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Graphic Design, Bachelor of Science

Program Purpose

Graphic Design is a universal mode of communication where designers transform concepts into informative and innovative visual compositions. The art of graphic design involves the comprehensive skill of projecting visual content to capture attention and to solve problems for professionals in branding, packaging, spatial design, publication design, typeface design, and more.

Students who pursue a Bachelor of Science Degree in Graphic Design, offered by the College of Technology at Wilmington University, will discover how to use industry-leading tools to create innovative user experiences. Students will be able to deliver in both physical and virtual forms, including images, typography, and other graphic representations. Students will develop the necessary skills to become an in-demand visual thinker and communicator for any purpose, whether commercial, educational, cultural, or political.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2016), the projected growth for careers related to graphic design, from 2016 to 2026, is about as fast as the average for all occupations. "Projected growth will be due to increased demand for animation and visual effects in video games, movies, and television" (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016).

The Bachelor of Science Degree program in Graphic Design at Wilmington University shapes designers to think conceptually and apply technical skills in all forms of design practice. After completing this program, students will be prepared to pursue a variety of job opportunities such as Multimedia Designer, Logo Designer, Brand Identity Designer, Creative/Art Director, Photo Editing/Photoshop Artist, Layout Artist.

Students seeking a career in graphic design should be prepared to familiarize themselves with both Mac and Windows platforms.

Program Competencies

Students completing the Graphic Design B.S. program will be able to:

Appraise the needs of the audience and then speak in a clear and succinct manner. Research, construct, and deliver professional presentations using a variety of communication tools and techniques.
Write with clarity and precision using correct English grammar: mechanics and usage. Correctly and ethically exhibit competence in writing for specific purposes, diverse audiences, and genres.
Employ critical thinking strategies such as quantitative, qualitative, and scientific reasoning to analyze consequences and outcomes and then determine logical solutions.
Employ legitimate and valid informational resources.
Apply the ethical principles required of computer or designer professionals.
Employ creative problem solving from project inception to completion.
Develop a professional body of work and appropriate artifacts to provide evidence of personal vision and skills.
Develop innovative design solutions to effectively communicate to a given audience.

Experiential Learning

The Office of Experiential Learning takes a 360^◦ approach to experiential learning. Whether you come to Wilmington University with a vast amount of professional experience and are awarded Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), or you participate in a Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunity (Internships or Cooperative Education) embedded in your curriculum for credit, we provide a pathway to completing your degree.

Cooperative Education Option

The Cooperative Education option for the Graphic Design program is an alternative to VFP 313 – Aesthetics of Film and DSN 490 – Internship. Each co-op assignment is one semester long and normally the two co-op assignments span two consecutive semesters with the same employer. In order to be eligible, students must first have at least 60 credits, plus a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Students must contact the Office of Work-Integrated Learning and their Program Chair one semester before they would like to begin a co-op assignment. For additional information on cooperative education, please visit: https://www.wilmu.edu/coel/work-integrated-learning.aspx

Minimum Grade Policy

The Graphic Design program has set a minimum passing grade of “C-” for the following courses: DSN 308, DSN 335, DSN 401, DSN 410, and DSN 415. Students receiving a grade lower than “C-” in any of these courses must retake the course.

Enhance your Degree with a Certificate

The College of Technology's digital media department, which is focused on giving students hands-on training and real-world skills across a multimedia platform, consists of six individual Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees: Animation and 3D, Game Design and Development, Graphic Design, Video and Film Production, and Web Design.

Each of these degree programs has been designed with three identifiable parts: Uniform First Year, Program Core, and 15 credits to be used towards a CoT Certificate. All students will begin their academic career with a uniform first year before they begin to focus on their selected degree core. After completion of the uniform first year, students will begin to enroll in their program core courses. Finally, students in each program will use 15 career-centered course credits towards earning a College of Technology Certificate as illustrated in the table below.

Uniform First Year
Animation & 3D Program Core Courses	Game Design & Development Program Core Courses	Graphic Design Program Core Courses	Video & Film Production Program Core Courses	Web Design Program Core Courses
College of Technology Certificate Courses (options vary by program)

Accelerated Graduate Certificate Option

Students in the Graphic Design B.S. degree program may choose an accelerated option with:

Technology Project Management Graduate Certificate

Students selecting this option can complete both their undergraduate degree and the graduate certificate by completing 120 credits (105 undergraduate credits and 15 graduate credits). The five graduate courses (15 credits) needed for the graduate certificate would count as five courses (15 credits) towards undergraduate electives in your degree.

Students who complete the Technology Project Management Graduate Certificate also receive the benefit of completing five graduate level courses that count towards a Master’s degree in Information Systems Technologies (MS-IST). Students selecting this option are not required to pursue the MS-IST degree.

Admission requirements include:

A minimum GPA of 3.25
Completion of at least 60 credits towards your degree program
A meeting with an academic advisor to submit an Accelerated Option Intent (AOI) form upon completion of at least 30 credits; and
Recommendation of the Program Chair

Note: Students will not be eligible to register for graduate level courses until they have successfully completed at least 60 credits towards their bachelor’s degree and have an approved AOI form. Students must receive their B.S. degree in order to receive the graduate certificate.

Minimum Grade Policy: Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in their graduate courses in order to earn the certificate.

Graphic Design Curriculum

General Education Requirements (39 credits)

CTA 210 Intro to Technology

DSN 110 Fundamentals of Drawing

ECO 105 Fundamentals of Economics

ENG 121 English Composition I

ENG 122 English Composition II

ENG 131 Public Speaking

ENG 310 Research Writing

ENG 360 Creative Writing

HIS 230 History of Art and Design

HIS 381 Contemporary Global Issues

MAT 205 Introductory Survey of Mathematics

PHI 100 Introduction to Critical Thinking

PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology

SCI Natural Science

Graphic Design Core (63 credits)

ANI 201 Fundamentals of Motion Graphics

DSN 105 Visual Communication

DSN 121 Basic InDesign

DSN 210 Basic Photoshop

DSN 220 Concept Development

DSN 235 Vector Drawing

DSN 300 Design for Marketing

DSN 306 Principles of Color Theory

DSN 307 Intermediate InDesign

DSN 308 Illustration

DSN 315 Typography

DSN 318 Portfolio Production

DSN 335 Advanced Vector Drawing

DSN 401 Advanced InDesign

DSN 410 Advanced Photoshop

DSN 415 Package Design

DSN 487 Senior Project

TEC 215 Basic Photography

TEC 325 Business of Freelancing

VFP 313 Aesthetics of Film

DSN 490 Internship

DSN 489 Experiential Learning in Design

College of Technology Certificate Electives (15 credits)

Students should choose a College of Technology certificate to fulfill this elective core. If not pursuing a College of Technology Certificate, students may choose from the following undergraduate College of Technology courses to fulfill their electives: ANI, CSC, DFM, DSN, GMD, ISM, SEC, TEC, UAV, VFP. Selecting an elective outside of this list will require approval of the Program Chair.

Free Elective (3 credits)

Students with less than 16 transfer credits are required to take FYE 101 as one of their electives.

Completion Degree Requirements

What is a Completion Degree?

A completion degree is a personalized version of a bachelor's degree created exclusively for students who have completed an associate degree at an accredited institution. Completion degrees are available for most Wilmington University Bachelor of Science degrees. A student who expects to transfer a completed associate degree should communicate with a Wilmington University academic advisor before registering for courses. A transcript with documentation of the conferred degree must be received by Wilmington University to confirm eligibility.

Note that a minimum of 120 combined credits are needed to satisfy the Completion Degree requirements, including both transfer credits and credits earned at Wilmington University.

Graphic Design Completion Degree

The Graphic Design completion degree program has set a minimum passing grade of “C-” for the following courses: DSN 308, DSN 335, DSN 401, DSN 410, and DSN 415. Students receiving a grade lower than “C-” in any of these courses must retake the course.

CSC 370 User-Centered Design