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Portfolio Submission

Immersive Media Design Computing and Emerging Creative students will submit a portfolio typically in their third semester, while concurrently completing IMDM227 and other required courses toward their degree. Students who intend to pursue a degree in Immersive Media Design and are currently enrolled in IMDM227 must also submit a portfolio. Successful portfolio submissions from Immersive Media Design students exhibit a high level of self-direction, autonomy, and focus.

The portfolio submission website becomes available in October every year and the process runs through November. Students will have 2 weeks to submit their portfolio through the portal. Portfolios are then reviewed by a committee of faculty members in, and affiliated with, the Immersive Media Design program. Portfolio review decisions are emailed to students before the November break.

Starting October 28th, students may submit their portfolios here. They will close November 8, 2024. If you have questions about the process, please email imd@umd.edu.

The portfolio submission is an integral part of the Immersive Media Design program for several reasons:

  • It demonstrates practical skills in relevant areas (digital design, mixed reality, interactive and immersive media).
  • It showcases students' technical proficiency in relevant software applications such as Unity and Adobe Creative Suite.
  • It communicates a student's personal style, aesthetic preferences, and artistic vision.
  • It showcases students' ability to communicate ideas effectively through project descriptions and their personal essay.
  • It allows the Immersive Media Design portfolio review committee to assess a student's skills and if their interests align with the programs objectives and strengths. This compatability is crucial in ensuring students are well-suited for the program and will be successful in Immersive Media Design.

The portfolio is not/should not be:

  • A compilation of copied or unoriginal works unreflective of a students creative abilities and artistic vision.
  • A space for submitting multiple pieces demonstrating the same skills or concepts.
  • Contain poorly documented work (photographed, recorded, scanned) to where the review committee cannot look closely at the submitted work.

 

  1. Must be in an Immersive Media Design degree program (or currently in IMDM227 with the intention of applying for the spring semester).
  2. Minimum overall GPA of 2.7
  3. Must have completed, or be in progress of completing, the following courses with a C- or higher:
    Emerging Creatives, B.A.
    • ARTT100: Two-Dimensional Design Fundamentals
    • ARTT110: Elements of Drawing I (B.A. students only)
    • IMDM101: Introduction to Immersive Media
    • IMDM127: Creative Coding for Digital Media
    • IMDM227: Introduction to Computational Media
    Computing, B.S.
    • CMSC131: Object-Oriented Programming I or CMSC133: Object-Oriented Programming I Beyond Fundamentals or CMSC141: Programming with Purpose I: Data-Centric Computing
    • CMSC132: Object-Oriented Programming II (B.S. students only) or CMSC142: Programming with Purpose II: Data Structures and Algorithms
    • MATH140: Calculus I (B.S. students only)
    • IMDM227: Introduction to Computational Media

Each applicant must submit a portfolio, essay, and an unofficial transcript. Applications not including all the required components will be incomplete and not considered.

Applications open October 28, 2024 and will close November 8, 2024. Portfolios may be submitted here.

Each applicant must upload 7-10 single image files that highlight their work in Art, Computer Science, and Immersive Media Design. Students should aim for 1-2 works from their Immersive Media Design degree required courses including, but not limited to: ARTT110, ARTT100, (IMDM127 or CMSC131 or CMSC133), and IMDM101. Students may submit work from more advanced coursework (e.g., CMSC132 or ARTT210) and/or the first half of IMDM227 if applicable. Students may submit up to 3 personal works not directly from their coursework.

Upload images as .jpg files. They should be clear, in-focus, color-corrected and of ample resolution. Crop out any extraneous background. If submitting time-based or interactive work, upload one representative still image and include a YouTube, Vimeo, or other link to its online presence. If submitting a programming piece, please upload a screenshot representing the output of the code and upload the code through SecureShare here.

Each image should not exceed 2 MB.

Include the following information for each work: one or two sentence description, medium, dimensions or running time, and date of completion.

The application will become available again in October 2024.

Students will submit an essay as part of their portfolio submission. This essay is an essential component of your portfolio providing the review committee with insight into your interest in Immersive Media Design, how your work is in alignment with the program, and your aspirations within the field of immersive media. 

The essay should be approximately 800-1000 words, double-spaced, 12pt font. 

Students may consider some of the following questions in helping them draft their essay:

  • What are your primary interests in immersive media?
  • What drives your passion for this field? 
  • Have there been key influences or inspirations that have shaped your work?
  • What do you hope to achieve through your work in immersive media? 
  • How do you envision your work evolving as you progress in the major?
  • What is your creative process?
  • How do you plan to use the foundational skills you have learned in your first semester's worth of coursework to develop your future work?
  • How do you see yourself contributing to the field?

Students do not need to answer any or all of these questions, they are just starting points to help the writing process.

We encourage students to give the essay the time and attention it deserves and to not wait until the last minute to write up.

Write the draft, read it out loud, rewrite it for submission.

Students can download their unofficial advising transcript via Testudo. The committee does not require an official transcript. Students having issues downloading their  unofficial transcript should email imd@umd.edu for assistance.

Applications will be reviewed throughout November and students will receive their decision before the November break. Students whose initial portfolio submission was not accepted, have the ability to appeal.

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