The College for Creative Studies (CCS) has a STEM-designated Communication Design (CD) Program that allows students to add a 15 credit hour Minor or Business Concentration. Minor examples include Advertising Design: Digital, Creative Entrepreneurship, Entertainment Arts, Illustration, Photography, and Product Design.
Leading to a BFA and consisting of 42 to 43 credits in liberal arts and 84 credits in studio, the CD Program features research projects; opportunities to study abroad for a year or a semester in places such Paris, Australia, Germany, Mexico, and Austria; and internship opportunities at major agencies and companies such as Foote Cone & Belding, Microsoft, Urban Outfitters, Reebok, FUSE, Whirlpool, Quicksilver, and Chrysler.
Course examples for the program include Motion Essentials, User Interface Design (UI), Performative Spaces, Typography I-III, 2D & 3D Integrated Design Studio, User Experience (UX) Design, Advanced Communication Design, Concepts & Methods/Visual Culture, Professional Studio Practice I-II, and Business Practices.
With one of the highest employment rates in the country, CCS Communication Design graduates are working in industries such as advertising, book publishing, public relations, marketing, magazine and newspaper publishing, retail, manufacturing, industrial design, and entertainment. They hold titles such as Graphic Designer, User Experience and User Interface Designer (UX/UI), Brand Manager, Visual Digital Designer, Creative Director, Branding/Identity Designer, Design Strategist, Digital Content Manager, and App Designer.
College for Creative Studies alumni have been hired at major companies such as Apple, Google, Adidas, General Motors, Wieden + Kennedy, Adobe, Razorfish, Buzzfeed, eBay, Carhartt, Ford Motor Co., Microsoft, Mercedes Benz, Converse, Nokia, Facebook, IDEO, Lego, Moosejaw, Nike, Herman Miller, Rivian, and Whirlpool. Some program graduates have launched their own design studios in places such as Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and The Netherlands.
Founded in 1906 as the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts, College for Creative Studies is a private, nonprofit institution that serves more than 1,400 students enrolled in 23 art and design programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. CCS is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and it is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).