Program Overview

Graphic Design Undergraduate Major (BFA, HBFA)

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design (GD) is an exciting and rigorous program at Oregon State University. The disciplinary foundations of graphic design are rooted in visual problem solving, design theory and history, as well as professional practices that tie into business and marketing for specific audiences.

Program Overview

Examples of the work graphic designers engage in include both print and digital media such as:

• branding and visual identities
• publication design (magazines, newspapers, catalogs)
• information design
• package design
• exhibition design
• interactive design (Web, video)

The discipline of graphic design is constantly changing due to new technologies, broader target audiences, and softer boundaries between disciplines. Students learn to be adaptable, flexible and collaborative in how they work. Graphic designers are creative thinkers and makers and may have strengths and interests in drawing, printmaking and photography.

Program Structure

The Graphic Design major is a professional program. Entering students are designated as Pre-Graphic Design majors. The pre-professional Graphic Design program typically takes one year to complete. After completing the pre-professional program requirements, students may apply to the professional Graphic Design program. Students will not be permitted to take professional Graphic Design course work without acceptance into the professional Graphic Design program. If admitted into the professional Graphic Design program, it will take students three additional years to complete the professional program regardless of transfer credit standing.

Admission Criteria

Admission into the professional Graphic Design program is subject to a competitive application process. To apply and be considered for admission, all pre-professional students must meet the following requirements:

• Be declared as a Pre-Graphic Design major.
• Have completed and received a C or better in ALL courses within the Pre-Graphic Design major by the end of spring term before applying.

Criteria for acceptance include:

• Completion and grade in GD 126.
• Completion and grades in GD Foundation courses: ART 101, ART 115, ART 121, and ART 131.
• Completion and grades in Bacc Core First-Year Skills Requirements: WR 121Z, Speech course (choose one: COMM 111Z COMM 114, or COMM 218Z) and College Level Math course: MTH 105Z or higher.
• Overall GPA.

Major Codes

• Major Code: 779
• Pre-Graphic Design Major Code: 479

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:

• Demonstrate design processes such as research, analysis, prototyping and synthesis, from concept to delivery, to solve communication problems.
• Create communication solutions that address audiences and context, by recognizing the human factors that determine design decisions.
• Utilize relevant application of tools and technology in the creation, reproduction, and distribution of visual messages.
• Apply graphic design principles in the creation, development, and production of visual messages.
• Identify and utilize design history, theory, and criticism from a variety of perspectives, including: art history, communication/information theory, and the social/cultural use of design objects.
• Confidently participate in professional design practice and management within a collaborative work environment.

Course List

The following courses are part of the Graphic Design program:

Pre-Graphic Design Core

• ART 101: Introduction to the Visual Arts (3 credits)
• ART 115: 2-D Core Studio (4 credits)
• ART 121: Digital Core Studio (4 credits)
• ART 131: Drawing Core Studio (4 credits)
• GD 126: Graphic Design Pro Application (2 credits)

Lower-Division Graphic Design Professional Core

• ART 263: Digital Photography (4 credits)
• Select one ART course from the following:
  • ART 204: Introduction to Western Art: Prehistory to High Middle Ages
  • ART 205: Introduction to Western Art: Gothic to Baroque
  • ART 206: Introduction to Western Art: Neoclassicism to Contemporary
  • ART 208: Introduction to Asian Art
  • ART 264: Photography: History, Technology, Culture and Art
• GD 200: Graphic Design Technology and Production 1 (4 credits)
• GD 220: Graphic Design Technology and Production 2 (4 credits)
• GD 224: Interactive Design 1 (4 credits)
• GD 226: Typography 1 (4 credits)
• GD 228: Process: Making and Meaning (4 credits)
• GD 230: Graphic Design Professional Development (2 credits)
• GD 269: Graphic Design History (3 credits)
• GD 499: Special Topics (1-16 credits)

Upper-Division Graphic Design Professional Core

• ART 367: History of Design (3 credits)
• GD 312: Contemporary Issues in Design (3 credits)
• GD 325: Graphic Design: Collaborative Processes (4 credits)
• GD 326: Typography 2 (4 credits)
• GD 327: Typography 3 (4 credits)
• GD 328: Interactive 2 (4 credits)
• GD 419: Portfolio Review (3 credits)
• GD 420: Professional Practices (3 credits)
• GD 424: Brand Identity Systems (4 credits)
• GD 426: Graphic Design Capstone 1 (3 credits)
• GD 427: Capstone 2 (4 credits)

Electives

• 100/200 Lower-Division Electives from ART, GD or NMC (12 credits)
• 300/400 Upper-Division Electives from ART, GD or NMC (20 credits)

Additional Requirements

• Remaining Bacc Core and Electives (44-59 credits)
• Total Credits (180 credits)

Plan of Study

The following is an example of how students may complete their degree in four years:

First Year

• Fall:
  • ART 115: 2-D Core Studio (4 credits)
  • ART 121: Digital Core Studio (4 credits)
  • Bacc Core: DPD (3 credits)
  • Bacc Core: Speech (3 credits)
  • General Elective (1 credit)
• Winter:
  • ART 101: Introduction to the Visual Arts (3 credits)
  • ART 131: Drawing Core Studio (4 credits)
  • WR 121Z: Composition I (4 credits)
  • Lower-Division GD Elective (4 credits)
• Spring:
  • GD 126: Graphic Design Pro Application (2 credits)
  • MTH 111Z: Precalculus I: Functions (4 credits)
  • Lower-Division Art Course (3 credits)
  • Lower-Division GD Elective (4 credits)
  • Bacc Core: SPI (3 credits)

Second Year

• Fall:
  • GD 200: Graphic Design Technology and Production 1 (4 credits)
  • GD 226: Typography 1 (4 credits)
  • GD 200-level Course (2 credits)
  • Bacc Core: Physical Lab Science (4 credits)
• Winter:
  • ART 263: Digital Photography (4 credits)
  • GD 224: Interactive Design 1 (4 credits)
  • GD 269: Graphic Design History (3 credits)
  • Bacc Core: Biological Lab Science (4 credits)
• Spring:
  • GD 220: Graphic Design Technology and Production 2 (4 credits)
  • GD 228: Process: Making and Meaning (4 credits)
  • Lower-Division GD Elective (4 credits)
  • Bacc Core: Lab Science (4 credits)

Third Year

• Fall:
  • GD 326: Typography 2 (4 credits)
  • GD 328: Interactive 2 (4 credits)
  • Upper-Division GD Elective (4 credits)
  • Bacc Core: WR II (3 credits)
• Winter:
  • GD 325: Graphic Design: Collaborative Processes (4 credits)
  • Upper-Division GD Elective (4 credits)
  • Upper-Division GD Elective (4 credits)
  • Bacc Core: Literature & The Arts (3 credits)
• Spring:
  • ART 367: History of Design (3 credits)
  • GD 312: Contemporary Issues in Design (3 credits)
  • GD 327: Typography 3 (4 credits)
  • HHS 231: Lifetime Fitness for Health (2 credits)
  • Bacc Core: PAC (1 credit)
  • General Elective (2 credits)

Fourth Year

• Fall:
  • GD 420: Professional Practices (3 credits)
  • GD 424: Brand Identity Systems (4 credits)
  • Bacc Core: Cultural Diversity (3 credits)
  • General Elective (3 credits)
• Winter:
  • GD 419: Portfolio Review (3 credits)
  • GD 426: Graphic Design Capstone 1 (3 credits)
  • Upper-Division GD Elective (4 credits)
  • Bacc Core: Upper-Division CGI (3 credits)
  • General Elective (2 credits)
• Spring:
  • GD 427: Capstone 2 (4 credits)
  • Upper-Division GD Elective (4 credits)
  • Bacc Core: Upper-Division STS (3 credits)
  • Bacc Core: Western Culture (3 credits)
  • General Elective (2 credits)