Bachelor of Arts

Graphic Design: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Program

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in graphic design provides a substantial course of study for students who intend to pursue professional careers in or related to the graphic design field. Through applied design experiences in a range of media and contexts, coupled with complementary learning about studio art, art history and professional practices, this degree enables the development of versatile creative and critical thinking skills that can be applied in many professions.

For those students interested in pursuing double majors, the B.A. degree is recommended over the B.F.A. because there are fewer credit hours required in the major. Also, for those students interested in art education, the B.A. in graphic design is recommended as a viable major to pair with an education minor and/or the option for continued teacher training with Upper Valley Educators Institute.

Learning Outcomes

Students in this major will:

Comprehend, apply and synthesize conceptual, formal and technical attributes in their visual communication solutions.
Develop creative, informed and appropriate visual responses to communication problems.
Engage actively and reflectively in design processes such as research, analysis, idea generation, iteration and evaluation.
Communicate and interact effectively with peers, clients and internship supervisors.
Demonstrate professional standards for craft, exhibition and presentation.
Develop portfolios that demonstrate breadth and entry-level competency in design.

Graphic Design B.A. Progress to Completion Requirements:

In order to document and archive progress toward completion of the major and portfolio development, students are expected to post in their e-portfolios at the end of each semester. For each ART and GD studio course required in the major, students are expected to post image(s) of at least one project (ideally the one that is considered the strongest from the body of work produced during the course) and an accompanying written process narrative which may address factors such as the following:

Summarize your decisions in approaching and defining this project.
Explain your formal and technical choices in relation to your concept
outline how and where in your project you may have applied the concepts of math, calculations, measurement, proportions and estimation.
Reflect on the trajectory of your process and/or what you have learned from it.

Advisors will check advisees’ e-portfolios periodically to confirm completion and to use as opportunities to discuss creative progress and growth. A minimum cumulative GPA of C (2.00) in major requirements must be attained.