Graphic design integrates a range of media and technologies—from web, interaction, and coding to typography, illustration, branding, and packaging—to communicate to diverse audiences. Students engage with both theory and practice, and develop skills to research, concept, prototype, design and document their work.
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| Liberal Studies Requirements | 52 |
| Major Requirements | 140 |
| Open Electives | 16 |
| Total hours required | 208 |
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Address social, ethical, and user-centered concerns related to visual communication.
- Generate a design portfolio blending typography with graphic imagery that demonstrates technical skill, conceptual strategy, and aesthetic direction.
- Engage in graphic design discourse and critique, referencing graphic design history and theory.
- Use research, inquiry, and iteration to organize and transform complex visual information across a range of visual and interactive platforms.
Liberal Studies Requirements
Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.
| First Year Program | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Quarter | ||
| LSP 110 or LSP 111 | DISCOVER CHICAGO or EXPLORE CHICAGO | 4 |
| Focal Point | ||
| Not Required | ||
| Writing | ||
| WRD 103 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 | 4 |
| WRD 104 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 | 4 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| MAT 120 | QUANTITATIVE REASONING 2 | 4 |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| Race, Power, and Resistance | ||
| LSP 200 | SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE | 4 |
| Junior Year | ||
| Experiential Learning | ||
| Required 3 | 4 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Capstone | ||
| Required in major 1 | ||
- 1
Students must earn a C- or better in this course.
- 2
Readiness for MAT 120 is determined by the math placement test taken online after admission. Students may need to take developmental coursework prior to MAT 120. Students who complete MAT 120 and both a Computational Reasoning course and a Statistical Reasoning course in the Math and Computing Learning Domain take one less Learning Domain course. Students may not apply the course reduction to any Domain where only one course is required, and cannot be applied to the Scientific Inquiry Learning Domain. The MAT 120 requirement may be waived by passing a dedicated proficiency exam or it may be fulfilled by credit for advanced math coursework earned in-residence at DePaul (MAT 135, MAT 136, MAT 147, MAT 148, MAT 149, MAT 150, MAT 151, MAT 152 MAT 155, MAT 156, MAT 160, MAT 161, MAT 162 MAT 170, MAT 171, MAT 172, or equivalent) or earned externally either as transfer credit from another college/university or as test credit through AP, CLEP, IB, or International A and A/S Level exams. Calculus course(s) may be used to fulfill any of the three QR/MCD requirements.
- 3
GD 380 recommended.
Learning Domains
Arts and Literature (AL)
- 2 Courses Required
Historical Inquiry (HI)
- 1 Course Required
Math and Computing (MC)
- Not Required
Philosophical Inquiry (PI)
- 1 Course Required
Religious Dimensions (RD)
- 1 Course Required
Scientific Inquiry (SI)
- 1 Lab Course Required
Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)
- 1 Course Required
Notes
Specified required courses within Liberal Studies may have grade minimums (e.g. C- or better). Please consult your advisor or your college and major requirements.
Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a general elective or the Experiential Learning requirement.
Major Requirements
First Year
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ART 106 | BEGINNING DRAWING | 4 |
| FILM 265 | DIGITAL STILL PHOTOGRAPHY | 4 |
| or ART 224 | BEGINNING DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY | |
| GD 101 | CREATIVE STUDIO METHODS | 4 |
| GD 105 | INTRO TO VISUAL DESIGN | 4 |
| GD 109 | WEB DESIGN TOOLS WORKSHOP | 2 |
| GD 150 | ILLUSTRATOR WORKSHOP | 2 |
| GD 200 | GRAPHIC DESIGN: FORM | 4 |
| GD 230 | TYPOGRAPHY: FORM | 4 |
| UXD 101 | DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN | 4 |
| or ANI 101 | ANIMATION FOR NON-MAJORS | |
Second Year
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| GAM 240 | PLAYGRAMMING | 4 |
| GD 110 | WEB DESIGN | 4 |
| GD 151 | PHOTOSHOP WORKSHOP | 2 |
| GD 152 | INDESIGN WORKSHOP | 2 |
| GD 201 | INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL DESIGN RESEARCH | 4 |
| GD 205 | GRAPHIC DESIGN: CONCEPT | 4 |
| GD 210 | DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION I | 4 |
| GD 220 | HISTORIES OF DESIGN | 4 |
| Eight (8) credit hours of Major Electives | 8 | |
Third Year
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANI 361 | MOTION GRAPHICS | 4 |
| or POST 110 | EDITING I | |
| or UXD 210 | INTRODUCTION TO USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN | |
| GD 215 | WEB DESIGN FOR COMMERCIAL PROJECTS | 4 |
| or GD 216 | WEB DESIGN FOR ARTISTS | |
| GD 221 | TRENDS IN CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC DESIGN | 4 |
| GD 232 | TYPOGRAPHY: SYSTEMS | 4 |
| GD 270 | SEMIOTICS AND VISUAL DESIGN | 4 |
| GD 300 | GRAPHIC DESIGN: PROJECTS | 4 |
| GD 330 | TYPOGRAPHY:PROJECTS | 4 |
| Twelve (12) credit hours of Major Electives | 12 | |
Fourth Year
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fourth Year | ||
| GD 340 | PUBLICATION DESIGN | 4 |
| GD 356 | LOGO, BRANDING, AND VISUAL IDENTITY | 4 |
| GD 360 | ADVERTISING DESIGN | 4 |
| GD 381 | GRAPHIC DESIGN PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT | 4 |
| GD 394 & GD 395 | CAPSTONE PROJECT I and CAPSTONE PROJECT II | 8 |
| Eight (8) credit hours of Major Electives | 8 | |
Major Electives
Students must complete 28 Major Elective credit hours from any undergraduate courses in CDM or the College of Business, or from PRAD in the College of Communication. Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in all major elective courses.
Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in all major elective courses.
Open Electives
Open Elective credit hours are required to meet the minimum graduation requirements of 208 hours. Open Electives may be taken from any unit at DePaul.
Degree Requirements
Students in this degree must meet the following requirements:
- Complete a minimum of 208 credit hours (generally 54 courses).
- Earn a grade of C- or higher in WRD 103, WRD 104, and all Major and Minor courses.
- Earn a grade of D or higher in all other Liberal Studies and Open Elective courses.
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Program Combination Restrictions
Students pursuing the BFA in Graphic Design are forbidden from pursuing the Minor in Graphic Design.