The undergraduate major in Art and Design leads to the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design. Its flexibly structured program prepares students for professional careers and graduate studies while supporting the liberal arts tradition. The degree leads to careers and teaching positions in graphic design, studio art, lens media (photography and video), visual communication and teaching certification at all levels (EC-12). Students often choose the Art and Design major to develop creativity and the capacity for critical thinking about visual culture.
The Art and Design major offers three distinct and interrelated concentrations: Graphic Design, Studio Art and EC-12 Teacher Certification . The Graphic Design concentration prepares students for the intense visual requirements of today’s computer-based design industry. The Studio Art concentration prepares students to be competitive professional artists as they work in both traditional and contemporary media. The Art and Design B.F.A. with EC-12 certification prepares students to teach art at any level from early childhood through high school.
To earn the B.F.A. degree, students take a minimum of 120 credit hours, except for those who are pursuing the B.F.A. with EC-12 certification, who must take a minimum of 127 hours. Students will select the B.F.A. concentration that best satisfies their academic, professional and artistic goals. WRIT 3307 must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. Thirty hours of upper-level credit must also be completed with grades of “C” or better.
The Graphic Design concentration includes 45 upper-level hours to be taken from the ARTS rubric and approved COMM courses. Students majoring in Art and Design are strongly encouraged to complete WRIT 1302 in partial fulfillment of the communications component area of UHCL’s core curriculum.
