Graduate Programs
Student Learning Outcomes
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Visual Communication
Upon graduation from the Master of Arts in Visual Communications, students will demonstrate the ability to:
1. Identify, comprehend and analyze multiple diverse theoretical perspectives that designing is a set of human-centered understanding processes including modeling experiences, advocating empathy for users, and visualizing relationships to untangle complexity and generate shared perspectives of issues in situations.
2. Identify, comprehend and analyze multiple diverse theoretical perspectives that designing must respond to the audiences and contexts which design solutions must address, including recognition of the physical, cognitive, cultural, and social human factors that shape design decisions.
3. Identify, comprehend and apply specific synthetic methodologies to yield specific types of data sets to support various phases of a people-centered design process including design research, design analysis, design synthesis and design evaluation.
4. Evaluate the appropriateness of the selection and application of specific synthetic methodologies within a specific design context by analyzing the relevance of research outcomes.
5. Identify, comprehend and apply design processes & design process skills for interdisciplinary collaborative action research by identifying patterns & framing insights, exploring ideas and conceiving plans, prototyping & optimizing proposals, and implementing solutions.
6. Analyze, synthesize and evaluate design processes & design process skill for interdisciplinary collaborative action research by facilitating, coaching and mentoring others to apply processes and process skills while reflecting in action.
7. Comprehend and apply scholarly research processes including the performance of literature reviews, interviewing, fieldwork and reporting.
8. Analyze, synthesize and critically evaluate published work and source materials, through thesis research, practice and writing, with an appreciation of the relationship of the thesis theme to the wider field of knowledge.
9. Synthesize, through the thesis paper and design project, a distinct contribution to a body of knowledge through an original investigation or testing of ideas, worthy in part of publication.