The College of Arts and Humanities (CAH) at Georgia Southern University (Georgia Southern) houses the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art (BFSDoArt)—home to the Graphic Design Program. Four options are available including Art BFA and MFA degrees and Minors in Graphic Design or Graphic Communications. The BFA and MFA Programs allow students to declare a Concentration in Graphic Design. Students in all pathways have opportunities to complete projects in the Georgia Southern Arts Building, which houses several Mac computer labs, a photography studio with green screens, SLR digital cameras, and plotters and printers.
The Graphic Design BFA requires 124 credit hours of study across Art History, Studio Art, the Concentration, and Electives. Course examples include Print, Paper, Book Arts: Introduction, New Media Design, Visual Thinking in Graphic Design, 3D Animation, Typography I-II, Design Theory, Web Page Design, Graphic Design Methods, Digital Dimensions, and Professional Practices.
Although it is not a requirement, the BFA Graphic Design Internship is highly recommended. This experiential experience allows students to apply their skills and learn practices of the profession through professional experience in Graphic Design. The Internship is worth three credit hours.
In the final year of Graphic Design BFA Program at Georgia Southern University, students will complete the Graphic Design Portfolio course and Professional Portfolio. Student work will be presented to the public during an exhibition.
The Graphic Design Minor at Georgia Southern requires 18 credit hours, including nine hours of required courses and nine hours of electives. Course examples include Design Systems, Typography I-II, Visual Thinking in Graphic Design, Digital Art and Design Foundations, and New Media Design.
The Graphic Communications Minor requires 15 credit hours, including Digital Art and Design Foundations (three credits), nine credits in upper division courses, and three credits in Art courses. Course examples include Color Management and Reproduction, Selected Topics in Graphic Communications, Digital and On-Demand Publishing, Print, Paper, Book Arts: Introduction, and Planning, Finishing, and Estimating.
The MFA Program at Georgia Southern University provides students with their own private studio space to create their graduate projects and an extensive professional portfolio. Consisting of 60 credit hours, this terminal degree program includes 36 credit hours in Studio coursework. Design & Semiotics, Design of Information, Design Systems, Design Explorations, Design Activism, and Design for the User are just a few course titles.
Throughout the BFSDoArt MFA Program, students will participate in faculty reviews of their creative work. The MFA Program at Georgia Southern University culminates with the Thesis Exhibition, Support Paper, and Oral Defense of Exhibition and Paper.
Graduates of the Graphic Design Programs at Georgia Southern University are prepared to pursue positions in all areas of Art and Design across a variety of industries. Georgia Southern alumni have been hired at companies, studios, and organizations across the state of Georgia and the U.S. Examples include Amazon, Boeing, DoorDash, Kohl’s, Duke Health, United States Forest Service, Elite Resort Group, Deloitte Consulting, Cisco, Baker Hughes, Lockheed Martin, General Motors, Memorial University Medical Center, and Manhattan Associates.
Georgia Southern University is Georgia’s largest and most comprehensive center of higher education south of Atlanta. Founded in 1906, the school serves approximately 25,505 students across three state campuses including the main campus in Statesboro, the Armstrong campus in Savannah, and the Liberty campus in Hinesville. Students at Georgia Southern have access to 141 different bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs across eight colleges. Georgia Southern University is accredited by the Commission on Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).