Interdisciplinary Art & Design Studies

Career potential

We live in a world of images. Web sites, magazines, films, television and public art surround us. What impulses drive us to make and desire these images? How do we understand them? What do they do? How do they make meaning in a diverse world?

While pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary arts and design studies at the University of North Texas, you will come to see images for their visual, physical, technical, social and historical value. You'll explore the social, philosophical and psychological properties of images, and you'll examine how images communicate.

This degree will help you in any career field where images are used, including public relations, film and journalism.

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 interdisciplinary art and design studies

The bachelor of arts degree in interdisciplinary art and design is a new degree program administered by the College of Visual Arts and Design (CVAD). The program will require you to complete 120 credit hours in a variety of subject matters. Within the 120 hours, you must complete a minor outside CVAD that will complement the major. Suggested minors include anthropology, journalism, history or sociology.

You will complete CVAD's core curriculum for general understanding of art, design and art history. This will be followed by courses that focus on two specific studio art and design disciplines, art history and eventually courses in other disciplines outside of CVAD. These classes will help you see images and visual communications from a different perspective.

CVAD has one of the nation's largest art programs at a public institution, and it is considered one of the best art schools in the Southwest. UNT's 90,000-square-foot Art Building includes classrooms, three computer labs, faculty offices, studios, a workshop, the UNT Art Gallery and a visual resources library.

Four other campus buildings house additional classrooms and laboratories, as well as the Texas Fashion Collection — a unique museum-quality collection of more than 15,000 garments, which is available for student study — and the Cora Stafford Gallery, which is used for exhibiting student work.

Getting hands-on experience

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.

Co-op employers pay extremely well, and the jobs usually last several semesters, often until graduation.

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, held in conjunction with university orientation for new students or during registration at the start of each semester. Freshman and transfer students can find out more about orientations by calling 940-565-4198 or by e-mailing freshmanorientation@unt.edu or transferorientation@unt.edu.

Specific questions regarding your major may be addressed to faculty members or to the academic advising staff in the College of Visual Arts and Design Student Services Office, Art Building, Room 111. Call 940-565-2216 to make an appointment.

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