The Visual Communication Design program offers a Bachelor of Design (BDes) degree. To graduate with a degree from the University of Washington, students must successfully complete at least 180 course credits. All undergraduates complete a combination of major requirements, general education requirements, and electives. This breakdown is outlined below.
VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (100 CREDITS)
Year One
ART 166 Design Foundations (5 Credits)
Year Two
ART 208 Design History (5 Credits)
ART 209 Typography (5 Credits)
ART 210 Color + Composition (5 Credits)
ART 211 Introduction to Interaction Design (5 Credits)
ART 212 Human Centered Design (5 Credits)
Year Three
ART 366 Visualizations (5 Credits)
ART 367 Case Studies in Corporate Identity (5 Credits)
ART 368 Communication Programs (5 Credits)
ART 376 Advanced Typography (5 Credits)
ART 377 Symbol Design (5 Credits)
ART 378 Information Architecture + Web Design (5 Credits)
Year Four
ART 466 Publication Design (5 Credits)
ART 467 Environmental Design (5 Credits)
ART 478 Information Design (5 Credits)
ART 479 Interaction Design (5 Credits)
ART 480 Senior Projects (5 Credits)
ART 488 Portfolio Preparation (3 Credits)
Art History Courses (10 Credits)
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
English Composition (5 Credits)
Additional Writing (‘w’ courses) (10 Credits)
Quantintative and Symbolic Reasoning (5 Credits)
Foreign Language (0-15 Credits)Areas of Knowledge (75 Credits)
Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts; Individuals and Societies; Natural World
More details about General Education requirements are outlined in the Overview of Requirements for an Undergraduate Degree
ELECTIVES
In addition to the above listed general education requirements and major coursework, students take elective courses across the curriculum to supplement their education. The number of elective credits vary from student to student depending on variations in course of study. Students must take at least as many electives as complete the difference between general education requirements, major requirements, and the 180 credit minimum to graduate from the UW.
Entrance Workshop Information
