Art Practice

Art practice is the exploration of studio art experiences and processes with an emphasis on developing your own creative vision. Our program goes beyond the physical activities of making to include idea generation, influences, materials, tools and methods. We offer an interdisciplinary approach with an emphasis on current trends in contemporary art.

Our bachelor of fine arts degree in art practice provides you with the knowledge and skills designed to prepare you for a fulfilling career as a practicing artist. It's a flexible degree that allows you to design an individual path of study based on your interests and goals. We strive to acquaint you with fundamental concepts while nurturing your own unique vision.

You will start off in our innovative Core program, which offers you the foundational toolkit you'll need to succeed. Core courses foster community and excitement for the diverse ways we engage in creative life and provides learning situations that open up those possibilities.

Our faculty, who are all active makers as well as educators, will mentor you along your path in small classes with frequent one-on-one instruction. As you progress as an art practice major, you will experience a variety of traditional media including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, and textiles. But you might also be intrigued by time-based arts that have a durational dimension, such as film, video, sound, and performance art.

We are leaders in the pioneering field of Art + Social Practice. Instead of making art as objects, this field focuses on collaborative experiences and interaction between the artist and cultural systems through activism and social engagement.

WE OFFER

• Access to specialized labs and studio facilities
• A regular program of visiting artist lectures
• Exposure to a variety of mediums and techniques
• Opportunities for summer study abroad
• Expert faculty who are active participants in the creative community
• Courses in a variety of areas including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, textiles, video, photography, social practice

Submit Your Application and $60 Application Fee

Go to Portland State University's online application system and select Create Account. If you have already started an application, or created one for a past term, select Log In.

Submit Academic Records

You are required to submit complete academic records. We accept high school transcripts, grades and other relevant academic records along with your graduation certificate, diploma or exam results or certificates. If you have taken any college or university classes, submit transcripts from all colleges or universities attended. You can submit unofficial transcripts from non-U.S. institutions for review of your application and to receive an admission decision. Official transcripts are required for enrollment, see our official records policy for details.

Electronic Submission: Transcripts may be submitted via Parchment or sent directly from a school official to [email protected].

In Person Submission: You can bring these directly to our office upon arrival to Portland State.

Mail Submission: Submit official transcripts in their original sealed envelopes from all schools attended and mail them to PSU at the address below.

Portland State University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
PO Box 751
Portland OR 97207-0751

Submit Evidence of English Language Proficiency

Request official test results to be sent directly to Portland State University by ETS (TOEFL), PTE, or IELTS. Students who meet the academic requirements for admission to PSU, but have not yet met English proficiency requirements, will be admitted to PSU and placed into one of our ESL programs. Review PSU’s English Language Proficiency Requirements for more details.

• TOEFL Code: 4610, department code 00
• SAT Code: 4610

Check Your Application Status

If you have submitted an application to Portland State University, you can log in to PSU's application portal to review the status of your application. You will be notified via email for each document you submit and your admission decision.

If you are not receiving email communications from Portland State University, be sure to check your @pdx.edu email account. Once you set up your student account all communications will be sent to that email address. If you are not receiving information from us in any email inboxes, please contact us at [email protected].