Nov 24, 2024

2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog

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2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Design (B.F.A.)

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Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design
Department of Art and Design
College of Visual and Performing Arts

Visual Arts Building 117 ~ 260-481-6709

Upon completion of their degree, B.F.A. students will be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

Utilize perceptual and conceptual skills to solve programs creatively in art/design media.
Implement 2D and 3D design principles to create compelling and effective works of art and design in a variety of traditional and digital media.
Demonstrate an understanding and competency of technical skills in traditional and digital art/design media to effectively communicate and express ideas.
Effectively analyze and critique works of art/design in verbal and written forms, using visual vocabulary and familiarity with the works and intentions of major artists/designers and movements of the past and present.
Demonstrate effective visual, verbal, and written communication skills and an aptitude to apply those skills.
Apply functional knowledge of basic art and design practical experiences and opportunities, as well as professional ethics.
Exhibit artistic competency in portfolio review submissions and senior thesis exhibitions.

Program Description

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design program offers a high-level studio experience that allows you to develop your creativity and prepares you for a professional career in the visual arts. You will benefit from working with our accomplished studio faculty as well as our partnerships with Fort Wayne design firms.

Courses offer multifaceted experiences in art and design creation, flowing from a solid and diverse foundation curriculum for the first two years. From this base, students have the latitude to sample various areas of creative endeavor before delving into Graphic Design coursework. When you complete the degree, you will be ready to continue studying in prestigious graduate programs or continue to be an active artist/designer in the business world.

Accreditation:

Purdue University Fort Wayne is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

Program Delivery:

Department of Art and Design courses are offered on campus, with some distance and hybrid course offerings.

Declaring the Design major - B.F.A. Portfolio Review:

Each student enters the program as a Bachelor of Art student. Students wishing to pursue the B.F.A. degree must submit a portfolio of their first- and second year work to attain formal acceptance into the B.F.A. program. Each petitioning student must apply to present their work through the Department of Art & Design in the semester in which they complete all second-year classes. Each student applying for acceptance into the B.F.A. program will declare their major and/or area of concentration, with the understanding that areas of art can be interdisciplinary and flexible.

Students who are accepted into more than one B.F.A. concentration are required to complete AD 49502 and AD 49600, Senior Thesis and Exhibition I and II for each concentration.

The Art and Design Department will notify students of this requirement, along with instructions on the portfolio review process.

B.F.A. Portfolio Review Outcome

A student applying for acceptance into the B.F.A. program from the B.A. program may be accepted, deferred or denied. A student’s acceptance into the B.F.A. program will allow them to advance into junior and senior level studio classes as a declared B.F.A. major. A deferred student will be asked to re-submit their portfolio for B.F.A. consideration after re-taking requested classes. A student denied entry into the B.F.A. program will continue in the B.A. program. Denied students can apply one additional time for review into the B.F.A. program with permission from the department chair.

General Requirements

Specific admission requirements for program - See “Declaring this major” above for portfolio review requirements.

General Education Requirements Credits: 33

Click on the Purdue University Fort Wayne General Education Requirements link above for a listing of all general education requirements.
A grade of C- or higher is required in each course used to satisfy the Purdue Fort Wayne General Education Requirements. Courses may be retaken if minimum grade requirement is not met.
B.F.A. students may not take any Art and Design courses for General Education credits; this includes AD 11100, AD 11201, AD 10101, AD 10801, AD 13300, AD 16500, AD 19600, AD 23900

Cat A1 Written Communication -ENGL 13100 and ENGL 23301 Cr. 6.
Cat A2 Speaking and Listening - COM 11400 or THTR 11400 * (recommended for Art and Design students) or other approved A2 course Cr. 3
Cat A3 Quantitative Reasoning - STAT 12500 * (recommended for Art and Design students) or other approved A3 course Cr. 3

Program Requirements

A student may elect the Pass/Not-Pass grading option for non-degree elective courses only. The Pass/Not-Pass grading option is not available for General Education or any electives required for the minor.

Design Content Field: Credits 48

Art History Course Requirements: Credits 12

Design B.F.A. students are required to take 12 credit hours of Art History courses; three courses are specified, while one Art History is an elective.

AD 11100 - History Of Art I: Prehistoric To Medieval Cr. 3.
AD 11201 - History Of Art II: Renaissance To Contemporary Cr. 3.
AD 20101 - History Of Graphic Design I Cr. 3.
Select one (1) Advanced Art History Elective from the following list:
AD 31501 - Gender Matters: Women And The Arts, 1400-2000 Cr. 3.
AD 32001 - The “Naughty Bits”: Nudity In The History Of Western Art Cr. 3.
AD 32301 - Ancient Greek Art Cr. 3.
AD 32401 - Roman Art Cr. 3.
AD 33201 - Early Medieval Art Cr. 3.
AD 34101 - Italian Renaissance Art Cr. 3.
AD 34201 - Northern Renaissance Art Cr. 3.
AD 34302 - Godfathers Of The Renaissance: The Medici Family As Patrons Of The Arts Cr. 3.
AD 34501 - American Art To 1913 Cr. 3.
AD 34601 - The Global Renaissance Cr. 3.
AD 35101 - Nineteenth-Century Art Cr. 3.
AD 35200 - Twentieth-Century Art Cr. 3.
AD 35400 - Contemporary Art circa 1960-Present Cr. 3.
AD 36301 - African Art Cr. 3.
AD 39001 - Topics In Art History Cr. 3.
AD 44600 - Michelangelo: Crafting Divinity Cr. 3.
AD 49001 - Topics In Art History Cr. 3.
AD 49500 - Readings And Research In Art History Cr. 1-4.

First Year Design Studio Foundation Courses: Credits 18

AD 10202 - Introduction To 2-D Design Cr. 3.
AD 10502 - Digital Imaging Cr. 3.
AD 12100 - Drawing Fundamentals I Cr. 3.
AD 15200 - Introduction To 3-D Design Cr. 3.
AD 22301 - Figure Drawing I Cr. 3.
AD 22501 - Painting Fundamentals I Cr. 3.

First Year Portfolio Review Checkpoint

Once a student is enrolled in or has completed their first-year foundations courses, usually in the spring semester, they are required to submit a portfolio of first-year level foundations studio work to be reviewed by Department of Art and Design faculty. Work from outside of Art and Design foundation classes will not be accepted for consideration; therefore, careful documentation and storage of one’s work is essential for success. The review is a checkpoint to assure that students have met the competency level in the first-year foundations program. This review is a mandatory evaluative review for all students and is meant to provide feedback to students regarding their status in meeting learning outcomes set for these foundational courses. Upon a satisfactory portfolio review, students will continue in the second-year foundation courses. The Department of Art and Design will send out detailed information regarding the portfolio review process.

Second Year Foundation Studio Courses: Credits 18

AD 20201 - Introduction To Photography Cr. 3.
AD 20301 - Web Design I: Introduction To Web Design Cr. 3.
AD 20502 - Graphic Design I: Introduction To Graphic Design Cr. 3.
3D Studio Elective – Choose two (2) courses from following list:
AD 23101 - Sculpture Fundamentals Cr. 3.
AD 23301 - Metalsmithing Fundamentals Cr. 3.
AD 23501 - Ceramics Fundamentals Cr. 3.
AD 31001 - Introduction To 3D Computer Modeling Cr. 3.
Studio Elective – Choose one (1) from the following list:
AD 30901 - Video And Intermedia II Cr. 3.
AD 30103 - Photography II: Applied Imaging Cr. 3.
AD 30201 - Photography III: Conceptual Imaging Cr. 3.
AD 30702 - Photography IV: Editorial Imaging Cr. 3.

Second Year Foundation Portfolio Review – Apply For Entrance Into the BFA program

Once a student is enrolled in or has completed their second-year foundations courses, usually in the spring semester, they are required to submit a portfolio of second-year level foundations studio work to be reviewed by Department of Art and Design faculty. Work from outside of second-year Art and Design foundation classes will not be accepted for consideration; therefore, careful documentation and storage of one’s work is essential for success. The review is a checkpoint to assure that students have met the competency level in the second-year foundations program. For students who desire entry to the B.F.A. degree program, this will also serve as an application for formal acceptance into a particular concentration. This review is a mandatory evaluative review for all students and is meant to provide feedback to students regarding their status in meeting learning outcomes set for these foundational courses. Upon a satisfactory portfolio review, students may continue in their courses toward completing the degree. The Department of Art and Design will send out detailed information regarding the portfolio review process.

Third Year Portfolio Review

Students at the end of their junior year, or upon completion of 84 credit hours, of which 48 credit hours must be studio courses, will submit a third portfolio for review. The portfolio must contain 6 to 9 pieces from concentration as well as 4 pieces from 300 and 400 level classes outside of the concentration. The department will send out detailed information regarding this review to students prior to the review. Successful students will be allowed to enroll in their remaining coursework in both advanced studio and senior thesis and exhibition courses. Portfolio review approval is a prerequisite for registration for Senior Thesis I and Internship, if applicable.

Students whose work does not meet the standards of the department reviewers may be required to change their degree program back to the Art and Design Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program.

Graphic Design Concentration: Credits 39

AD 10401 - Introduction To Typography Cr. 3.
AD 20601 - Illustration I: Dry Media Cr. 3.
AD 20801 - Video And Intermedia I Cr. 3.
AD 30301 - Graphic Design II: Identity And Branding Cr. 3.
AD 30401 - Graphic Design III: Publication Design Cr. 3.
AD 30601 - Illustration III: Vector Cr. 3.
AD 40101 - Illustration IV: Raster Cr. 3.
AD 40201 - Graphic Design IV: Packaging & Display Cr. 3.
AD 40301 - Graphic Design V: Digital Prepress / Portfolio Cr. 3.
AD 40701 - Professional Practice Internship Cr. 3.
AD 47100 - Web Design II: Intermediate Web Design Cr. 3.
Senior Thesis – Credits 6
AD 49502 - Thesis Seminar And Exhibition I Cr. 3.
AD 49600 - Thesis Seminar And Exhibition II Cr. 3.
Students may repeat AD 49600 two times; students who do not meet the minimum grade requirement of C- or better on both attempts will automatically be transferred to the Art B.A. program, and are not eligible to reapply for the Design B.F.A. program.

First Year GPA Requirement

Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0. Successful students will progress with the second year courses.

GPA Requirements for the Remainder of Degree

Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and maintain this minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA until graduation. Successful students will progress with the third-and fourth-year coursework.

Minimum Grade Requirement

Students must have a minimum grade of C- or better on all AD classes for credit towards their degree. Classes below a C- grade may be retaken for a qualifying grade as needed.

Credit by Self-Acquired Competency

Credit by Self-Acquired Competency is at the discretion of the department and evaluated on an individual basis.

Repeat Limits

All advanced level studio courses may be repeated up to a maximum of 18 credits. No courses may be repeated in Graphic Design concentration.

Self-Paced Courses

Independent study classes are sometimes available and at the discretion of both the course instructor and chair of the department.

Total Credits: 120

Student Responsibility

You are responsible for ensuring that you satisfy all graduation requirements specified for each selected program. Thus, it is essential that you develop a thorough understanding of the required courses, academic policies, and procedures governing your academic career. If you cannot complete all program requirements by your stated graduation date but fail to remove those from your plan of study, the Registrar’s Office in consultation with your academic advisor will remove unmet pursuits from your plan of study. Changing curricular records during the graduation term of application may affect state or federal financial aid awards. All requests for exceptions to specific requirements must be made in writing and may be granted only by written approval from the appropriate chair or dean.