CDFI flyer
Our current flyer provides all the important information about studying at the CDFI, all degree courses and the application process - CDFI-Flyer-2024 Download [de]
Studying art at the CDFI in Greifswald [de]
A film by students at the Caspar David Friedrich Institute, created in the #UniCast seminar by Jo Zynda (CDFI) in summer semester 2020. #UniCast [de] was launched at the CDFI in 2018 to create an online learning platform for the Institute. Since then, seminars on the creation of teaching videos, podcasts and other digital teaching/learning materials have been running within the framework of the project, which are intended to support and enrich studies as well as future teaching at schools.
Dear applicants,
Thank you for your interest in one of the degree courses at the Caspar David Friedrich Institute (Fine Arts). Below you will find some information on the application procedure at the CDFI. Additional information on this topic can also be found summarised here: CDFI_FAQ_Application_Info_May23 [de]
Admission requirements
A general higher education entrance qualification is a requirement for the degree course. In justified cases, it is possible to submit proof of the certificate at a later date, but this must be prior to enrolment. Admission to the portfolio assessment is granted upon request in writing (no specific form). The request can be submitted at the same time as the work samples (portfolio/online application).
Courses on offer
You can apply to us for the following degree courses:
- Art and design teaching qualification for primary education degree courses
- Art and design teacher-training degree course for Regionale Schule (secondary school up to year 10)
- Art and design teacher-training degree course for Gymnasium (secondary school up to year 12)
- Master of Arts in Fine Arts
Portfolio assessment for verifying artistic talent
Students must prove their artistic talent by submitting a portfolio for assessment with at least 15 independently produced works of art, designs and studies from the past three years from different areas of fine arts, such as painting, graphics, sculpture, photography, spatial concepts, performance, conceptual art, new media or other interdisciplinary art forms.
Information on the required content of the portfolio
Many study applicants would like to have specific guidelines and points of reference or even examples of how the application portfolio should be designed. However, every portfolio is individual and very personal - the content, form and scope of each individual portfolio are therefore very different.
When compiling your portfolio, you should always remember that the Selection Committee wants your portfolio to tell them something about you, your interests and abilities - about your very own way of perceiving and realising content in an artistic way. There can therefore be no "recipe" for compiling the portfolio. However, your selection of at least 15 artistic works should show an intensive examination of the content and form of the topics and themes you have chosen and reflect your own artistic and creative interests and abilities as comprehensively as possible. Among other things, we are interested in
Your ability to observe
Sensitivity in dealing with the creative means of colour, material, composition, space and time
Your technical potential
A love of experimentation, originality and intensity in your artistic expression
Diversity, openness
Your passion and perseverance in artistic work
There are no boundaries in the choice of artistic media and materials. A broad range of artistic expression is explicitly desired, or even required, and so, in addition to drawing, painting, printmaking, collages, photography, video, mixed media, etc., we also welcome the documentation of sculptural and performance art, aesthetic research, conceptual works and designs. An insight into your sketchbooks is also very informative for us.
Information regarding the presentation of the portfolio:
The works must be clearly labelled with your full name and the year they were produced.
A cover letter (see below) must be enclosed with the portfolio.
Instead of a printed portfolio, the necessary work samples for the application can also be submitted in the form of a PDF file with an appropriate resolution (max. 10 MB) to the email address: bewerbung-cdfiuni-greifswaldde. Sculptural or large-format works (larger than DIN A1) should only be submitted in the form of documented photos/PDF files.
Cover letter
With your cover letter, you request – in no specific form - the assessment of your portfolio. Please state the degree course(s) you are applying for. The following documents must be attached to the cover letter:
- A short declaration stating that you have completed the submitted work "independently and without external assistance"
- A copy of your Abitur (German secondary school leaving certificate) or a copy of an alternative higher education entrance qualification. In justified cases, the certificate can also be submitted at a later date, prior to enrolment.
Assessment result
The applicant will be notified of the result of the portfolio assessment in writing.
The portfolios can be collected after the exam and returned by arrangement with the reception.
Assessment criteria
When assessing the required artistic talent, the following aspects are given special consideration.
Teacher-Training Degree Course Art and Design at Regionale Schule
- Originality and intensity of artistic expression in part
- Variation within individual pictorial worlds in part
- Basic skills in the application of artistic design principles, such as the relationship to colour, material, composition and space
Teacher-Training Degree Course Art and Design at Primary Schools
- Originality and intensity of artistic expression in part
- Range of variation within individual pictorial worlds in part
- Basic skills in the application of artistic design principles, such as the relationship to colour, material, composition and space
Master of Arts - Fine Arts
- Undergraduate university degree.
- Proof of at least 54 credits in the field of fine arts if undergraduate degree was a Bachelor's
- Strong ability in the conception and realisation of artistic projects
- Application portfolio, consisting of works and projects from the last two years, which sufficiently demonstrate the applicant's artistic approach and objectives
- A draft of previously unrealised artistic project that appears suitable as a topic for the beginning of the degree course
- Non-German-speaking applicants must provide proof of good German language skills (see under "Studies - International - Incoming")
Fine Arts Office
Address:
Bahnhofstraße 46/47
17489 Greifswald
Contact:
Tel: +49 3834 420 3259
Email: cdfi.bildende.kunstuni-greifswaldde
Consultation hours:
Mon - Fri 9.00 - 11.00 a.m.
Mon - Thu 1.00 - 3.30 p.m.
Dates
All degree courses commence in winter semester. The portfolios/online applications must be submitted by 1 June for admission to the following winter semester (online by midnight). If the submission deadline falls on a weekend or public holiday, the last working day prior to this will apply. You are welcome to send the portfolios to the reception by post or bring them in person if you have made an appointment in advance.
NEW: Please also submit the documents for the master's degree course by 01 June by email, or preferably also as a portfolio.
Portfolio advice
For the 2025 application period, the following portfolio consultation is planned in presence for the teacher-training degree programmes for secondary schools and primary schools :
15 January 2025, 1.30 p.m. in the Malsaal at Bahnhofstraße 46/47. There will be another portfolio consultation in April / May 2025.
Please register for the portfolio consultation in advance by writing an email to Ms. Wohlfahrt at mappenberatung-cdfiuni-greifswaldde by 13 January 2025 at the latest, and let her know which degree course you would like to study. After registering you will receive a confirmation email.
Further information
At the Open Days, you will have the opportunity to get to know us, ask questions and get hands-on in the workshops.
The study documents [de] for all degree courses will help you plan your studies.
Further information will follow.