Minor in Design
Our Minor in Design complements students' major area(s) of study through the development of core skills in visual literacy, design thinking, and creative problem-solving.
Admission Requirements:
In order to qualify for admission to the Minor in Design, the interested student must hold a KU Cumulative Graduation GPA (just KU grades) of at least a 2.0. A portfolio is not prerequisite for admission to the Minor in Design.
Application Link & Deadline:
In order to be considered for admission to the Minor in Design, students will need to submit this application webform. Successful applications received by August 1 will grant admission for the immediately-following fall semester. Successful applications received by January 1 will grant admission for the immediately-following spring semester. Applications received from students who don't meet the GPA requirement listed above will be denied.
Total Required Credit Hours, 300+ Level (Jr/Sr) Credit Hours:
The minor consists of at least 20 credit hours, 12 credit hours must be completed at the 300+ level (Jr/Sr level).
Residency Requirements:
At least 9 credit hours of courses required for the minor must be completed at KU.
GPA Requirements:
A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required across all courses taken for the minor.
Specific Course Requirements:
Admission is prerequisite to enrolling in all courses for the minor except ADS 320. PHTO 101, PHTO 200, and PHTO 210 are also available as studio elective options prior to admission.
Design Studies: (12 credit hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ADS 320 | KU Design Professional Lecture Series (1 credit hour per semester for 3 semesters) | 3 |
| ADS 300 | Foundations in Interaction Design | 3 |
| or IXD 302 | Fundamentals in UI/UX Design | |
| or ADS 325 | Design Thinking | |
| ADS 340 | History of Design | 3 |
| ADS 401 | Design Ethics | 3 |
| or ADS 402 | Visual Culture | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Required Elective: (8 credit hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| VISC 301 | Principles of Graphic Design (Admission into the Design Minor Required) | 4 |
| BDS 101 | Design Thinking and Making (Instructor permission required to enroll) | 4 |
| BDS 103 | Drawing for Design (Instructor permission required to enroll) | 4 |
| ANIM 200 | Introduction to Animation (Instructor permission required to enroll) | 4 |
| ILLU 200 | Introduction to Image Making (Instructor permission required to enroll) | 4 |
| INDD 200 | Introduction to Industrial Design (Instructor permission required to enroll) | 4 |
| IXD 101 | Introduction to Digital Design (Instructor permission required to enroll) | 4 |
| PHTO 101 | Fundamentals of Photography (Instructor permission not required) | 3 |
| PHTO 200 | Foundations in Photography: Digital (Instructor permission not required) | 4 |
| VISC 101 | Introduction to Visual Communication Design (Instructor permission required to enroll) | 4 |
| VISC 200 | Introduction to Visual Communication Design (Instructor permission required to enroll) | 4 |
| Any ANIM course pending instructor permission to enroll | 4 | |
| Any ILLU course pending instructor permission to enroll | 4 | |
| Any INDD course pending instructor permission to enroll | 4 | |
| Any IXD course pending instructor permission to enroll | 4 | |
| Any PHTO course pending instructor permission to enroll | 4 | |
| Any VISC course pending instructor permission to enroll | 4 | |
Notes:
- The Department of Design may approve substitutions to these course requirements in rare cases. For instance, a student who leaves studies in one of our majors may be allowed to substitute other Department of Design coursework in place of certain requirements of the Design Minor at the discretion of the department.
- Students may enroll in ADS 320 (KU Design Lecture Series), PHTO 101 (Fundamentals of Photography), and/or PHTO 200 (Foundations in Photography) without prior admission to the Minor in Design. Admission to the minor is prerequisite to enrollment in all other courses required for the Minor in Design.
- Admission to the Minor in Design does not guarantee enrollment in courses required for the minor. Space in required courses is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Department of Design works carefully to build in capacity for our major and minor students to take their required courses, though we're unable to guarantee accommodation for all possible students in every semester.
- For courses which require instructor permission to enroll, students should email the instructor listed for the section in which they'd like to enroll to request permission. Information about available sections and listed instructors is available on classes.ku.edu. Enrollment into such courses is not guaranteed.
- Students whose primary interest is Photography should consider our Minor in Photography!
Questions?
For assistance with enrollment planning, please schedule an appointment with your academic advisor.
For assistance with questions regarding the Minor in Design curriculum, course availability, or other questions about the program, please contact the Department of Design Chair.