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CVPA Design faculty with students

Design
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (PBC)

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (PBC) in Visual Design allows students to develop their work in various design fields, including illustration, graphic design, animation, and game arts. The program is designed for students seeking to strengthen their applications to graduate school, expand their knowledge base to become more marketable in the field, or pursue creative projects under the mentorship of faculty and designers working in the area.

The 18-credit hour PBC program can assist you as you enter professional practice and/or prepare you to apply to MFA degree programs.

PBC students:

  • have full use of studio facilities
  • attend visiting artist lectures
  • participate in all media area activities/topic-based seminars

Regularly scheduled critiques occur, and a comprehensive show of studio work will be presented upon completion. 

Visual Design PBC students take 9 credits per semester.

Fall courses:

  • ART 508 (Portfolio Intensive I) - 6 credits
  • ART 505 (Graduate Seminar) - 3 credits

Spring courses:

  • ART 509 (Portfolio Intensive II) - 6 credits
  • ART 595 (Independent Study) - 3 credits

Should a PBC student be accepted into the UMass Dartmouth MFA program, the relevant PBC credits can count toward the MFA degree.

Admissions requirements

To apply please create an account in our Applicant Portal. You will need to submit:

  • Application form
  • $60 application fee (non-refundable)
  • Statement of Purpose (minimum 300 words)
  • Resume
  • Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not)
  • English Proficiency test scores:TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or PTE Academic (if applicable)
  • Letter(s) of Recommendation (see program requirements for more information)
  • GRE/GMAT (not required for most programs, see program requirements for more information)

Unofficial transcripts and test scores are accepted for application review but official documents are required for enrollment, please have documents (ie. test scores) sent prior to the expiration. 

Program-specific requirements

Candidates must submit the required application materials, university requirements and program-specific requirements, for consideration.

  • Portfolio of 10 images representing your art work, process of thinking, implementation of concepts, and studio production. The portfolio is the equivalent of the entrance examinations which other academic areas often require. See Graduate Portfolio for more information.
  • Please submit 2 letters of recommendation. Applicants will be required to provide the recommenders name and email address so we can contact the recommender for the letter of recommendation.

Application dates