Curriculum
Contact Information
Program
To provide a broad-based education and to foster life-long learning, approximately half the courses within the Bachelor of Science in VCD curriculum are in Liberal Arts, the other half are major specific coursework. Students are advised by VCD faculty all four years as they progress through a sequence of eight core VCD courses, with the ability to select a specialization in either Graphic Design Communication or Web Design & Development. In their final year, all VCD students complete a self-authored capstone project.
TOTAL: 121 credits
First Year (31 credits)
Major Courses
Design Essentials (Fall)
Drawing Essentials (Fall)
Digital Imaging (Fall)
Design 2: Introduction to VCD (Spring)
History of Western Art I (Spring)
Hallmarks Core
Pathways Seminar
Writing Seminar I: Written Communication
Topics in American Studies
Mathematics
General Science
DEC Core
Process: Integrative Design Process
Second Year (30 credits)
Major Courses
Design 3 for VCD: Intro to Typography (Fall only)
Design 4 for VCD: Advanced Typography (Spring only)
Fundamentals of Web Programming (Fall)
Foundation for Web Design and Strategy (Spring)
History of Western Art II (Spring)
Hallmarks Core
Ethics
Global Diversity
Writing Seminar II: Multimedia Communication
DEC Core
Science (Select one DECSYS)
Framework: Business Models
Third Year (30 credits)
Students select a specialization prior to beginning their third year.
Major Courses: Graphic Design Communication Specialization
Design 5 Branding (Fall only)
Design 6 Advanced Branding (Spring only)
Media Production
History of Design (Spring)
Major Courses: Web Design & Development Specialization
Design 5 Advanced Web Design and Strategy (Fall only)
Design 6 Web Development (Spring only)
Javascript (Spring)
Media Production (Fall)
History of VCD (Fall)
VCD Designated Elective (3 credits)
Hallmarks Core
American Diversity
Global Citizenship
Contemporary Global Issues
DEC Methods
Ethnographic Research Methods
Fourth Year (30 credits)
Major Courses: Graphic Design Communication Specialization
Design 7 for Systems Design Integration (Fall only)
Capstone Prep and Professional Practice (Fall)
Design 8: Capstone for VCD (Spring only)
Design Theory and Criticism (Spring)
VCD Designated Electives (3 credits)
Major Courses: Web Design & Development Specialization
Design 7 User Interface Design (Fall only)
Design 8: Capstone for VCD (Spring only)
Capstone Prep and Professional Practice (Fall)
Design Theory and Criticism (Spring)
VCD Designated Electives (3 credits)
Hallmarks Core
Capstone Folio Workshop
Business Core
Principles of Marketing
2 Free Electives (6 credits)
Electives
Package Design, Illustration, Issues in Information Design, Intro to Service Design, Experiential Graphic Design, Adv. Javascript, Photography, Advanced Publication Design, Design for Accessibility, Content Management Systems, Animation, Virtual Reality, etc.