Design, Bachelor of Arts College of Letters & Science
The Department of Design offers a creative, challenging, and flexible approach to the study of design with emphasis on socially responsible, human centered, and sustainable practice.
The Program
Foundation courses: Introduction to Design; Design Drawing or Drafting and Perspective, Form & Color, and Graphic Design & Computer Technology; and one class in Design History/Theory/Criticism from the DES 040 series; are required of all design majors. Additional coursework in the student's area of interest is required for the Preparatory Subject Matter. Depth Subject Matter courses provide: (1) further exploration of design principles and conceptual, formal and technical issues; (2) conceptual and critical development through a series of history and theory classes; (3) in-depth studio experience with projects that demonstrate a research-based, iterative design process. Optional capstone class. A more detailed explanation is available through the Design Advising office in 101 Art Building; 530-752-0890.
Portfolios
Portfolios are not required for admission to the major. However, it is highly recommended that design students maintain an updated portfolio of work for faculty and professional evaluation and consideration for enrollment in specialized courses, including independent study, group study and internship.
Internships, Careers, & Study Abroad
Design students are encouraged to supplement their coursework with internships in design firms, museums, and design-related businesses. Design graduates go directly from this program into further graduate study, or professional work including exhibition, fashion, information, interior architecture & product (lighting & furniture), textiles, visual communications (digital, environmental & print), and sustainable design. In addition, students have become entrepreneurs through freelance and commissioned work in many related areas. The Department of Design encourages students to experience design education abroad through a variety of sponsored programs.
The major requirements below are in addition to meeting University Degree Requirements & College Degree Requirements; unless otherwise noted. The minimum number of units required for the Design Bachelor of Arts is 68.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Preparatory Subject Matter | ||
| Design | ||
| DES 001 | Introduction to Design (Fall Only) | 4 |
| DES 014 | Design Drawing | 4 |
| or DES 021 | Drafting & Perspective | |
| DES 015 | Form & Color | 4 |
| DES 016 | Graphic Design & Computer Technology | 4 |
| University Writing Program | ||
| Choose one: | 4 | |
| Popular Science & Technology Writing | ||
| Writing & Visual Rhetoric (Preferred) | ||
| Style in the Essay | ||
| Writing Research Papers | ||
| Choose one: | 4 | |
| Energy, Materials, & Design Over Time | ||
| Ideologies of Design | ||
| Design for Aesthetics & Experience | ||
| Designed Geographies: Environment, Containment, Sanctuary | ||
| Choose one: | 4 | |
| Beginning Video | ||
| Drafting & Perspective (Can only be used for this requirement if not counted above.) | ||
| Energy, Materials, & Design Over Time (Can only be used for this requirement if not counted above.) | ||
| Ideologies of Design (Can only be used for this requirement if not counted above.) | ||
| Design for Aesthetics & Experience (Can only be used for this requirement if not counted above.) | ||
| Designed Geographies: Environment, Containment, Sanctuary (Can only be used for this requirement if not counted above.) | ||
| Introduction to Three-Dimensional Design | ||
| Computer-Assisted Drawing for Designers | ||
| Introduction to Textile Design Structures | ||
| Introduction to Structural Design for Fashion | ||
| Preparatory Subject Matter Subtotal | 28 | |
| Depth Subject Matter | ||
| List A: | ||
| Choose three from list A: | 12 | |
| Methods of Art History | ||
| Understanding Museum Practices | ||
| Exhibition Practicum | ||
| Cultural History of Museums | ||
| Art, Architecture, & Human Rights | ||
| Sex & Space | ||
| Politics of Public Art | ||
| The Museum in the Age of Spectacle | ||
| Landscape, Nature, & Art | ||
| Theory & Criticism: Painting & Sculpture | ||
| Arts of Subsaharan Africa | ||
| Arts of the Ancient New World | ||
| Arts of Oceania & Prehistoric Europe | ||
| Hindu Gods & Hindu Symbols | ||
| The Hindu Temple | ||
| The Islamic City | ||
| Arts of the Islamic Book | ||
| Buddhist Art | ||
| Popular Religious Art in India | ||
| Early Chinese Art | ||
| Chinese Painting | ||
| Early Modern Chinese Painting | ||
| Art from China 1900 to the Present | ||
| The Arts of Japan | ||
| Great Cities | ||
| Early Greek Art & Architecture | ||
| Later Greek Art & Architecture | ||
| Roman Art & Architecture | ||
| Architecture & Urbanism in Mediterranean Antiquity | ||
| 20th-Century Architecture | ||
| Roman Art & Architecture | ||
| Architecture & Urbanism in Mediterranean Antiquity | ||
| Art of the Middle Ages: Early Christian & Byzantine Art | ||
| Art of the Middle Ages: Early Medieval & Romanesque Art | ||
| Art of the Middle Ages: Gothic | ||
| Northern Renaissance Art | ||
| Early Italian Renaissance Art & Architecture | ||
| High & Late Italian Renaissance Art & Architecture | ||
| Baroque Art | ||
| Arts of the Rococo | ||
| Latin American Art & Architecture | ||
| British Art & Culture (1750-1900) | ||
| Art in the Age of Revolution, 1750-1850 | ||
| Impressionism & Post-Impressionism: Manet to 1900 | ||
| Modernism in France, 1880-1940 | ||
| 20th-Century Architecture | ||
| Avant-Gardism & its Aftermath, 1917-1960 | ||
| Contemporary Art 1960-Present | ||
| Contemporary Architecture | ||
| The American Home | ||
| Architecture of the United States | ||
| American Art to 1910 | ||
| Photography in History | ||
| Sustainable Design | ||
| Biodesign Theory & Practice: Biodesign Challenge Part I | ||
| Materials & Methods in Interior Design | ||
| Cultural Studies of Fashion | ||
| World Textiles: Eastern Hemisphere | ||
| World Textiles: Western Hemisphere | ||
| History of Fashion | ||
| History of Interior Architecture | ||
| History of Visual Communication | ||
| Mobilities | ||
| Trend Research & Forecasting in Design | ||
or DES 148V | Trend Research & Forecasting in Design | |
| Information Design: Principles & Practice | ||
| Theatre on Film | ||
| Design on Screen | ||
| American Theatre & Drama | ||
| Representing Race in Performance | ||
CDM 155 | (Pending Approval) | |
CDM 159 | (Pending Approval) | |
| Introduction to Documentary Studies | ||
| Media Subcultures | ||
| Choose five from lists B & C; one may be a non-Design (DES) course: | 20 | |
| List B: | ||
| Advanced Structural Design for Fashion | ||
| Coding for Designers | ||
| UI/UX Design: Principles & Practices | ||
| Photography & Digital Imaging | ||
| Letterforms & Typography | ||
| Visual Communication: Graphic Design Studio | ||
| Interactive Media I | ||
| Design Ethnography | ||
| Studio Practice in Sustainable Design | ||
| Biodesign Experimentation & Prototyping: Biodesign Challenge Part II | ||
| Global Fashion & Product Design | ||
| Textile Design: Woven Structures | ||
DES 132B | (Discontinued) | |
| Introduction to Interior Design–Residential | ||
| Introduction to Interior Design–Commercial & Technical Spaces | ||
| Furniture Design & Detailing | ||
| Furniture Design & Prototyping | ||
| Lighting Technology & Design | ||
| Designing with Light–Industrial Design | ||
| Daylighting & Interior Design | ||
| Daylighting Design Studio | ||
| Computer-Assisted Presentations for Interior Architecture | ||
| Type in Motion | ||
| Pattern, Form & Surface | ||
| Graphitecture: Architecture in the Age of New Media | ||
| Interactive Media II | ||
| Data & Large-Scale Installation | ||
| Textile Surface Design: Patterns & Resists | ||
| Textile Surface Design: Screen & Digital Printing | ||
| Studio Practices in Industrial Design | ||
| Human Centered Design | ||
| Prototyping: From Objects to Systems | ||
| Interactive Objects | ||
| Textile Soft Product Design | ||
| Experimental Fashion & Textile Design | ||
| Fashion Drawing: Technical & Illustration | ||
| Functional Apparel Design | ||
| Computer-Assisted Fashion Design | ||
| Design & Wearable Technology | ||
| Advanced Interior Design: Institutional Spaces | ||
| Exhibition Design | ||
| Environmental Graphic Design | ||
| Workshops in Design | ||
| Workshops in Design | ||
| Workshops in Design | ||
| Workshops in Design | ||
| One from the following approved list may count: | ||
| Intermediate Photography: Black & White Analog | ||
| Intermediate Photography: Digital Imaging | ||
| Interdisciplinary Art | ||
| Intermediate Video: Animation | ||
| Experimental Digital Cinema I | ||
| Documentary Production | ||
| Advanced Sound: Performance & Improvisation | ||
| Fundamentals of Computer Graphics | ||
| Character Animation | ||
| Chicana/o Voice/Poster Silk Screen Workshop | ||
| Principles of Theatrical Design: Scenery | ||
| Principles of Theatrical Design: Scenery | ||
| Principles of Theatrical Design: Lighting | ||
| Principles of Theatrical Design: Costume | ||
| Costume Design for Film | ||
| Principles of Theatre Sound | ||
| Approaches to Theatrical Design: Practice & Theory | ||
| Media Theatre | ||
| Community Participation & Design | ||
| List C: | ||
| Capstone Course Option; these courses are the most advanced in the major and prerequisites are strictly enforced: | ||
| Visual Communication: Message Campaign Design | ||
| Design for Understanding | ||
| Interactive Media III | ||
| Fashion Design: Signature Collection | ||
| Advanced Interior Architecture | ||
| Narrative Environments | ||
| Choose two from list A, B, or C that have not been previously counted. | 8 | |
| Note: Substitutions for the listed courses may be allowed under certain circumstances with prior departmental approval. | ||
| Depth Subject Matter Subtotal | 40 | |
| Total Units | 68 | |