Department of Design
Introduction
The Department of Design prepares animators, illustrators, experience designers, graphic designers, marketing creatives, motion designers, photographers, product designers, UX/UI developers, and other multidisciplinary communicators to thrive as innovative practitioners and socially-engaged leaders in an ever-changing professional field. The mission of the Department of Design is to engage its students in the practice of design thinking and visualization to create beautiful, innovative, and responsible solutions (products, spaces, systems, messages, and services) that respond to human needs and enhance the quality of everyday life.
The Department of Design encompasses a rich tradition and a long history of educating students to engage in current paradigms toward defining the future of design practice. Exceptional faculty and state-of-the-art facilities provide an environment that cultivates and optimal educational experience in each area of undergraduate and graduate study through innovative and comprehensive curricula and experiences. Students gain insights from lectures and workshops with world-renowned designers, collaborations with industry partners, and opportunities to participate in short-term study abroad programs and semester-long internships in the US and abroad.
The Design Department offers BFA in Design with programs in Animation, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interaction Design, Photography, and Visual Communication Design (Graphic Design). The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design is a four-year, 120-credit-hour degree program. All design students spend the first semester in foundation courses and in the second semester begin taking courses in their chosen major.
The Department also offers Minors in Design, Photography, Design Entrepreneurship, and a Certificate in Book Arts.
Graduate programs in Design include M.A. in Interaction and User Experience Design, and M.A. in Management and Strategy. The Master of Arts in Design is 31 credit hours of coursework, a thesis that documents independent discovery and research, and an oral examination.
Design students have access to studio spaces, computer labs, a letterpress lab, a Riso lab, a robust photography area, a softgoods fabrication lab, and digital fabrication labs with 3D printers, CNC, and large format laser cutters. Students gain insights from lectures and workshops with world-renowned designers, collaborations with industry partners, and opportunities to participate in short-term study abroad programs and semester-long internships in the US and abroad.
The University of Kansas is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) since 1968.
The Department of Design prepares animators, illustrators, experience designers, graphic designers, marketing creatives, motion designers, photographers, product designers, UX/UI developers, and other multidisciplinary communicators to thrive as innovative practitioners and socially engaged leaders in an ever-changing professional field.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design is a four-year, 120 credit hour degree program. All design students spend the first semester in foundation courses and the second semester begin taking courses in their chosen major. The department offers the following undergraduate degree programs:
BFA in Design with programs in...
Animation
Illustration
Industrial Design
Interaction Design
Photography
Visual Communication Design (Graphic Design)
Minors in...
Design
Design Entrepreneurship
Photography
Certificate in...
Book Arts.
Design students have access to studio spaces, computer labs, a letterpress lab, a Riso lab, a robust photography area, and digital fabrication labs. Students gain insights from lectures and workshops with world-renowned designers, collaborations with industry partners, and opportunities to participate in short-term study abroad programs and semester-long internships in the US and abroad.
Graduate Programs
The department offers the following graduate degree programs:
- Master of Arts (M.A.) in Design with a concentration in Design Management & Strategy
- Master of Arts (M.A.) in Design with a concentration in Interaction & User Experience Design
Please visit the Graduate Studies website for more information.
Design Departmental Policies
1. Transfer Credit
CredTran is a transfer course equivalency system that lists more than 2,200 colleges and universities from which KU has accepted transfer courses in the past. If your school or course is not listed, your evaluation will be completed when you are admitted to KU.
Only grades of "C-" or higher are accepted in transfer credit toward a degree.
Grades for studio related course work must be "B" or higher for transfer credit. Applicants with a lapse of four or more year since their last full-time enrollment may not expect studio credits to be accepted for transfer.
2. Design Studio Grading Policy
Work evaluated as “satisfactory” is graded C. Work evaluated as “more than satisfactory” is graded B. Work evaluated as “exceptional” is graded A. Work evaluated as “less than satisfactory” is graded D. Work evaluated as “failing” is graded F.
All major studios in design are sequential. A student must successfully complete studio courses with a grade of "C" or better before advancing into the next studio the following semester.
If a student receives a grade of "C-" or below in any design studio, the student is placed on academic probation by the school, regardless of overall grade-point average. To be removed from this status, the student must re-take the studio course and earn the minimum required grade of "C" or better to proceed to the next studio in the sequence.
3. Academic Misconduct
If the instructor of any course offered by the Department of Design believes that one of their students is guilty of academic misconduct in their course as defined in USRR 2.6.1, the student may be subject to the Academic Misconduct process as outlined in University Policy.
Undergraduate Student Policies
(Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design)
1. Second Year Review
After the second year, a faculty-led comprehensive review will be conducted to promote academic success. Students who perform unsatisfactorily and/or do not maintain an overall GPA of 2.5 and an average GPA of 3.0 in studio courses will be required to change their concentrations or leave the Design BFA program.
2. Minimum GPA Required to Graduate
Students must meet or exceed a minimum 2.0 KU Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) (just KU grades) and a 2.0 KU + Transfer GPA (KU and transfer grades) in order to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design from the Department of Design. Applications for graduation will be denied if the student is not in good academic standing as defined by this policy.
3. Academic Probation
A student is placed on academic probation after completing a semester at KU without a 2.0 GPA, or upon notification by the Department of Design that a student is no longer in good academic standing. For admissions purposes, students with strong portfolios may be admitted on a probationary basis if their grades or ACT scores are not strong enough.
Probation is not merely a disciplinary action-- it is meant to be a warning that something needs to change for a student to achieve their degree. We work closely with students on probation to help them identify what obstacles prohibited them from achieving their best and make strategies with them for how to improve.
4. Continued on Academic Probation
A student may be continued on academic probation if their semester GPA is above 2.00, but the cumulative GPA is less than 2.00.
5. Dismissal
Failure to raise the GPA above 2.0 in a semester while on probation may be grounds for dismissal. Students may also be dismissed by the Department of Design chair at any time for excessive absences or for failing to make progress toward the degree.
6. Good Standing
Students with KU semester and cumulative GPA's of 2.0 or above are in good academic standing.
Graduate Student Policies
(Master of Arts in Design)
1. Minimum GPA Required to Graduate
Graduate students must maintain an expected level of performance throughout their program. Students must be in good academic standing to graduate. Applications for graduation will be denied if the student is not in good academic standing as defined by this policy. Students must meet or exceed a minimum 3.0 KU Cumulative Graduation GPA in order to graduate with a Master of Arts in Design.
2. Academic Probation
A student may be placed on academic probation after completing a semester at KU without a 3.0 GPA, or upon notification by the Department of Design that a student is no longer in good academic standing. Graduate students may be placed on academic probation for failure to maintain the expected level of performance and rate of progress in a degree program.
Probation is not merely a disciplinary action-- it is meant to be a warning that something needs to change for a student to achieve their degree. We work closely with students on probation to help them identify what obstacles prohibited them from achieving their best and make strategies with them for how to improve.
3. Dismissal
Failure to raise the GPA above 3.0 in a semester while on probation may be grounds for dismissal. Students may also be dismissed by the Department of Design chair at any time for excessive absences or for failing to make progress toward the degree.
Students who have been dismissed from a graduate program may be readmitted for further graduate study at KU only by petition of the school that will accept the student.
The Vice Provost of Graduate Studies must review the petition to determine final action.
4. Good Standing
Students with KU semester and cumulative GPA's of 3.0 or above are in good academic standing.