Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design provides a sequenced studio approach to design thinking and problem-solving for visual communication, preparing students to thrive in a dynamic professional environment.

First-year foundation courses introduce visual concepts in two and three dimensions. Students specialize in graphic design coursework beginning in their sophomore year. Yearlong graphic design and typography studios emphasize form and communication. Junior-level graphic design and typography studios address authorship, audience, and medium, including motion and interactive work. Students are challenged to think creatively and strategically by developing content, defining an audience, and determining an optimum communication platform. The senior year culminates in a thesis project where students articulate a personally driven design methodology to examine relevant and valuable topics in contemporary practice. Electives complement the core graphic design and typography studios, affording the opportunity to specialize in areas of interest and providing the essential curricular agility to navigate a rapidly evolving field of practice.

Faculty members work closely with students to strengthen students technical, formal, and conceptual abilities through both carefully defined and open-ended projects. They also serve as an entry point into professional practice through their own studio practices and professional networks. Students are expected to actively participate in the Boston-based design community through organizations like the American Institute of Graphic Art (AIGA) in order to cultivate their own professional networks. The Graphic Design program benefits from cross-disciplinary engagement with the College of Communication, the Questrom School of Business, InnovateBU, the Hariri Institute for Computing, and the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, which enables the sharing of expertise and collaboration with creative individuals in various communication-driven fields.

Learning Outcomes
All students graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design will:

Develop a body of work that exhibits inventiveness, creativity, ambition, and clarity of thinking.
Communicate ideas through a unique visual language and demonstrate proficiency in studio process, including materials, tools, and techniques.
Think critically and communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, and apply proper models of interpretation based on historical and contemporary artistic knowledge. Students acquire a holistic understanding of the past, present, and future of the field of graphic design.
Develop a collection of materials that supports a professional practice: artist statement, CV, image documentation, and online presence.
Master key principles: form, authorship, audience, medium, and context, and be able to design across multiple modalities and technologies, developing systems and design strategies that are flexible and adaptive.
Use a design process that incorporates design thinking, ideation, articulation, presentation, and critique.

You will need to send original or certified copies of your home country's credentials as part of your application. TOEFL ibt - Students who are most competitive for admission will have a composite score of at least 90-100 and minimum scores of 20 in each section. IELTS - A total/overall score of 7 or higher will also satisfy BU's English Language proficiency requirement for all programs.