Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, BFA
Through class coursework, field trips, lectures, and workshops, students develop their skills as listeners, presenters, and leaders while honing their design instincts and building confidence as creators.
The four-year undergraduate degree in graphic design prepares students for a diverse range of creative professions. Delivered in a studio environment that emphasizes small faculty-to-student ratios, the curriculum prioritizes an iterative approach to learning, where experimentation, dialogue, and collaboration enhance both conceptual and technical proficiency. Students are encouraged to discover their own voice and develop a personal design perspective, enabling them to create work that addresses the needs of various contexts and audiences.
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Program Details
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Program Overview
The graphic design curricular sequence engages students in a design practice that is both broad and deep. Beginning with a design-centered foundations program, students will view the world through the lens of design from day one. This exploratory year includes four required courses that delve into typography, imagery, and systems through both 2D and 3D media. Students work towards admission into the program through a portfolio review.
After the review, they become part of a tighter cohort, enhancing their creative capacity while exploring more complex concepts. Subsequent years will focus on refining a personal process, building capacity across tools and media, distinguish how the application of research methodologies and critical thinking support design decisions, and exploring information design and data visualization. In the final year, students hone their professional practices in branding and identity, culminating in a capstone project and a professional practice course that guides them in developing their websites and portfolios in preparation for the job market upon graduation.
Required coursework is supplemented by internships, opportunities to pursue a minor, and options to take courses in a wide range of influential subjects, such as art, cognitive psychology, advertising, and many others.
Portfolio Review
After completing the Foundations year, students are eligible to apply to continue in upper-division coursework towards the BFA degree in Graphic Design. The entrance process, known as Portfolio Review (GRDS 200), requires students to complete a written component, submit a specified number of works from their foundational year, and participate in a brief interview. Through a structured review process, applicants are assessed by the faculty teaching within the foundations program for engagement, growth, potential, and the professionalism needed for advanced coursework in the program. Throughout the year students are supported by their individual advisor to ensure on track progression for the 2nd year whichever direction is undertaken.
Alternative Options to Graphic Design
Traditionally, around 60% of the students who apply for credit in portfolio review are accepted, resulting in a dedicated and motivated cohort of graphic design students pursuing upper-division coursework. While not all students succeed, the program prepares everyone for several options after the review including:
- Take the valuable skills learned in this first year and pursue degrees in advertising, marketing, media communications, or studio art.
- Pursue the Graphic Design Studies Minor. Consisting of 15 credit hours, students who have completed the foundations year have earned 9 credits and only need 6 additional credits (two classes) to achieve the minor.
- Come back and reapply the following year.
Creative Problem-Solving
Deeply Human Skills
Professional Experience and Portfolio Development
Designer Roles
A BFA in Graphic Design prepares graduates for specialized roles across industries. Alumni work as brand identity, packaging, UI/UX, motion graphics, editorial, information, and environmental designers in corporations, nonprofits, startups, government agencies, publishing houses, and entertainment studios.
Agency and Freelance Careers
Many graphic design graduates build careers at creative agencies, branding firms, or advertising studios, working across diverse clients and projects. Agency life offers exposure to fast-paced environments, collaborative teams, and varied problem-solving. Others choose freelancing, building independent practices with clients in areas they are passionate about.
Art and Creative Directors
These positions involve guiding the visual direction of a brand, campaign, publication, or product, requiring design expertise and the ability to lead and inspire a team. Art directors shape visual communication, while creative directors set the broader strategic and aesthetic vision. For designers who want to shape culture and lead creative teams, these roles offer rewarding paths.
Here's a glimpse of some of the courses offered in your first year in the program.
DSGN 101
Graphic Design Foundation Studio I
DSGN 102
Graphic Design Foundation Studio II
Supporting the applied arts and humanities VolCore requirement
DSGN 103
Graphic Design Foundation Studio III
Supporting the applied arts and humanities VolCore requirement
DSGN 150
The Idea of Design
Supporting the applied arts and humanities VolCore requirement
GRDS 200
Graphic Design Portfolio Review
Complimentary Minors
The graphic design curriculum is designed to allow students to select a minor that complements and informs their personal design interests. Are you interested in business? Consider entrepreneurship, advertising and public relations, leadership studies, or retail and merchandising management. Is social justice your passion? You might explore sociology, public affairs, or even social justice itself. Or maybe you want to pursue a career in magazine design, you could investigate communication studies, digital media, or journalism and media. Every student works closely with their advisor to determine a curricular path that works for them.