BFA in Graphic Design at Boston University

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design provides a sequenced studio approach to design thinking and problem solving for visual communication, preparing students to thrive in a dynamic professional environment.

First-year foundation courses introduce visual concepts in two and three dimensions. Students specialize in graphic design coursework beginning in their sophomore year. Yearlong graphic design and typography studios emphasize form and communication. Junior-level graphic design and typography studios address authorship, audience, and medium. Students are challenged to think creatively and strategically by developing content, defining an audience, and determining an optimum communication platform. Senior year culminates in a thesis project where students articulate a personally driven design methodology to examine relevant and valued topics in contemporary practice. Electives complement the core graphic design and typography studios, affording the opportunity to specialize in areas of interest and providing the essential curricular agility to navigate in a changing practice.

Faculty members work closely with students to strengthen students’ technical and conceptual abilities through both carefully defined and open-ended projects. They also serve as an entry point into professional practice through their own studio practices and professional networks. Students are expected to actively participate in the Boston-based design community through organizations like AIGA in order to cultivate their own professional networks. The Graphic Design program benefits from cross-disciplinary engagement with the College of Communication, the Questrom School of Business, Innovate@BU, the Hariri Institute for Computing, and the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, which enables the sharing of expertise and collaboration with creative individuals in various communication-driven fields.