Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
Siena Heights University
Key Information
Campus location
Adrian, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 28,000 / per year
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
Introduction
Siena Heights University Graphic Design students are considered artists and are encouraged to approach design as an artistic endeavor. The graphic design major encourages students to integrate their own personal and cultural values into their visual communication designs.
Scanners, graphic tablets, and large format inkjets are also part of the digital experience. Students also have use of traditional studio settings, including photography and printmaking.
The goal of the program is to provide students with a mastery of the creative process and the tools necessary to produce an advanced portfolio which will include print, web, and time-based media. The investigation of visual culture theory and the history of graphic design introduces students to the historical and critical perspective of the profession, providing a solid background from which to begin their own design journey.
Near the end of the program, students will take the required Portfolio and Senior Exhibition courses and prepare a resume and other materials for employment, exhibit opportunities, and graduate school. Finally, the program culminates in an internship, a gallery show, and a portfolio presentation teaching students the practical skills needed to enter the professional field of graphic design with confidence.
Gallery
Scholarships and Funding
Did you know that approximately 90 percent of undergraduate students on the Adrian campus receive some form of financial assistance? Our admissions counselors and financial aid experts are committed to helping you find the best financial solutions for your education. Siena offers a wide range of opportunities that may be right for you, including:
- Academic scholarships
- Arts scholarships
- Athletic scholarships
- Campus Ministry scholarships
- Grants
- Work-study programs
- Federal loans
Your university financial aid package may include some or all of the above, resulting in a customized plan that makes Siena Heights University affordable for your family.
The Arts Scholarship Days
Siena Heights University conducts Arts Scholarship Days for prospective students.
High school seniors and transfer students who would like to major in music, art, or theater or perform in the choir, band, marching band, orchestra, or jazz band can schedule an audition or portfolio review and campus visit during Arts Scholarship Days @ Siena. Scholarships will be awarded to qualifying students. In addition to their audition or portfolio review, students may have the opportunity to meet with current scholarship recipients over lunch, have an individual meeting with Admissions Counselor, and enjoy a campus tour.
Pre-registration is required.
Curriculum
Course Requirements for Major
Graphic Design Courses: 30 Credit Hours
- ART 111 Foundations: Digital Concepts 3 credit hours
- ARG 147 Introduction to Graphic Design 3 credit hours
- ARG 247 Typography 3 credit hours
- ARG 446 Integrative Design 3 credit hours
- ARG 330 User Experience Design 3 credit hours
- ARG 347 Corporate Identity 3 credit hours
- ARG 348 Publication Design 3 credit hours
- ARG 440 User Interface Design 3 credit hours
- ARG 442 Information Design 3 credit hours
- ARG 448 Graphic Design Internship 3 credit hours
Supportive Courses in Art: 37 Credit Hours
- ART 105 Foundations: Core Concepts 3 credit hours
- ART 109 Foundations: Drawing Concepts 3 credit hours
- ART 116 Introduction to Digital Photography 3 credit hours
- ART 118 Introduction to Book Arts 3 credit hours
- ART 119 Introduction to Printmaking 3 credit hours
- ART 121 Introduction to Sculpture 3 credit hours
- ART 243 Introduction to Video 3 credit hours
- ART 395 Portfolio 3 credit hours
- ART 495 Senior Exhibition 1 credit hours
- Approved Art Studio Electives 12 credit hours (may not double count)
Art and Design History Courses: 12 Credit Hours
- ARH 246 History of Graphic Design 3 credit hours
- ARH 435 Visual Culture 3 credit hours
Select two (2) courses from the following: 6 Credit Hours
- ARH 230 Non-Western Topics 3 credit hours
- ARH 240 Ancient Art 3 credit hours
- ARH 242 Film Study and Analysis 3 credit hours
- ARH 244 Renaissance to Modern Art 3 credit hours
- ARH 248 History of Architecture 3 credit hours
- ARH 350 Art and Gender 3 credit hours
- ARH 440 Late Twentieth-Century Art 3 credit hours
- ARH 445 History of Photography 3 credit hours
Approved Cognate Requirements: 9 Credit Hours
Select one of the following: 3 Credit Hours
(may not double count)
- PSY 111 Introduction To Psychology 3 credit hours
- SOC 111 Introduction To Sociology 3 credit hours
- SOC 113 Cultural Anthropology 3 credit hours
Select one of the following: 3 Credit Hours
(may not double count)
- PSY 270 Research Methods 3 credit hours
- SOC 341 Research In The Social Sciences 3 credit hours
Select one of the following: 3 Credit Hours
(may not double count)
- BAM 201 Business Communications 3 credit hours
- CIS 140 Programming I 3 credit hours
- COM 111 Introduction To Communications 3 credit hours
- ENG 211 Rhetoric 3 credit hours
- ECO 221 Microeconomics 3 credit hours
- MAT 143 Statistics And Society 3 credit hours
- MGT 302 Management Principles And Cases 3 credit hours
- MGT 440 Entrepreneurship And Small Business Management 3 credit hours
- PHI 220 Introduction To Ethics 3 credit hours
- PSY 340 Social Psychology 3 credit hours
- RST 305 Theological Ethics 3 credit hours
- SED 101 American Sign Language I 3 credit hours
- SPA 101 Elementary Spanish I 4 credit hours
Total for Major: 88 Credit Hours
Liberal Arts: 22-23 Credit Hours
General Electives: 9-10 Credit Hours
Total for Degree: 120 Credit Hours
Other Requirements
- All Graphic Design majors must successfully complete the Sophomore Critique process beginning in the sophomore year.
- All BFA Graphic Design majors must successfully complete the Junior Critique process beginning in the junior year.
- Graphic Design majors must earn a grade of “C-” or better in all art and art history courses.
- Any student wishing to continue in sequential art courses must have earned a grade of “C-” or better in all designated prerequisites.
- Graphic Design majors must complete a senior project in Graphic Design approved by one of the primary Graphic Design faculty.
- Students wanting to present an interdisciplinary art and design senior project in Klemm Gallery must have taken: ARH 440 Late Twentieth-Century Art, TSD 101 Fundamentals Of Speech Communication; or LAN 201 Education Communication; and completed a minor in one of the following: Printmaking & Book Arts, Ceramics, Painting & Drawing, Photography, Sculpture or Art.
- Senior Exhibitions in Klemm Gallery should focus on the intersection of graphic design and the selected studio minor.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Employment opportunities for Graphic Design graduates are found in virtually all types of business. Some examples are:
- Advertising
- Automobile Industry
- Broadcast Media
- Communications
- Document Management
- Healthcare Industry
- Loan Industry
- Marketing
- Print and Digital Media
- Printing and Publishing
Graduates who decide to go on to graduate school for further study are being admitted to top-ranked schools, including:
- Alfred University
- University of Michigan
- Cranbrook Academy of Art
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Goddard College
- University of Arizona
- Syracuse University
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- Savannah College of Art and Design
- Bowling Green State University