Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) Major in Communication Design

Minimum required: 120 semester credit hours

Admission Requirements

  1. The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree with a major in Communication Design requires admission to the university and admission to the program.
  2. All applicants who indicate Communication Design as their preferred major will be assigned a temporary status code of Pre-Communication Design.

Freshman Students 

In addition to meeting Texas State’s general admission criteria, all students intending to major in Communication Design must pass ARTC 2000, earn a minimum grade of C in ARTC 1301 and ARTC 1302, and have a minimum Overall GPA of 2.25 to be admitted into the program. Admission Portfolio Review is a formal review of creative work exclusively from ARTC 1301 and ARTC 1302, conducted by Communication Design faculty, using the following rubric. A score of 68% or above is required to pass the portfolio review. Native and transfer students will register for ARTC 2000 during the earliest semester in which they will meet all eligibility requirements. Students who do not pass ARTC 2000 may register for a future review, but will be allowed only one more attempt. Pre-Communication Design majors will not be permitted to enroll in 2000 – 4000 level Communication Design courses until they have met all requirements and have been formally admitted to the program. Requirements for admission to the Communication Design program are:

​Transfer Students

Transfer applicants may choose to submit a portfolio for admission and placement in the program, provided they meet program academic requirements. Based on the results of the review, transfer students may be exempt from the Admission Portfolio Review and be placed in the appropriate level of Communication Design classes.

General Requirements

  1. The major follows a sequenced curriculum that requires a minimum two-year residency at Texas State. 
  2. All Communication Design (ARTC) courses must be completed at Texas State.
  3. A minimum of 120 hours is required in this degree program including:

         a) US 1100. Check with your Academic Advisor prior to enrolling in this course because it is not required for all students.

         b) 42 hours in the General Education Core Curriculum. The general education core curriculum courses are listed in the degree plan below along with the statewide component code number. See the General Education Core Curriculum section of this catalog for the Texas State requirements and options in the core curriculum, including Honors courses.

         c) 77 hours in the major.

      4.  All course requirements must be met.

      5.  All general graduation requirements must be met.

      6.  A minimum 2.25 Major GPA is required for graduation.

      7.  It is recommended that students take 15 credit hours each semester. Students who are required to take US 1100 will enroll in 16 hours in the first semester.

     8.  ARTC 4200/ ARTC 4300 must be taken concurrently with ARTC 4315.

     9.  The required/sequenced ARTC courses, including ARTC 4200/ARTC 4300 and ARTC 4315, are not offered in the summer.

     10.  To meet degree requirements in four years:

         a) Complete ART 1301,  ART 1303, ARTC 1301 and ARTC 1302 during the freshman year;

         b) Meet all admission requirements, no later than the first semester of the Sophomore year;

         d) Complete a minimum of 30 hours of coursework per academic year.

Course Requirements

Freshman
Fall SemesterHoursSpring SemesterHours
ART 1301 (TCCN ARTS 1311)3ART 1303 (TCCN ARTS 2348)3
ARTC 13013ARTC 13023
ARTH 2301 (Component Area Option Code 050 or 095 [TCCN ARTS 1304])3ARTC 20000
ENG 13103ENG 1320 (Communication Component Code 010 [TCCN ENGL 1302])3
Mathematics Component Code 0203ARTH 2302 (Component Area Option Code 050 or 095 [TCCN ARTS 1304])3
US 110011American History Component Code 0603
 16 15
Sophomore
Fall SemesterHoursSpring SemesterHours
ARTC 23033ARTC 33203
ARTC 23043ARTC 33013
ARTC 33073ARTC 43083
American History Component Code 0603ARTH 33163
Open Elective3SOCI 1310 (Component Code 080 (TCCN: SOCI 1301))3
 15 15
Junior
Fall SemesterHoursSpring SemesterHours
3000/4000- level ARTC courses63000/4000-level ARTC courses6
Art Studio Elective3Art Studio Elective3
PHIL 1320 (Component Code 050 (TCCN: HUMA 1315))33D Studio Art3
Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 0303POSI 2310 (Component Code 070)3
 15 15
Senior
Fall SemesterHoursSpring SemesterHours
ARTC 43503ARTC 4200 or 430022
3000/4000-level ARTC course3ARTC 43153
Advanced Art Studio Elective3Open Elective3
Art Studio Elective3POSI 23203
Component Area Option Code 090/091/0943Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 0303
 15 14
Total Hours: 120
1

To complete the minimum 120 hours required for this degree program, students who are not required to take US 1100 and who do not have credit for open elective hours, will need to make up that 1 hour of credit by taking ARTC 4300 in their final semester. Only students who are in a PACE Cohort are required to take US 1100.

2

ARTC 4200 is a 2-hour course and ARTC 4300 is a 3-hour course. Speak with your Academic Advisor prior to junior year if you will need to take more than 14 hours of coursework during the final semester.

Course Options

Choose 5 ARTC Courses from: 3000-level and 4000-level ARTC courses which are not otherwise required in the major. Co-requisites and/or prerequisites will not be waived.
Choose 1 course in 3D Studio Art from the following:
ARTS 2311
Beginning Ceramics
ARTS 2341
Beginning Metals
ARTS 2381
Beginning Sculpture
ARTS 4341
Digital Fabrication
Choose 1 Advanced Art Elective from:
3000-level or 4000-level ARTC, ARTH, ARTS, or ARTT courses which are not otherwise required in the major.
Transfer courses that are evaluated as Advanced Electives (ELADV) in ARTC, ARTH, ARTS and/or ARTT will meet this requirement.
Co-requisites and/or prerequisites will not be waived.