Degree Requirements

University Degree Requirements (120 Credit Hours):

To receive a Bachelor of Arts in Design—Concentration in Graphic Design, students must complete at least 120 credit hours. In addition, students are required to complete a minimum of ten courses (30 credit hours) of upper-level courses (300-level and above) at AUK, of which at least 21 credit hours need to be taken in the major.

  • General Education Requirements, composed of: (42-46)
  • Design major requirements comprised of: (69)
    • Program Prerequisites: ART 120, ART 121, GDES 110 (9)
    • Core Courses (36)
    • Design Electives (12)
    • Design Related Field Electives (6)
    • Art History Field Electives (6)
  • Free Electives (9)
 

*If TOEFLE, IELTS, or Accuplacer scores do not meet ENGL 101 requirements, students must take ENGL 100: Foundations in Academic Reading and Writing (4 credits) to satisfy the English Proficiency Requirements.

The graphic design concentration requirements include 9 credit hours of program prerequisites, 36 credit hours of core courses, 12 credit hours of graphic design electives, 6 credits of Art History Field Electives, and 6 credit hours of design-related field electives. Students may earn a minimum grade of C- in individual courses required for the design major; however, they must maintain a cumulative major GPA of at least 2.00 in their major requirements to earn the BA in Design—Concentration in Graphic Design. The development and completion of an e-portfolio is part of the degree requirement.

Program Prerequisites (9 credit hours)

ART 120 2-D Design (3) [H]
ART 121 Drawing I (3) [H]
GDES 110 Digital Foundations (3)

Core Courses (36 credit hours)

Students must complete the following twelve core courses (36 credit hours):

ART 122 3D Design (3)
GDES 150 Introduction to Time-Based Media (3)
GDES 220 Graphic Design I (3)
GDES 221 Typography I (3)
GDES 242 Digital Imaging I (3)
ARTH 315 History of Design (3)
GDES 320 Graphic Design II (3)
GDES 321 Typography II (3)
GDES 330 Print Production (3)
GDES 420 Graphic Design III (3)
GDES 470 Internship in Graphic Design (3)
GDES 490 Capstone (3)

Design Electives (12 credit hours)

Students must select four (12 credit hours), of which 3 hours must be upper-level courses (300-level or higher) from GDES designated courses that are not Core Courses or Program Prerequisites:

Design Related Field Electives (6 credit hours)

Students must select three courses (6 credit hours) in consultation with their academic advisor from the following designations: ART, or ARTH.

Art History Field Electives (6 credit hours)

Students must select two Art History-type courses with the designation of ARTH

Free Electives (9 credit hours)

Students are expected to successfully complete three courses (9 credit hours) of their choice.

Students are expected to successfully complete four courses (12 credits hours) of their choice from among courses in the CAS or CBE.