The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at University of Arkansas (U of A) is home to the School of Art, which houses a Graphic Design (GDSB) BFA Program with traditional, eight-semester, and honors options. Launched in 2016 and requiring 120 credit hours of study, the GDSB Program explores branding, typography, interactivity, and design research, long with the latest industry software and techniques used to create designs.
The GDSB BFA Program at University of Arkansas consists of courses such as Studio Foundation I-II, Typographic Systems 1-3, Human Centered Design, Technology in Context, Design Tools and Concepts, User Experience, Interactive Language, Identity Systems 1-2, Art History Survey, and Professional Development Seminar. Students may participate in the Internship Program, and the BFA Degree Project (Capstone) is required to graduate.
Graduates of the Graphic Design BFA Program at U of A have completed internships or currently work for companies and organizations such as Saatchi & Saatchi X, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Olivet, Rockfish, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Acumen Brands, J.B. Hunt, DOXA, Hayseed Ventures, Elkins Design, Collective Bias, Field Agent, Archetype, RevUnit, and BLKBox Labs.
For students seeking a graduate degree, the School of Art has an MDes Program with a Communication Design Concentration. This 60 credit-hour program requires 33 credits in Graduate Studios, 12 in Graduate Seminars, and nine in Graduate Special Topics. Course examples include Design and Technology, Design Theory: Past, Present, and the Future, Design and Communities, Design Pedagogy and Leadership, Design and Culture, and Design Research Methods.
Graduates of the MDes Program at University of Arkansas are prepared for leadership positions in all areas of Communication Design and for academic positions at design schools, colleges, and universities.
Established in 1871 as the first public university in Arkansas, University of Arkansas is among just three percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. The school serves approximately 30,935 students, which also makes it Arkansas’s largest university. U of A provides more than 240 academic programs at the undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and specialist levels across 10 colleges and schools. University of Arkansas is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).