Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design (MFA) Sharpen Your Creative Skills

1. Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
   • A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
2. Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
   • Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
3. Admission to this program requires:
   • Artist Statement — The artist statement should include your artistic background, area(s) of specialty, and the intended direction of your work. This is your opportunity to provide context for your art and design. This will be submitted through SlideRoom in conjuncture with the portfolio.
   • Master of Fine Arts Portfolio — The successful portfolio* should include a total of 20 items that best depict the applicant’s abilities and interests in their desired field of study.** Submitted items should be professionally photographed/composed and be client-ready. Neat and professional presentation, layout, and image quality should be considered by the applicant when submitting his/her work for review. The submitted work samples should demonstrate the applicant’s strong graphic design skills, aesthetic style, and potential for success in the program. All submitted items should be original creative artifacts designed by the applicant. Credit must be given when collaborative works are included. This will be submitted via SlideRoom, which requires a $10 non-refundable fee. Provide exactly 20 items including any of the following: images (up to 5MB each), video (up to 250MB each), PDFs (up to 10MB each), and models (Sketchfab).
     *Students who transfer at least 30 credit hours into the program will have the portfolio requirement waived for admission.
     **Applications for the online MFA will only be considered in the area of graphic design.
4. Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

• Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
• Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
• Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
• If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
• Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.

Please see the Online Dual Enrollment page for information about starting graduate courses while finishing your bachelor’s degree.

Unofficial College Transcript Policy

Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:

• Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
• Cumulative GPA
• A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
• Degree and date conferred (if applicable)

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.

If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.