Transferring to Myers School of Art 

The Myers School of Art offers a rigorous BFA in studio concentration areas, as well as BA programs in art education, art history and studio art. Our programs are highly sequential, and transfer students must have coursework from other institutions carefully evaluated by Myers School of Art faculty in order to accurately determine your place within our curriculum.

This guide outlines the policies and procedures surrounding the placement of transfer students in our BFA program, transfer portfolio review, and the evaluation of coursework taken at another accredited institution for direct equivalency at the University of Akron.

Transferring into the BFA Program at the Myers School of Art

In order to determine placement within our BFA program and to discern which studio credits will transfer with direct equivalency and/or applicability, transfer students need to have a portfolio review with Myers School of Art faculty. During this in-person review, you must present a portfolio of work for each class you wish to be considered for equivalency. Note that you can present work only from completed courses with an earned grade documented on an official academic transcript.

When to schedule your Portfolio Review

You can request a portfolio review before you have officially applied to or been accepted to the University of Akron. If you plan to begin classes at the Myers School of Art in the fall term, you should complete a portfolio review in the spring to ensure accurate course placement. Note that you can only present work from completed courses with an earned grade; work from ‘in-progress’ courses cannot be considered during a portfolio review.

How to request a Portfolio Review

To request a portfolio review, email Manager of Student Affairs Sofia Calderwood (sofia@uakron.edu). In your correspondence, be certain to detail your availability to meet with faculty on our Akron campus in the 2-3 weeks following the date of your request. She will confer with the appropriate faculty in order to coordinate a portfolio review meeting. Students should not submit materials directly to faculty; doing so will produce delays in the evaluation process. Also, faculty may not be on campus during the summer break, and consequently, may not be able to meet for portfolio reviews after the Spring term ends and before the Fall term begins.

What to bring to your Portfolio Review

In portfolio review meetings Myers School of Art faculty assess and evaluate whether the courses you took at another institution and the work you created in them are equivalent to our offerings. In order to do this accurately and effectively, faculty need to see as much work as possible produced within each course under evaluation. Students must carefully organize the portfolio of work according to the class in which it was produced. The neat and thorough presentation of all work and preparatory sketches/models produced for each class is imperative for a successful portfolio evaluation. Work done outside of the classroom (professional work, freelance work, individually-directed work, sketchbooks, etc.) may also be presented in a transfer portfolio review. Students should present physical work which and can be supplemented by digital work (saved on a USB key, CD, website, etc.). Digital work must be organized by class in a folder dedicated to each course. The faculty of the Myers School of Art will not review portfolios through digital submission or email. Digital portfolios are not sufficient for assessment, a discussion of the work with faculty must also occur.

Students are also strongly encouraged to bring a copy of the syllabus from every studio course under consideration. If you have not retained a particular syllabus, you are advised to request a copy from your previous institution before the portfolio review. Syllabi help faculty determine if course equivalency is applicable, as well as assess your placement within our curriculum.

Upon completion of the Portfolio Review, faculty will complete a Course Evaluation Request Form for each course under consideration, and in some cases will be given an academic program guide. Prospective student will be given a copy. Myers School of Art main office will hold a copy and if the student has been accepted to The University of Akron, a copy will be sent to Academic Advising on campus.

Portfolio Reviews in Graphic Design

To maintain our high job placement rate after graduation, the Coordinators of the Graphic Design program will determine appropriate class placement for transfer students based on the transfer portfolio review. This evaluation will help you successfully transition into our program and provide the best possible outcome for the three required reviews within the BFA curriculum. Graphic Design students should present physical work as originals or an actual size print, supplemented by digital work. Digital files should be submitted as a single multi-page PDF, a website link, or a Quicktime movie. Projects such as web or interactive media, should be submitted digitally.

Evaluating Art History and Art Education Courses

To review the equivalency of art history and art education courses, students should submit a request and supporting materials to Associate Professor Laura Vinnedge (lvinned@uakron.edu) for disbursement to the respective faculty. The required supporting materials are: a complete syllabus, a detailed course outline, and a description of all assignments. In some cases, faculty evaluators may request additional materials, such as examples of work completed in the course under consideration. Digital materials (PDF or Word documents only) are accepted for art history and art education evaluations. After reviewing the materials, faculty will return the completed Course Evaluation Request Form to Associate Professor Laura Vinnedge who will convey the results to the student and advise as appropriate. Note that an in-person meeting is not required for the review of art history and art education course work, and that faculty are unable to review course equivalency requests during summer break.

Course Sequencing

The BFA programs in the Myers School of Art have strongly sequential curricula. Most studio courses have strict prerequisites, and many are offered only in particular terms. You can review the curriculum guides and prerequisite data (in the Courses of Instruction, Undergraduate Bulletin) for details. Depending on your prior coursework, transfer students can be required to commit up to 3 or 4 additional years of study before earning a BFA or BA at the Myers School of Art.

The Myers School of Art is not able to pre-approve equivalencies or provide guidance regarding courses one should take at another institution with the implication that they will transfer as direct equivalencies at the Myers School of Art.

TAG Courses

If a student has attended a public institution that offers TAG (Transfer Assurance Guide) courses, UA is legally obligated to guarantee that these courses will transfer to UA with direct equivalency. Please see the Ohio Board of Regents site for access to the Transfer Assurance Guide Reporting System.

To help ensure your success in the Myers School of Art, faculty may request a review of the work you have produced in a TAG course. If the portfolio does not include work of the quality and quantity needed to pass 7100:250 Foundation Review, faculty may recommend that a student repeat a TAG course at the Myers School of Art.

Additional Information

The materials required for portfolio review and to evaluate course equivalency vary by subject area, and are outlined in the guidelines above. Students are responsible for collecting and submitting all the required information and materials for portfolio review or when requesting a course evaluation. Incomplete portfolios and submissions cannot be approved for equivalency.

Questions?

If you have questions, or are ready to schedule your portfolio review, please contact us at ua.art@uakron.edu.

View and print the Course Evaluation Request Form