Art & Design (B.A.)

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CONCENTRATIONS

Graphic Design

Photography

Studio Art

Art & Design (B.A.)

This major offers a comprehensive approach to studio art, photography and graphic design. Students may immerse themselves in a variety of traditional and contemporary media, taught by practicing artists with local, national and international professional experience. Learning takes place in a state-of-the-art facility that’s unmatched in the region, offering dedicated spaces for a variety of media such as ceramics, digital arts, graphic design, photography, printmaking, studio arts, video editing and woodshop.

Classes are small (usually ranging from 8-15 students), giving each student the opportunity to develop enriching educational relationships with classmates and professors. An integral part of the College of Arts & Sciences, the USF Art & Design program emphasizes the importance of blending the faculty’s professional experience with the students’ understanding of contemporary aesthetics and their development of an ambitious studio practice.

While studying Art & Design at the University of St. Francis, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the visual arts in relation to culture and history

• Be introduced to historical and contemporary artistic and design practices

• Learn in an environment that fosters critical thinking

• Use facilities that are current with industry standards

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USF offers a different approach to ‘art school’ for art-based majors.

The small student to instructor ratio allows for a close personal relationship in which the specific interests of each student are encouraged to flourish. My professors have helped me develop a personal artistic style, and have helped me to gain confidence in myself and my work. I’ve enjoyed art history, studio niches like screen printing, and I even had the opportunity to photograph and review one of my favorite musicians.

— Rachel Rivette

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH THIS DEGREE?

If you’re creative and imaginative, the sky’s the limit with a degree in art and design. The Art & Design staff at the University of St. Francis has been successful in preparing students for careers as traditional and new media artists, traditional graphic designers, web designers, commercial photographers, fine art photographers, and art teachers. With the right complementary courses, those interested in the administrative side of things could plan and organize arts-related events or work in arts management. There are many additional opportunities in fields such as media, marketing, communications, public relations and more.

GROW THROUGH REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE

Faculty members work with junior and senior students to locate and secure challenging internship opportunities— especially in the graphic design and photography fields. Student also have the opportunity to work with USF’s art gallery director to gain important curatorial and art-preparation skills, or to serve as student workers, who further develop important technical skills such as framing, matting, painting, equipment maintenance, software maintenance and more. In addition, upper level studio art majors have access to work studios that allow them to develop serious work in an environment that prepares the individual for graduate studies or to work in the fine arts industry.

ACCREDITATIONS

The University of St. Francis is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and is authorized to operate as a post-secondary institution by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (ibhe.org).