-aware; who are interested in the relationship between words and pictures and demonstrate the potential and desire to manipulate them; who are energized by technology and a variety of media; who are verbally articulate; and who think they would enjoy applying their creative and academic skills to communicating through visual form to the culture at large.

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

The curriculum seeks students who enjoy and are curious about: cultural artifacts; objects and products; mechanisms; materials and processes; inventions and innovations; technology; and marketing. These potential designers should be interested in changing their world. They should see technology as a way of improving life on many levels. They should be motivated to create objects that solve human needs and address human wants. The Industrial Design curriculum attracts and retains excellent students who become leading industrial designers.

OTHER TIPS FOR ENHANCING YOUR DESIGN KNOWLEDGE

• Familiarize yourself with design vocabulary.
• Seek advice on admissions requirements, including the Portfolio Process.
• Research design careers and interview professionals.
• Visit design firms, art museums, and galleries.
• Make contact with schools that interest you.
• Attend Open Houses and Visitation Days - and ask lots of questions.
• Know the admissions process, including key dates and deadlines.