Program Overview

Bachelor of Science in Visual Communication Design

The 58-unit Bachelor of Science in Visual Communication Design encompasses and integrates graphic design and interactive design while offering additional study addressing advanced concepts and a changing technological landscape. Students are prepared to collaborate with other design disciplines in technology, user experience, and creative problem-solving.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon graduation, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate proficiency in skills pertinent to design practice and its applications
• Use software and technology intended for design and its diverse applications
• Apply a structured design process to various situations of different scope and complexity
• Recognize how design theories, principles, and practices have changed over time in response to shifting contexts
• Analyze the design landscape and think critically about the users and stakeholders, feasibility, functionality, aesthetics, and broader social impact of the design
• Identify appropriate research and testing methods for the context, user needs, and outcome
• Demonstrate fluency in visual language and design vocabulary
• Document and present work according to professional expectations employing verbal, visual, and written means
• Collaborate effectively with others both within and outside the field
• Identify and critically evaluate how design impacts and is impacted by systemic bias and discrimination
• Develop a socially just, ethical, respectful, responsible, and inclusive practice
• Identify fundamental aspects of environmentally sustainable design practice

Admission

At the time of admission to the University, all students may elect to be Visual Communication Design majors. No special permission, application, or portfolio is required. Before advancing to courses at the 300 level or higher, however, all majors must:

• Complete the foundation courses DES 200 and DES 222 with a grade of C or better
• Have upper-division standing
• Complete the lower-division General Education requirements at SF State or the equivalent at another institution

Visual Communication Design (B.S.) — 58 units

All courses for the major must be completed with a grade of C or better, except for DES 305, DES 370, and DES 576, which must be completed with a CR grade.

Foundation Requirements (9 units)

• DES 200: Visual Design Literacy (3 units)
• DES 222: Digital Design Foundations I (3 units)
• DES 228: Introduction to Web Design (3 units)

Core Requirements (13 Units)

• DES 300: Design Process (3 units)
• DES 322: Digital Design Foundations II (3 units)
• DES 324GW: Research and Writing for Design - GWAR (3 units)
• DES 356: A History of Design and Technology (3 units)
• DES 370: Introduction to The School of Design (1 unit)

Major Requirements (15 units)

• DES 325: Graphic Design I (3 units)
• DES 327: Interactive Design I (3 units)
• DES 425: Graphic Design II (3 units)
• DES 427: Interactive Design II (3 units)
• Select one of the following:
  • DES 525: Graphic Design III: Advanced (3 units)
  • DES 527: Interactive Design III (3 units)

Major Electives (15 Units)

The Major Electives are intended to build a professional design portfolio, and as such, upper-division courses are strongly encouraged. Select five classes from the list below. Take no more than two classes (6 units total) at the lower-division.

• CSC 101: Introduction to Computing (3 units)
• DES 220: Introduction to Drawing for Designers (3 units)
• DES 226: Modern Letterpress Printing: Traditional and Digital Techniques (3 units)
• DES 252: Rethinking Digital Visual Media: History, Technology, and Content (3 units)
• DES 256: Design and Society: Contemporary Design Issues and Applications (3 units)
• DES 277: Exploration in Meaning and Discourse Through Design (3 units)
• DES 305: Lab Safety Basics (1 unit)
• DES 310: Product Design I (3 units)
• DES 311: Image Making for Designers (3 units)
• DES 320: Drafting and Sketching for Design (3 units)
• DES 321: Technical Drawing I: Introduction to CAD (3 units)
• DES 367: Introduction to Game Design (3 units)
• DES 377B: (3 units)
• DES 405: How to Develop, Patent, and Market an Idea (3 units)
• DES 448: User Experience Design (3 units)
• DES 456: Design Thinking Principles and Practices (3 units)
• DES 475: Topics in Design (3 units)
• DES 523: Information Design I: Data Visualization (3 units)
• DES 525: Graphic Design III: Advanced (3 units)
• DES 527: Interactive Design III (3 units)
• DES 575: Contemporary Design Workshop (3 units)
• DES 576: Practical Experience: Internship (3 units)
• DES 625: Graphic Design Practicum: Design Working Group (3 units)
• DES 627: Advanced Projects in Visual Communication Design (3 units)
• DES 628: Design Gallery: Exhibitions and Communications (3 units)
• DES 677: Exploration in Delightful Design (3 units)
• DES 699: Independent Study in Design (3 units)
• JOUR 235: Photojournalism I: Foundations of Photojournalism (3 units)
• JOUR 450: Publication Design and Graphics (3 units)
• Other electives as approved by an advisor (1-3 units)

Culminating Requirements (6 units)

• DES 505: Senior Design Project (to be taken in the last semester) (3 units)
• DES 570: Professional Practices for Designers (3 units)

General Education Requirements

General Education Requirements Requirement | Course Level | Units | Area Designation

• Oral Communication | LD | 3 | A1
• Written English Communication | LD | 3 | A2
• Critical Thinking | LD | 3 | A3
• Physical Science | LD | 3 | B1
• Life Science | LD | 3 | B2
• Lab Science | LD | 1 | B3
• Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning | LD | 3 | B4
• Arts | LD | 3 | C1
• Humanities | LD | 3 | C2
• Arts or Humanities | LD | 3 | C1 or C2
• Social Sciences | LD | 3 | D1
• Social Sciences: US History | LD | 3 | D2
• Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (LLD) | LD | 3 | E
• Ethnic Studies | LD | 3 | F
• Physical and/or Life Science | UD | 3 | UD-B
• Arts and/or Humanities | UD | 3 | UD-C
• Social Sciences | UD | 3 | UD-D

SF State Studies

Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective.

• American Ethnic and Racial Minorities | LD or UD | 3 | AERM
• Environmental Sustainability | LD or UD | 3 | ES
• Global Perspectives | LD or UD | 3 | GP
• Social Justice | LD or UD | 3 | SJ

First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)

The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.

SF State Scholars

The San Francisco State Scholars program provides undergraduate students with an accelerated pathway to a graduate degree. Students in this program pursue a bachelor's and master's degree simultaneously. This program allows students to earn graduate credit while in their junior and/or senior year, reducing the number of semesters required for completion of a master's degree.

General Advising Information for Transfer Students

1. Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
2. The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.

• A course in U.S. History
• A course in U.S. & California Government

For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit the ASSIST website.

Previous Bulletins

Students following earlier "Bulletin" requirements can access the appropriate year using the Previous Bulletins link.