Undergraduate Programs
Degree Programs
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Visual Communication
Degree programs in the Department of Visual Communication prepare design leaders to proactively manage change and innovation processes toward improving the civic, cultural and commercial experiences that people encounter in their daily lives. The programs focus on a collaborative design process for identifying root problems and facilitating meaningful solutions to complex issues. This approach is intended to harness the power of design to clarify, humanize and energize the issues that are central to life in a pluralistic society.
As members of a professional art and design school on the IUPUI campus, Visual Communication majors prepare for a design career by integrating learning in visual studies with coursework in the liberal arts and sciences. The learning experience is structured to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a field that requires both highly specialized skills and the ability to make intellectual connections within a broad range of general knowledge. Successful students achieve all the learning outcomes that have been defined by the National Association of School of Art and Design and AIGA (the professional association for design) as essential competencies for design professionals. These include: the ability to solve communication problems, including the skills of problem identification, research and information gathering, analysis, generation of alternative solutions, prototyping and user testing, and evaluation of outcomes; the ability to describe and respond to the audiences and contexts which communication solutions must address, including recognition of the physical, cognitive, cultural, and social human factors that shape design decisions; the ability to create and develop visual form in response to communication problems, including an understanding of principles of visual organization/composition, information hierarchy, symbolic representation, typography, aesthetics, and the construction of meaningful messages; an understanding of tools and technology, including their roles in the creation, reproduction, and distribution of visual messages. Relevant tools and technologies include, but are not limited to, drawing, offset printing, photography, and time-based and interactive media (film, video, computer multimedia); the ability to perform basic business practices, including organizing design projects and working productively as a member of teams.
Students proceeding to the 300-and 400-level Visual Communication courses must maintain a Herron studio grade point average of 2.5 in their major studio courses and an overall grade point average of 2.0. Students falling below these requirements will be notified, placed on probation, and required to submit a portfolio for review. Upon reviewing the portfolio, faculty members will determine if students on probation will be permitted to enroll in higher-level Visual Communication courses. Students on probation failing to submit a portfolio will be denied advancement to higher-level Visual Communication courses.
Visual Communication Suggested Plan of Study
Sophomore Year
| Fall | Credits | |
| HER-V 210 | VC 1: Elements & Principles | 6 |
| HER-V 211 | Typography 1 | 3 |
| HER-V 212 | Image 1 | 3 |
| COMM-R 110 | Speech Communication | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Spring | Credits | |
| HER-V 220 | VC 2 | 6 |
| HER-V 221 | Typography 2 | 3 |
| HER-V 222 | Image 2 | 3 |
| HER-V 214 | Design History | 3 |
| BUS-M 300 | Introduction to Marketing | 3 |
| Total | 18 |
Junior Year
| Fall | Credits | |
| HER-A 341 | Production for Design | 3 |
| HER-V 310 | VC 3: Identifying Problems | 6 |
| HER-V 311 | Typography 3 | 3 |
| HER-V 312 | Image 3 | 3 |
| Analytical Skills elective | 3 | |
| Total | 18 |
| Spring | Credits | |
| HER-V 320 | VC 4: Facilitating Solutions | 6 |
| VC elective: VC Design Practicum or Internship | 3 | |
| Analytical Skills elective | 3 | |
| Humanities elective | 3 | |
| Social/Behavioral Science elective | 3 | |
| Total | 18 |
Senior Year
| Fall | Credits | |
| HER-V 410 | VC 5: Designing for Innovation | 6 |
| HER-V 401 or HER-V 421 | VC studio elective in declared track | 3 |
| Humanities elective | 3 | |
| Social/Behavioral Science elective | 3 | |
| Total | 15 |
| Spring | Credits | |
| HER-V 420 | VC 6: Capstone Portfolio | 3 |
| HER-V 402 or HER-V 422 | VC studio elective in declared track | 6 |
| Social/Behavioral Science elective | 3 | |
| Humanities elective | 3 | |
| Humanities elective or Art History elective | 3 | |
| Total | 18 |
Visual Communication Academic Requirements—Distributive
Analytical Skills 6 credits - suggested courses
Philosophy Logic (PHIL-P 162, PHIL-P 265)
Political Science (POLS-Y 205)
Psychology (PSY-B 105)
Social Science 9 credits - suggested courses
Anthropology (ANTH-A 104, ANTH-A 304, ANTH-A 361, ANTH-E 380, ANTH-P 340)
Communication (COMM-M 150, COMM-C 180, COMM-C 201, COMM-C 223, COMM-C 228, COMM-C 299, COMM-C 380, COMM-C 482)
History (HIST-H 117)
Political Science (POLS-Y 101, POLS-Y 103, POLS-Y 213, POLS-Y 215, COMM-Y 219)
Psychology (PSY-B 104, PSY-B 334, PSY-B 340)
Sociology (SOC-R 100, SOC-F 121, SOC-R 315, SOC-R 316, SOC-R 351)
Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA-V 160, SPEA-V 170, SPEA-V 221)
Humanities 12 credits – suggested courses
Film (FILM-C 292, FILM-C 390, FILM-C 391, FILM-C 392)
English (ENG-W 260, ENG-W 231, ENG-W 251, ENG-W 313, ENG-W 315, ENG-W 331)
History (HIST-H 113, HIST-H 114, HIST-H 117, HIST-H 217)
Museum Studies (MSTD-A 403, MSTD-A 405, MSTD-A 410, MSTD-A 414)
Philosophy (PHIL-P 110, PHIL-P 120)