Program Overview
The Graphic Design program at Drake fosters students’ creative and intellectual development, encouraging them to explore new ideas and discover career opportunities within the context of a liberal arts degree. Emphasizing critical thinking, visual literacy, and exploratory design processes, the program invites students to explore how design shapes and is shaped by cultural, social, and historical forces. in design. Through a balance of studio-based inquiry, design history and theory, and interdisciplinary engagement, students gain foundational skills in visual communication while developing an individualized perspective on design practice. The curriculum promotes broad exposure to ideas and methods across the arts and sciences, preparing students for diverse academic, civic, and professional pathways involving design.
B.A. Degree Requirements
The Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design is situated firmly within the liberal arts tradition, offering students a flexible, interdisciplinary curriculum that supports wide-ranging inquiry. The degree emphasizes the exploration of design through studio practice, visual and material analysis, and historical and theoretical perspectives. Foundational coursework in drawing, design principles, and art history provides a basis for more advanced studies in graphic design. The program structure is intentionally flexible; it can, in most cases, accommodate a double major or dual-degree program, making it especially well suited for students with intersecting academic interests. The program culminates in ART 191 DESIGN PRACTICUM, where students reflect on their academic experience and develop an identity system that articulates a personal approach to design. This capstone encourages students to synthesize skills and ideas from across their studies in preparation for continued growth in design-related or interdisciplinary fields
Students pursuing the BA in Graphic Design must complete a minimum of 66 credit hours in general studies, including the Drake Curriculum and any combination of a second major, minors, or non-“ART” academic electives.
In addition to requirements for all undergraduate degrees, which can be found in the Graduation Requirements area of the catalog, Art and Design students must meet the following requirements:
A student is placed on probation if either the cumulative grade-point average or the average in Department of Art and Design courses falls below 2.00 (a "C" average) during any semester in which a student has earned less than 30 total credit hours. A student may be placed on probation for failing to meet the University’s standards for satisfactory progress toward completion of degree requirements.
To continue progress toward a Department of Art and Design degree, a student must have at least a 2.5 cumulative grade-point average and a 2.5 GPA in the Department of Art and Design courses at the end of the academic term in which the student completes the 30th credit hour. For transfer students, the 30th-hour GPA must be based upon at least 15 credit hours earned at Drake. Students who achieve the 2.5 GPA at the 30th-hour level are placed on probation if their GPAs fall below 2.5 in a subsequent semester. If the GPA is not raised to 2.5 or better after the probationary semester, the student may not continue in the Department of Art and Design or re-enroll later.
In addition to programmatic requirements, students are responsible for satisfying all requirements of the Drake Curriculum, including Areas of Inquiry (AOI).
Student must also satisfy university graduation requirements for all undergraduate students.