Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design

Program Description

The BFA in Communication Design (formerly Graphic Design) is a comprehensive four-year sequenced program structured to prepare students for successful transition to professional practice designing communication products for a wide range of traditional and digital delivery. Graduates develop portfolios representing innovative and career-focused experiences that may include branding, packaging, interactive media, advertising, publication, environmental design, motion graphics, typographic design, and digital illustration. Program graduates pursue careers in design studios, advertising agencies, and directly with businesses and organizations, or continue their education in MFA programs.

The program provides a solid foundation of traditional art experiences and contemporary design practices to build students' abilities to create compelling and engaging solutions. The core communication design curriculum stresses essential competencies in conceptual problem solving, research, analysis and articulation, aesthetics, design theory, productivity, and the application of technology necessary for advanced creative exploration and entry into an ever-evolving profession.

All communication design students can expect a creative and collaborative environment built upon the experience of a faculty of practicing designers and design educators. Limited enrollment and small studio class sizes ensure an intense and individualized course of study, supporting the development of a competitive portfolio for entry into the profession. The program’s design studio spaces are built and equipped to facilitate instruction and invention with traditional and digital media. The program strongly encourages and supports critical interaction with the design community in the classroom and through internships, professional memberships, and participation in design competitions and conferences.

Degree Requirements

The BFA in Communication Design degree requirements, course sequencing, and course descriptions are listed under the undergraduate catalog. The link below will direct you to the program's catalog information.

BFA in Communication Design Degree

Required Portfolio Reviews

The BFA in Communication Design degree does not have a first year entrance portfolio review for admission. Students in the Communication Design program will undergo two formal portfolio and performance reviews, the Lower Level Review (LL Review) and the Upper Level Review (UL Review), which occur in the Spring of the 1st and 2nd years. Faculty use the portfolio reviews to measure each student's creative potential, motivation, academic achievement, design skill sets, and communication abilities, and to determine the student's advancement in the Graphic Design program.

Students are eligible for the LL Review after successfully completing CDES 1300 and CDES 1301. Applicants must submit a portfolio and pass the LL Review to continue to the 2nd year of the Communication Design courses. Accepted students will be strongly encouraged to have a laptop capable of running the Adobe Creative Suite. Students who do not pass the LL Review cannot register for second-year CDES courses and may be advised to repeat prescribed first year CDES courses. Applicants who intend to reapply to the LL Review will be allowed only one additional attempt by resubmitting their revised portfolio the following Spring. Students eligible for the UL Review must submit a portfolio at the end of their 2nd year in the program. Students must pass the UL Review to advance to the 3rd and 4th year Communication Design courses.

Design Internships

Internships are mentoring situations in which students work under the direct supervision of a full-time design professional. Students gain valuable on-the-job experience collaborating with industry professionals to conceive, develop, and produce design products. Internships can be taken for course credit and are generally paid experiences that in turn provide real value to the organization or business.

Students are encouraged to participate in at least one individualized internship as an upper-division elective course. The Internship Coordinator will assist in obtaining and coordinating placements for qualifying majors based on the student’s GPA, classification, and classroom performance. Our program partners with local and regional design studios, advertising agencies, publications, organizations, corporations, and businesses to place students. Qualifying internships must provide an experience equivalent to upper-division coursework. On-campus positions within various university departments are also available for students but may not be counted toward upper-level course credit.

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Additional Information

The graphic design faculty have extensive teaching experience in higher education and established records as productive creative scholars and commissioned professional designers. Their collective body of work is consistently recognized nationally and internationally by professional journals and organizations through design competitions, exhibitions, presentations, and publications.

The program’s creative and collaborative studios are housed in dedicated spaces located in the Bay Hall building. The studios are equipped with iMac computers running the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, the industry-standard software for print and digital production. Additional resources include iPads, a Risograph printer, laser and inkjet printers, wide format scanners, digital cameras, and much more. Students are provided free printing and access to the university’s Adobe Creative Cloud license for their personal computers while enrolled in the program’s courses.

Upon passing the Lower-Level Portfolio Review, students are required to purchase a MacBook Pro Laptop equipped to run the provided Adobe Creative Cloud software for upper-level coursework. Apple provides educational discounts for laptop and accessory purchases. Macs continue to be the industry standard in design. All external services and resources in the program’s design studios utilize the MacOS system. Students opting to utilize a PC for their coursework may face compatibility issues, varying interfaces, and other complications in their workflow.

The iCreate Lab, situated in the Mary and Jeff Bell Library, offers a hands-on maker space for University students, granting them access to cutting-edge technologies like 3D printing, audio-visual equipment, large format printing, a laser cutter, and a CNC router.LinkedIn Learning is an online video library with thousands of courses taught by recognized experts, addressing critical tools and skills for professional practice, including all the Adobe Creative Cloud applications. LinkedIn Learning is available for free to students using their TAMU-CC student account.

The program provides students with experiences that expand their understanding of the design field beyond the classroom. Program faculty regularly coordinate opportunities ranging from attendance at national design conferences to presentations, workshops, and critiques from nationally renowned guest lecturers to inspire and expand students' educational experience.

You can find current and former graphic design students working in design studios and advertising agencies in local and regional markets. Design work created by students continually receives recognition in professional juried competitions such as the American Advertising Awards, the National Student Show, the International Design Awards, the AIGA Baltimore’s FLUX Student Design Competition, the GLITCH National Student Design Competition, and the Salute Design Competition.

Several academic scholarships are available to students who apply. Typically, a minimum GPA of 3.0 and a portfolio of recent work are required for application. Awards from the Department range from $500 to $2,500 annually, and awards from outside sources can be as high as $7,500 annually. All program students are notified of available funding opportunities.