Graphic Design Major, B.F.A.

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Art & Design

Graphic Design Major, B.F.A., Program Information

Department of Art and Design
PO Box 70708
Johnson City, TN 37614
423-439-4247

The professional undergraduate degree in the visual arts is the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. This degree allows the student to specialize in a particular area of art or to explore multiple studio areas in order to prepare for a professional career. Grades in Art and Art History applied to the major must be “C” or above.

After 21 credit hours in studio art and before 45 hours in art have been completed, the student must successfully complete ARTA 2916 BFA Portfolio Review. The student must pass this review in order to be accepted in the BFA capstone course, ARTA 4916 Portfolio and Exhibit and to graduate with a BFA degree in art. Students have only two chances to complete the BFA Portfolio Review course.

Students in the BFA program in Graphic Design should be aware that the final advanced studio courses should have as the primary goal the production of Art and Design work of exhibition quality. Examples of this work will be exhibited by the Department of Art and Design as proof of student excellence in a required senior capstone exhibition or presentation. The BFA degree does not have a foreign language requirement, nor does it require a minor due to increased courses required at the advanced level.

Advising

Students with 0-59 earned credit hours:

Contact the Center for Advisement and Student Excellence (CASE) to schedule an appointment with your advisor.  Visit the CASE website (http://www.etsu.edu/cas/case/) or call (423) 439-5602.

Students with 60 or more earned credit hours:

Contact your designated faculty advisor:

David Dixon
212 Ball Hall

Wayne Dyer
410 Ball Hall

Kelly Porter
409 Ball Hall

Transfer Students

Transfer students majoring in Graphic Design should contact the department for advising as soon as possible. This will ensure that the student’s previous work will be coordinated efficiently with ETSU requirements.

For general information about the department or courses, contact Mira Gerard, Chair [gerard@etsu.edu; (423) 439-4247].

General Program Information

To earn a degree from ETSU, there are specific course requirements established by ETSU, by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), by each college, and by each department. All students must meet the degree requirements at each of these levels outlined in the following list:

University-level Degree and Graduation Requirements

• Degree and Graduation Requirements  
• Completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours is required.
• CSCI 1100 or the proficiency exam
• California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST)  (Senior Exit Exam)
• Additional Requirements for Transfer Students
• Second Bachelor Degrees
• Double Majors/Double Degrees

Total Credit Hours for Degree: 120

TBR General Education Requirements: 41 - 42 Credit Hours

Listed below are the categories and courses specified under TBR General Education Requirements. Note that certain courses are required for this degree, specific to this major. Thus, these courses will satisfy both a TBR General Education requirement AND a requirement of this major. (Other majors may require different General Education courses.) Where specific courses are required for this major, only those courses are listed under the category. If there are no specific major requirements for a category, all course options appear.
 

Communication

9 credits, consisting of 6 credits of written composition and 3 credits of oral communication.

Written Composition

Complete both of the following: 

• ENGL 1010 - Critical Reading and Expository Writing (3 credits)
• ENGL 1020 - Critical Thinking and Argumentation (3 credits)

• Students required to complete learning support in writing must enroll in a learning support-designated section (L01-L99) of ENGL 1010  during their first 15 hours at ETSU (not including summer) unless they are also required to complete learning support in reading. Students needing learning support in both reading and writing should enroll in ENGL 1010-Lxx immediately upon completing learning support in reading. Additional information may be found on the University Advisement Center website www.etsu.edu/uac/learningsupport.

   

  Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in ENGL 1010  and ENGL 1020 .

   

Oral Communication

Complete one of the following:

• SPCH 1300 - Introduction to Communication Studies (3 credits)
• SPCH 2300 - Public Speaking (3 credits)
• SPCH 2320 - Argumentation and Debate (3 credits)

Humanities and Fine Arts

9 credits, consisting of 3 credits of literature, 3 credits of fine arts, and 3 credits of humanities electives.

Literature

Complete one of the following: 

• ENGL 2030 - Literary Heritage (3 credits)
• ENGL 2110 - American Literature I (3 credits)
• ENGL 2120 - American Literature II (3 credits)
• ENGL 2210 - British Literature I (3 credits)
• ENGL 2220 - British Literature II (3 credits)
• ENGL 2330 - World Literature (3 credits)
• ENGL 2430 - European Literature (3 credits)

Fine Arts

• ARTH 2010 - Art History Survey I (3 credits)

Humanities Electives

Complete one of the following:

• ENGL 3150 - Literature, Ethics, and Values (3 credits)
• ENGL 3280 - Mythology (3 credits)
• ENTC 3020 - Technology and Society (3 credits)
• HIST 1110 - World History to 1500 (3 credits)
• HIST 1120 - World History Since 1500 (3 credits)
• PHIL 1030 - Introduction to Philosophy (3 credits)
• PHIL 2020 - Introduction to Ethics (3 credits)
• PHIL 2040 - Philosophy as Conversation (3 credits)
• PHIL 2640 - Science and the Modern World (3 credits)
• RELI 2210 - Introduction to the Study of World Religions (3 credits)

Social and Behavioral Sciences

6 credits, consisting of two of the following: 

• ANTH 1240 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3 credits)

•  

• ECON 1050 - Economics and Society (3 credits) or
• ECON 2210 - Principles of Macroeconomics (3 credits)

•  

• ECON 2220 - Principles of Microeconomics (3 credits)
• GEOG 1012 - Introduction to Cultural Geography (3 credits)
• HDAL 2310 - Developmental Psychology (3 credits)
• HDAL 2340 - Understanding Cultural Diversity (3 credits)
• MCOM 1030 - Introduction to Mass Communications (3 credits)
• PSCI 1110 - Political Life (3 credits)
• PSCI 1120 - Introduction to American Government (3 credits)
• PSYC 1310 - Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)
• SOCI 1020 - Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)
• SOCI 2020 - Social Problems (3 credits)
• SRVL 1020 - Introduction to Service-Learning in the Community (3 credits)
• WMST 2010 - Introduction to Women’s Studies (3 credits)

History

6 credits, consisting of both of the following:

• HIST 2010 - The United States to 1877 (3 credits)
• HIST 2020 - The United States since 1877 (3 credits)

• Note:  HIST 2030 History of Tennessee  (3 credits) may be substituted for 3 credits of United States History.

Natural Sciences

8 credits, consisting of two of the following (some require labs which are listed directly after the lecture):

(Note: Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in the College of Arts and Sciences must select 8 credit hours in a SINGLE laboratory science. Please see listing in College of Arts and Sciences B.S. Degree Requirements for options.)

• ASTR 1010 - Astronomy I (4 credits)
• ASTR 1020 - Astronomy II (4 credits)
• ASTR 1035 - Life in the Universe (4 credits)
• BIOL 1110 - Biology for Science Majors Lecture I (4 credits)
• BIOL 1111 - Biology for Science Majors Laboratory I (0 credit)
• BIOL 1120 - Biology for Science Majors Lecture II (4 credits)
• BIOL 1121 - Biology for Science Majors Laboratory II (0 credit)
• BIOL 1130 - Biology for Science Majors Lecture III (4 credits)
• CHEM 1110 - General Chemistry Lecture I (4 credits)
• CHEM 1111 - General Chemistry Laboratory I (0 credit)
• CHEM 1120 - General Chemistry Lecture II (4 credits)
• CHEM 1121 - General Chemistry Laboratory II (0 credit)
• GEOL 1040 - Geosciences: Earth and Society Lecture (3 credits)
• GEOL 1041 - Geosciences: Earth and Society Laboratory (1 credit)
• GEOL 1050 - Geosciences: Earth through Time Lecture (3 credits)
• GEOL 1051 - Geosciences: Earth through Time Laboratory (1 credit)
• HSCI 2010 - Anatomy and Physiology I (4 credits)
• HSCI 2011 - Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory I (0 credit)
• HSCI 2020 - Anatomy and Physiology II (4 credits)
• HSCI 2021 - Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory II (0 credit)
• PHYS 2010 - General Physics I-Noncalculus (3 credits)
• PHYS 2011 - General Physics Laboratory I-Noncalculus (1 credit)
• PHYS 2020 - General Physics II-Noncalculus (3 credits)
• PHYS 2021 - General Physics Laboratory II-Noncalculus (1 credit)
• PHYS 2110 - Technical Physics I-Calculus Based (5 credits)
• PHYS 2120 - Technical Physics II-Calculus Based (5 credits)

• Open to non-science majors only:

• BIOL 1010 - Biology for Non-majors I (4 credits)
• BIOL 1011 - Biology for Non-majors Laboratory (0 credit)
• BIOL 1020 - Biology for Non-majors II (4 credits)
• BIOL 1021 - Biology for Non-majors Laboratory II (0 credit)
• BIOL 1310 - Concepts in Biology (4 credits)
• BIOL 1311 - Concepts in Biology Laboratory (0 credit)
• CHEM 1000 - Chemistry and Well-Being (4 credits)
• CHEM 1030 - Introduction to Chemistry Survey (4 credits)
• PHYS 1030 - Introduction to Physics Survey (4 credits)

Mathematics

3 - 4 credits, consisting of one of the following:

• MATH 1530 - Probability and Statistics – Noncalculus (3 credits)
• MATH 1840 - Analytic Geometry and Differential Calculus (3 credits)
• MATH 1910 - Calculus I (4 credits)

• Note:

  Students will enroll in the appropriate general education math course during their first calendar year of enrollment at ETSU. Students required to complete learning support in mathematics must enroll in a learning support-designated section (L01-L99) of MATH 1530  during their first 15 hours at ETSU (not including summer) unless they are also required to complete learning support in reading or writing. Students needing learning support in reading or writing in addition to learning support in math should enroll in MATH 1530-Lxx immediately upon completing their other learning support requirements. Additional information may be found on the University Advisement Center website www.etsu.edu/uac/learningsupport/

Graphic Design Requirements

Minor: no minor required

Graduation Requirements

Graduation in this major/concentration requires a minimum of 120 credits, including General Education requirements, CSCI 1100 , college degree requirements, major requirements, and minor requirements.

Passing the CSCI 1100 proficiency test produces no credit, but satisfies the graduation requirement (see http://www.etsu.edu/cbat/computing/uit/). If the total credits from these areas are less than 120 credits, students may use free electives to complete the requirement.

Additional Information

Click here to view the Graphic Design Major, B.F.A. Suggested Course Sequence .