Program Overview

Upon completion of the AUK major in Design—Concentration in Graphic Design, the student will be able to:

  1. Have a working knowledge of the connection between type, image, and other principles of visual organization that are based on understanding design history, theory, methodology, and cultural and aesthetic differences.
  2. Identify and solve communication problems and question predetermined solutions through research, awareness of critical perspectives in the evaluation of design, and qualitative and quantitative analysis.
  3. Implement a wide range of design technologies and strategies through the understanding and ability to use current software and new media.
  4. Think, speak, and write clearly and effectively, and communicate with precision and rhetorical force, both generally and in design communications.
  5. Demonstrate cultural sensitivity, ethical values, and the ability to design for a diverse and global audience while also understanding how the audience/user values and behaviors are reflected in the design.
  6. Develop a portfolio with an accompanying thesis and design rationale that reflects the design methodologies necessary to produce a body of work.
  7. Demonstrate divergent and convergent thinking in the integration of the formal, the conceptual, and the material by using the elements and principles of design to effectively support the project’s purpose.

Students must formally choose and declare a major no later than the completion of 60 credit hours by completing the Degree Program, Major, and/or Minor Declaration Request form, and submitting it to the Academic Advising Center. Students wishing to major in graphic design must satisfy the following requirements:

  • The graphic design concentration requirements include 9 credit hours of program prerequisites from the following list: ART 101, ART 102, ART 120, ART 121, and GDES 110.