About This Program
Focused on an intensive studio arts experience, this Visual Communication Design major is the “professional degree” that will take your design skills to the next level. You’ll hone your craft solving communication challenges, while building a strong professional portfolio as a visual communicator and storyteller, preparing you for a successful career in a range of design industries. Read more...
Contact Information
- Daniel Alenquer | vcd@kent.edu |
330-672-7856 - Speak with an Advisor
- Chat with an Admissions Counselor
Program Delivery
- Delivery:
- In person
- Location:
- Kent Campus
Examples of Possible Careers
- Graphic Designer
- Art/Creative Director
- UI/UX Designer
- Motion Designer/Animator
- Illustrator
- Exhibit/Wayfinding Designer
- Package Designer
Accreditation
National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)
Admission Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning a minimum 525 TOEFL score (71 on the Internet-based version), minimum 75 MELAB score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score or minimum 48 PTE Academic score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive Program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.
Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the program's Coursework tab.
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| CCI 12001 | PHOTOGRAPHY | 3 |
| VCD 13000 | VISUAL DESIGN THINKING | 3 |
| VCD 13001 | INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN STUDIO (min B- grade) | 3 |
| VCD 20010 | DESIGN RESEARCH AND METHODS | 3 |
| VCD 22000 | DESIGN/ILLUSTRATION TECHNIQUES I 1 | 3 |
| VCD 22001 | DESIGN/ILLUSTRATION TECHNIQUES II | 3 |
| VCD 23001 | TYPOGRAPHY I (min B- grade) | 3 |
| VCD 25000 | DESIGN HISTORY AND THEORY | 3 |
| VCD 33000 | GRAPHIC DESIGN I | 3 |
| VCD 33001 | GRAPHIC DESIGN II | 3 |
| VCD 33101 | INTERACTION DESIGN I | 3 |
| VCD 34004 | VISUAL ETHICS | 3 |
| VCD 34005 | ELEMENTS OF BRAND DESIGN | 3 |
| VCD 40035 | PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO BFA DESIGN | 3 |
| VCD 40182 | INTERNSHIP PREPARATION: DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY | 2 |
| VCD 40192 | INTERNSHIP: DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY (ELR) 2 | 1 |
| VCD 44006 | MOTION DESIGN I | 3 |
| VCD 43002 | TYPOGRAPHY II | 3 |
| VCD 43003 | IDENTITY SYSTEMS | 3 |
| VCD 49198 | RESEARCH PAPERS AND PROPOSALS FOR DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY (ELR) (WIC) 3 | 2 |
| VCD Specialization Electives, choose from the following: | 12 | |
| GLYPHIX RESEARCH LABORATORY | ||
| GRAPHIC DESIGN-TRAVEL AND FIELD EXPERIENCE (DIVG) (ELR) | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY | ||
| EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION | ||
| ADVERTISING ILLUSTRATION | ||
| CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN: THE HUMAN FIGURE | ||
| CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN: ANIMALS AND ENVIRONMENTS | ||
| GRAPHIC NARRATIVE | ||
| INTEGRATED BRAND DESIGN | ||
| BRAND EXPERIENCES | ||
| INFORMATION DESIGN | ||
| TYPEFACE DESIGN | ||
| INTERACTION DESIGN II | ||
| RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN | ||
| EXPERIMENTAL TYPOGRAPHY | ||
| CAPSTONE PROJECT (ELR) | ||
| VCD Additional Electives, choose from the following: 4 | 6 | |
| PHOTOGRAPHY II | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO WEB DESIGN | ||
| DIGITAL IMAGING I | ||
| ILLUSTRATION I | ||
| ILLUSTRATION II | ||
| ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY | ||
| GLYPHIX RESEARCH LABORATORY | ||
| GRAPHIC DESIGN-TRAVEL AND FIELD EXPERIENCE (DIVG) (ELR) | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY | ||
| SELECTED TOPICS IN DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY | ||
| EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION | ||
| ADVERTISING ILLUSTRATION | ||
| CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN: THE HUMAN FIGURE | ||
| CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN: ANIMALS AND ENVIRONMENTS | ||
| GRAPHIC NARRATIVE | ||
| INTEGRATED BRAND DESIGN | ||
| BRAND EXPERIENCES | ||
| TYPE HIGH PRESS 5 | ||
| TYPEFACE DESIGN | ||
| INTERACTION DESIGN II | ||
| RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN | ||
| EXPERIMENTAL TYPOGRAPHY | ||
| CAPSTONE PROJECT (ELR) | ||
| Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
| COMM 15000 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) 6 | 3 |
| or MDJ 20001 | MEDIA, POWER AND CULTURE (DIVD) (KSS) | |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| College of Communication and Information Core Electives | 6 | |
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | ||
| BRANDING AND SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES FOR ITALIAN LIFESTYLE (DIVG) (ELR) | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | ||
| ITALIAN POP CULTURE (DIVG) (ELR) | ||
| ITALIAN CINEMA (DIVG) (ELR) | ||
| DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING (DIVG) (ELR) | ||
| MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING (DIVG) (ELR) | ||
| INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN THE COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION (DIVG) (ELR) | ||
| INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN THE COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION (DIVG) (ELR) | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) 6 | ||
| INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION (DIVG) | ||
| CREATIVE CODING | ||
| HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION | ||
| INFORMATION FLUENCY IN THE WORKPLACE AND BEYOND | ||
| MEDIA, POWER AND CULTURE (DIVD) (KSS) 6 | ||
| SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN | ||
| Kent Core Composition | 6 | |
| Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning | 3 | |
| Kent Core Humanities | 9 | |
| Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines) 7 | 6 | |
| Kent Core Basic Sciences (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 | |
| Kent Core Additional 7 | 3 | |
| General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours) 8 | 3 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
- 1
Students who have taken ARTS 14000 from another program may use it as a substitute for VCD 22000.
- 2
Minimum 1 credit hour of VCD 40192 is required for the program. However, students can apply maximum 4 credit hours of the course toward their degree program.
- 3
A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.
- 4
Courses taken as VCD Specialization Electives may not also count toward VCD Additional Electives.
- 5
Maximum 6 credit hours of VCD 43051 may be applied toward the VCD Additional Electives.
- 6
Students can apply COMM 15000 or MDJ 20001 toward College of Communication and Information Core Electives if NOT already taken toward Additional Requirements.
- 7
If MDJ 20001 is completed, then 3 credit hours of Kent Core Social Sciences and 6 credit hours of Kent Core Additional is required. If COMM 15000 is completed, then 6 credit hours of Kent Core Social Sciences and 3 credit hours of Kent Core Additional is required.
- 8
A maximum of 4 credit hours of Physical Activity, Wellness and Sport (PWS) courses may be applied toward the degree program.
Progression Requirements
- Students must earn a minimum B- grade in VCD 13001 before enrolling in VCD 23001. VCD 13001 may be taken a maximum three times until a minimum B- grade is achieved.
- Students must earn a minimum B- grade in VCD 23001 before enrolling in VCD 33000.
- Students must maintain a 2.700 major GPA in order to continue taking VCD courses. Failure to do so at the end of one semester will result in a written warning with the option of repeating certain VCD courses in order to meet minimum grade and GPA requirements to continue. Failure to do so at the end of two consecutive semesters will result in not being permitted to enroll in VCD courses. Students in this situation will be contacted by an academic advisor to create an alternative plan of study with a new major.
Graduation Requirements
| Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
|---|---|
| 2.700 | 2.000 |
- A minimum B- grade may be required in some courses.
Roadmap
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
| Semester One | Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ! | VCD 13000 | VISUAL DESIGN THINKING | 3 |
| ! | VCD 13001 | INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN STUDIO | 3 |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | ||
| Semester Two | |||
| COMM 15000 or MDJ 20001 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) or MEDIA, POWER AND CULTURE (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 | |
| VCD 20010 | DESIGN RESEARCH AND METHODS | 3 | |
| ! | VCD 22000 | DESIGN/ILLUSTRATION TECHNIQUES I 1 | 3 |
| ! | VCD 23001 | TYPOGRAPHY I | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Three | |||
| ! | VCD 22001 | DESIGN/ILLUSTRATION TECHNIQUES II | 3 |
| VCD 25000 | DESIGN HISTORY AND THEORY | 3 | |
| ! | VCD 33000 | GRAPHIC DESIGN I | 3 |
| VCD 44006 | MOTION DESIGN I | 3 | |
| CCI Core Elective | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Four | |||
| VCD 33001 | GRAPHIC DESIGN II | 3 | |
| VCD 33101 | INTERACTION DESIGN I | 3 | |
| ! | VCD 34005 | ELEMENTS OF BRAND DESIGN | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Five | |||
| VCD 34004 | VISUAL ETHICS | 3 | |
| VCD 43003 | IDENTITY SYSTEMS | 3 | |
| VCD 43002 | TYPOGRAPHY II | 3 | |
| VCD Specialization Elective | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Six | |||
| CCI 12001 | PHOTOGRAPHY | 3 | |
| VCD 40182 | INTERNSHIP PREPARATION: DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY | 2 | |
| VCD Specialization Electives | 6 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 14 | ||
| Third Summer Term | |||
| VCD 40192 | INTERNSHIP: DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY (ELR) | 1 | |
| Credit Hours | 1 | ||
| Semester Seven | |||
| VCD 49198 | RESEARCH PAPERS AND PROPOSALS FOR DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY (ELR) (WIC) | 2 | |
| CCI Core Elective | 3 | ||
| VCD Additional Elective | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 14 | ||
| Semester Eight | |||
| VCD 40035 | PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO BFA DESIGN | 3 | |
| VCD Specialization Elective | 3 | ||
| VCD Additional Elective | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | ||
University Requirements
All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.
NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.
| Requirement | Credits/Courses |
|---|---|
| Flashes 101 (UC 10001) | 1 credit hour |
Course is not required for students with 30+ transfer credits (excluding College Credit Plus) or age 21+ at time of admission. | |
| Diversity Domestic/Global (DIVD/DIVG) | 2 courses |
Students must successfully complete one domestic and one global course, of which one must be from the Kent Core. | |
| Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) | varies |
Students must successfully complete one course or approved experience. | |
| Kent Core (see table below) | 36-37 credit hours |
| Writing-Intensive Course (WIC) | 1 course |
Students must earn a minimum C grade in the course. | |
| Upper-Division Requirement | 39 credit hours |
Students must successfully complete 39 upper-division (numbered 30000 to 49999) credit hours to graduate. | |
| Total Credit Hour Requirement | 120 credit hours |
Kent Core Requirements
| Requirement | Credits/Courses |
|---|---|
| Kent Core Composition (KCMP) | 6 |
| Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning (KMCR) | 3 |
| Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (KHUM/KFA) (min one course each) | 9 |
| Kent Core Social Sciences (KSS) (must be from two disciplines) | 6 |
| Kent Core Basic Sciences (KBS/KLAB) (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 |
| Kent Core Additional (KADL) | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 36-37 |
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the ethics (and legal issues) closely associated with fields of visual communication.
- Demonstrate an understanding of traditional hands-on skills relative to craftsmanship.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the basic use of digital technologies as they relate to their areas of study.
- Demonstrate an ability to create visual response to communication problems, including understanding of hierarchy, typography, aesthetics, composition and construction of meaningful images.
Full Description
The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Communication Design prepares students for design and illustration professions. Students develop technical proficiency and design expertise in the organization of imagery and typography to communicate information in two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms using interactive media, environments and motion design. Students produce work for print, video, screen and interactive experiences, as well as package design, exhibition design and environmental wayfinding.
This major leads to a professional degree and focuses on intensive work in the visual arts. The B.F.A. degree consists of approximately two-thirds of the coursework in the creation and study of the visual arts, with the remainder in liberal/general studies. Because of the greater emphasis on upper-level studio courses, the B.F.A. degree allows students an opportunity to dedicate more time to developing their portfolios. The B.F.A. degree is for students planning to pursue a career in visual communication design and graphic design.
Students may apply early to the following master's degree programs and double count 9 credit hours of graduate courses toward both degree programs. See the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree Program Policy in the University Catalog for more information.
- Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies
- Master of Arts degree in Media and Journalism
- Master of Arts degree in Visual Communication Design
- Master of Fine Arts degree in Visual Communication Design
- Master of Library Information Science degree in Library and Information Science
- Master of Science degree in Emerging Media and Technology
- Master of Science degree in Health Informatics
- Master of Science degree in Knowledge Management
- Master of Science degree in User Experience
There are many study abroad/away opportunities. For more information contact the Office of Global Education or coordinator of the college's International Study Programs.