Drawing and Illustration
The BFA in Drawing and Illustration is a unique professional undergraduate degree that combines applied arts and fine arts disciplines. Students in the program develop skills intended to serve client interests via Illustration courses, but also pursue their own creative visions via select Drawing experiences.
Purposeful communication of intent is a component of both paths, and the Drawing and Illustration curriculum provides a productive framework for students’ development as communicative creators. Introductory courses stress the importance of skill coupled with inventiveness, intermediate courses stress experimentation and addressing higher-level challenges, and advanced courses focus on professional-level approaches and studio practices.
For the most current curriculum, please see the Herron website. For the recommended four-year plan of study, please refer to the IU Indianapolis degree map. The BFA degree requirements meet the standards established by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design for professional undergraduate degrees in the Fine Arts.
Degree requirements
General Education
30 credits corresponding to IU Indianapolis' Indiana College Core.
Foundation Studies
19 credits
Art History, Theory, and Criticism
15 credits distributed as follows:
• HER-H101 History of Art I (3 cr.) (may be used to fill Arts/Humanities General Education requirement)
• HER-H102 History of Art 2 (3 cr.) (may be used to fill Arts/Humanities General Education requirement)
• HER-H205 Introduction to Contemporary Art (3 cr.)
• HER-HXXX Art History electives (6 cr.)
Professional and career preparation
HER-X201 Professional Practice in Visual Arts I
HER-X301 Professional Practice in Visual Arts II
HER-X410 Senior Capstone Focus
Major Studio Requirements
credits distributed as follows:
- D201 Drawing III - 3 cr
- D202 Drawing IV - 3 cr
- A205 Intro to Illustration I - 3cr
- A206 Intro to Illustration II - 3 cr
- A303 Intermediate Illustration I - 3 cr
- A304 Intermediate Illustration II - 3 cr
- D303 Drawing/ Illustration:Digital Rendering - 3 cr
- D304 Drawing/Illustration: Narrative Imagery - 3cr
- A403 Advanced Drawing and Illustration - 6 cr
- A404 Advanced Drawing and Illustration - 6 cr
Studio Art Electives
27 credits, of which 3 must be N208 Integrative Studio Lab: Rotating Topics (3 cr.)
Non-Studio requirements
6 credits
• English Literature Course (3 cr.)
• Academic elective (3 cr.)
Total: 125 credits
Last update: March 2024
