Communication Design

Career potential

The University of North Texas' College of Visual Arts and Design is one of the nation's most comprehensive visual arts schools at a public university, and it is considered one of the best in the Southwest. The college's programs are grouped into three departments: art education/art history, design and studio. Communication design is in the design department.

The communication design program is highly competitive. It received the Best School award at the 1995, 1996, 2003, 2006 and 2008 Dallas Society of Visual Communications national student design competition. Each year from 1995 through 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008, a UNT student has won the "Top Portfolio" award at this competition.

Student and alumni work is published annually in national publications such as Communication Art, Graphics and Print, and student and alumni works have consistently won awards from their reviewers since the early 1990s. Alumni hold positions at national corporations such as Fossil, Neiman Marcus, Pentagram-New York and Nike.

As a communication design major, you will assemble a professional portfolio of work to submit to potential employers before completing your degree.

Majoring in communication design can lead to a career in many different fields. You may use your creative, aesthetic and technical skills to create visual communication pieces that are used by companies and organizations to sell products and services, or to present information in a memorable and meaningful way. As a communication designer, you could create everything from packaging pieces and web sites to advertisements, magazine covers and story layouts.

Majoring in communication design can prepare you to become a graphic designer, a creative director or an art director in an advertising or public relations firm or design consultancy. You may also become a publication designer for a newspaper or magazine or an interactive media designer who designs or manages web sites.

An advanced degree is not required for the profession, but you will need a master of fine arts degree to teach communication design at the college level.

UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies, and interview preparation.

Majoring in communication design

To enter the communication design program, you must complete Design I, Drawing I and II, and Art Appreciation. Admission to the program is through the Communication Design Entry Portfolio Review. The requirements are updated annually and are available at www.art.unt.edu by navigating to the communication design program page from the academic programs link.

Additional portfolio reviews will be conducted to determine if you may continue in the program, and a senior exit review is required before graduation. All portfolios are reviewed by the communication design faculty.

As a communication design major, you will take courses in graphic design, art direction, design thinking, typography, linear design and non-linear design, art history, photography, and computer applications. The design courses are sequential in nature. It is not advisable for you to complete your core curriculum beyond the fall semester of your freshman year before coming to UNT.

Communication design courses are taught by faculty members who have worked as creative directors, art directors or graphic artists for various design firms. The Dallas Society of Visual Communications named one of our faculty members an "Outstanding Design Educator" in 2000 and 2005. One faculty member was named a "Top Prof" by UNT's chapter of Mortar Board, a senior honor society.

Scholarships are available for students studying communication design or in one of UNT's other art programs.

The College of Visual Arts and Design is housed in five buildings, which include classrooms, computer labs, faculty offices, studios, a workshop and a visual resources library. Artwork is displayed in the UNT Art Gallery and the Cora Stafford Gallery.

Getting hands-on experience

UNT is within easy commuting distance of Dallas and Fort Worth, where major art museums, galleries, the Dallas Apparel Mart and numerous advertising and interior design businesses provide valuable resources and experiences for you. Dallas and Fort Worth design studios regularly seek interns from the communication design program. Junior- and senior-level students may be approved for placement in the internship program, in which students earn college credit while working with practicing designers.

Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through UNT's Cooperative Education and Internships office. You may earn academic credit and money and gain valuable work experience.

More than 1,800 employers work with the office to provide excellent learning opportunities, many of which become permanent full-time positions upon graduation. The office also assists with placing students in internships, which last for one full semester or summer.

Preparing for UNT

If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• English … 4 years
• Math … 4 years
• Social science — economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Science … 3 years
• Foreign language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.

As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor/ advisor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

Charting your path with academic advising

You must attend an orientation to the College of Visual Arts and Design, which is held at about the same time as university orientation for new students or during registration at the start of each semester. Check with the university admissions office for a schedule of freshman and transfer student orientations.

Faculty members serve as the primary advisors to students. The College of Visual Arts and Design Student Services Office is in the Art Building, Room 111.

Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the current catalog.