Augusta University (AU) has several paths to study Illustration, beginning with the Art BA and the General Art BFA. Housed in the Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences’ Department of Art & Design, the programs allow students customize a focus area through studio art electives; other concentrations such as Animation, Drawing and Painting, Graphic Design, and Digital Storytelling; and/or free electives.
Across programs, students have access to courses such as Illustration: From Traditional to Digital Media; Drawing I: An Introduction to Techniques and Methods of Expression; Two-Dimensional Design; Color Experience and Theory; Painting I-V; Three-Dimensional Design; Drawing II-IV; Short Format Storytelling; Writing Short Fiction; Water-Based Media Painting; and Printmaking I-II.
The Final Project, Senior Exhibition, and Portfolio requirements for the BA and BFA programs can be Illustration-based. Other program features include opportunities to complete an internship; participation in workshops and seminars; access to state-of-the-art labs, studios, and equipment; and the AU Study Abroad Program in Greece.
Graduates of are prepared for careers in areas such as traditional publishing, film and animation, advertising, game design, children’s book publishing, cartooning, newspaper and magazine publishing, graphic novels, comic book publishing, package design, toy design, architecture, and education.
Sample job titles include Book Illustrator, Advertising Illustrator, Comic Book Illustrator, Multimedia Illustrator, Art Director, Digital Illustrator, Cartoonist, Technical Illustrator, Illustrator for Animation, TV, and Film, Storyboard Artist, Editorial Illustrator, and Freelance Illustrator.
Another program option for students interested in the growing field of Medical Illustration is the Medical Illustration Graduate Program (MIGP). Established in 1948, the MIGP is oldest graduate program at AU and one of just four programs of its kind in the U.S. Program features include hands-on learning; seminars and lectures; collaborations with peers; and participation in project critiques. Students will have also opportunities to complete an internship, and study abroad.
Course examples for the AU MIGP program include Medical Illustration techniques IA, IIA, IB, and IIB; Electronic Media I-II; Multimedia I-II; Human Gross Anatomy I-II; Surgical Observation and Sketching I-II; Medical Sculpture; and Business & Resource Management I-II.
Throughout the program, students will also explore computer technologies and digital techniques for animation, multimedia, print, and projection. Other areas explored include interactive communication media, rendering styles, and cell biology. Graduate-level science courses are housed in The Medical College of Georgia at AU.
The MIGP at Augusta University leads to a Master of Science in Medical Illustration (MSMI) granted through The Graduate School. AU is the only institution in the world to offer the MSMI. Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), the program can be completed in just 21 months, full-time.
Graduates are prepared to pursue advanced roles across the medical, scientific, publishing, legal, and entertainment industries. Program alumni have been launched their own private practices (PP) or accepted positions at a wide variety of facilities, labs, hospitals, and research centers. Examples include The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Westwood Medical Communications (PP), Cleveland Clinic, Vessel Studios (PP), Mayo Clinic, MediVisuals, Inc. (PP), Elsevier Publishing, Nucleus Medical Media (PP), Duke University School of Medicine, Microverse Studios (PP), Barrow Neurological Institute, Amicus Visual Solutions (PP), A.D.A.M. Images (PP), and iSO-FORM, LLC. (PP).
Augusta University was founded in 1828 as the Medical College of Georgia. Today, Augusta University is a public research university and medical school with locations throughout Augusta and satellite campuses in Athens, Albany, Rome, and Savannah, Georgia. The school serves approximately 10,545 students enrolled in 152 degrees and majors across ten colleges and schools. Augusta University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).