The history, theory and aesthetics of digital photography will be explored in this course. Students will learn the fundamentals of digital photography with an emphasis on processes, principles and tools of photography. Topics include the development of technical and aesthetic skills, elements of design and composition, camera technology, materials and equipment, and contemporary trends in photography.

This course examines the fundamentals of design, including design theory, the language and history of design, and contemporary design practices. This course emphasizes the basic principles and the human experience in design, encompassing graphic design and advertising, industrial design, environmental design, and media arts.

This course introduces visual technologies, concepts, and principles of production used by designers and media artists. It explores software applications as they relate to current methods of design and media arts production. It emphasizes the development of fundamental computer skills and an understanding of the relationship between digital media and visual design.

This course is an introduction to fundamental concepts, practices, and theories of digital art production. Topics include integration of traditional design, color, and compositional principles with contemporary digital tools. Understanding of the underlying logic of computer software will be taught with an emphasis on the role of the computer in all forms of modern art-making. Students will learn how to use the computer as a tool effectively while developing their own method of creating digital artwork. Cross-platform issues will be addressed, as well as file preparation for various output media.

This course focuses on digital illustration, currently using Adobe Illustrator for illustration, design, and media arts. Explores appropriate techniques for drawing vector-based paths, perspective, color systems, rendering of light and shade, and Illustrator's typographic capabilities.

This course is an introduction to the basic concepts of graphic design for print and electronic media. Topics include an overview of the commercial and print industry, basic layout design principles, image preparation, color modes and file preparation for print. Student assignments, encompassing design creativity and technical skills, include branding and logo design, brochures, poster and album art.

This course furthers basic design skills and develops conceptual and technical abilities to amplify content through form, image, typography, symbolism, and experimentation. It requires hands-on experience in creative problem solving including the exploration of rhythm and balance, texture, figure/ground, visual hierarchy, color, time and motion, and other components, through a variety of media.

This course provides an advanced level of knowledge in the use of the elements of visual language and their relationship to experience, expression, and communication. Emphasizes, through projects and exercises, the different aspects of analytical and inventive design thinking through concept development, design, and composition using type and image, production, and presentation skills.

This course focuses on image editing, currently using Adobe Photoshop for photography, design, and media arts. Includes appropriate techniques for tonal and color adjustments, creating masks, non-destructive editing, adjustment layers, retouching, and compositing.

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of typography. Emphasis will be on the use of typography in graphic design. Topics include the history of type, aesthetic qualities of letterforms, the anatomy of letter form and practice of typography as they apply to graphics, advertising and visual communication.

This course furthers and refines the basic typographic skills using scale, hierarchy, composition, and type choice in creating a variety of forms, including publications, posters, screen-based media, and environments. It emphasizes the clarity and legibility of the message, sequential page design and detailing, integration of type and image, hierarchies and scale relationships, display typography, and typographic word-marks as identities.

This course examines the major issues in twentieth-century design and identifies possible future trends. Focuses on the period beginning with the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late nineteenth century and continuing through the modern and postmodern design movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Explores relationships with history, culture, technology, art, and social values.

This course provides students the opportunity to create new projects and refine existing projects for entry-level positions and transfer institutions. Concepts studied include design process, message making, building form and composition, and technical execution. It requires completed projects that meet professional standards.

This course introduces web design fundamentals, including the design process, target audience, site maps, information architecture, interface design, and usability. It includes web hosting, file management, FTP, optimizing images, color theory, web typography, HTML, CSS, and the basics of responsive web design. Using current industry standard technology develops the necessary skills for the design and development of websites.

This course introduces all stages of the UI/UX development process, from user research to defining a project’s strategy, scope, and information architecture, to developing sitemaps and wireframes. It emphasizes current best practices and conventions in UX design and applies them to create effective and compelling screen-based experiences, interface design, and interaction design for websites or apps.

This course introduces motion graphics fundamentals, including compositing, visual effects, type in motion, and animation techniques. Includes concept development, storytelling, and aesthetics in creating motion graphics, including composition, color, motion, and timing. Students will create animated sequences that include digital images, vector-based content, video, and audio.

This course introduces tools, techniques, and strategies for visual communication across social media channels. It explores the creation of solutions to clearly communicate visual messages online, as well as creative problem-solving and strategies as applied to social media design.

This course explores opportunities for employment in the design community, best practices for freelance design, and methods for overseeing the production of finished design artifacts. It emphasizes knowledge in all steps of design from concept and copyright to manufacturing, retail, and billing clients. Topics studied will include creating and reviewing a digital portfolio, having an online business presence, and running a digital media/content-creating business.

This course provides on-the-job learning to develop effective work habits, attitudes, and career awareness in paid or unpaid internships that are related to the discipline. It involves the development and documentation of learning objectives and the completion of an internship paper, presentation, or project. It includes both workplace supervisory and faculty adviser feedback and/or written evaluations.