Program Description
Design shapes our world and human experiences. The Visual Communication Design program emphasizes the role of design as a vital cultural, social, economic, political, and environmental force in society. By fostering curiosity, faculty empower students to develop individual points of view and equip them to investigate and tackle the complex challenges of our profession and the world. Graduates learn to make and think using a range of techniques and applications, to collaborate with peers and faculty from other programs, to work on industry projects, and to engage with the professional design community. Students select a concentration in year three; Graphic Design Communication (GRAPH) or Web Design and Development (WEB).
Learning Goals/Outcomes
- Identify communication design problems to support appropriate solutions for intended audiences and context
- Conduct research & analysis to shape solutions and user experience
- Generate/prototype solutions to discover possibilities
- Evaluate outcomes to measure effectiveness
- Collaborate productively in teams (interdisciplinary)
- Adapt to continually changing professional challenges
- Demonstrate visual literacy through means such as composition, hierarchy, typography & creation of meaningful images
- Display proficiency in tools & technology
Curriculum: 4 years, 121-125 credits
| First Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| FYS 100 | Pathways Seminar | 1 |
| WRIT 101 | Writing Sem I: Written Comm. | 3 |
| AVIS 101 | American Visions | 3 |
| MATH 1XX | Math I | 3-4 |
| SCI 1XX | Science Placeholder | 3 |
| DECF 102 | Finding & Shaping Opportunity | 3 |
| VDES 101 | Design Essentials | 3 |
| DRAW 101 | Drawing Essentials | 3 |
| GRPH 102 | Intro to Graphic Design | 3 |
| ARTH 103 | A Survey of the History of Art | 3 |
| GRPH 110 | Digital Imagn for Graphic Desg | 3 |
| Credits | 31-32 | |
| Second Year | ||
| ETHC 2XX | Ethics Course Placeholder | 3 |
| GDIV 1XX | Global Diversity Placeholder | 3 |
| WRIT 201 | Writing Seminar II:Multi Comm | 3 |
| GRPH 208 | History of Graphic Design | 3 |
| DECS 209 | Sys Thinking & Sustainability | 3 |
| GRPH 201 | Design III for Graph Dsgn Comm | 3 |
| GRPH 202 | Design IV for Graph Dsgn Comm | 3 |
| ARTH 2XX | Art History Elective | 3 |
| DIGD 200 | Fundamentls of Web Programming | 3 |
| DIGD 206 | Found in Web Design & Strategy | 3 |
| Credits | 30 | |
| Third Year | ||
| ADIV 2XX | American Diversity Placeholder | 3 |
| GCIT 2XX | Global Citizenship Placeholder | 3 |
| CGIS 300 | Contemporary Global Issues | 3 |
| DECM 300 | Research Methods | 3 |
| DECM 300 | Research Methods | 3 |
| DIGD 318 | Media Production | 3 |
| MKTG 102 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| Visual Comm Design Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Concentration | ||
| Select one of the following concentrations: | 6 | |
| Graphic Design | ||
| Design V for Graph Design Comm | ||
| Design VI for Graph Dsign Comm | ||
| Web Design | ||
| Advanced Web Design & Strategy | ||
| Web Development | ||
| Credits | 33 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| PHIL 499 | Philosophies of the Good Life | 3 |
| GRPH 308 | Graphic Design Theory | 3 |
| DIGD 498 | Interdisc Capstone Proj Prep | 3 |
| GRPH 499 | Cap in Graph Design Comm | 6 |
| Visual Comm Design Elective | 3 | |
| General Electives | 6 | |
| Concentration | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-6 | |
| Graphic Design | ||
| Design VII for Graph Dsgn Comm | ||
| Web Design | ||
| User Interface Design | ||
| Javascript Programing | ||
| Credits | 27-30 | |
| Total Credits | 121-125 | |