All students enter the program as Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) art majors and share common requirements in general academics, studio foundations, and art history. To become a studio art B.F.A. major in graphic design, students must first complete the Foundations Program, take four 2000-level studio art courses, and submit a portfolio of studio work for review at the end of the sophomore year.

The graphics design area at Ohio University places emphasis on providing an understanding of the designer’s personal and social responsibility, developing the student’s capacity for critical thinking, and stimulating imagination and innovation. Understanding graphic design within a cultural context is an essential component of a designer’s education.

In the School of Art + Design, students in the graphic design area accomplish visual research in printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, painting, and photography while studying in their design studio classes. Studio classes, inside and outside the graphic design program, as well as liberal arts courses, prepare students for an immediate goal, the design practice, and a long term goal, continuing intellectual, personal, and creative growth.