Why Elms for your Graphic Design degree?
- Cultivate your skills using state-of-the-art software and Wacom Cintiq drawing tablets.
- Connect with your professors in small class settings (5-15 students).
- Gain experience producing work for real clients through the CITS summer internship.
- Learn graphic design in the Lyons Center, a $12 million facility equipped for innovative research.
Delve into the creative and artistic side of computer technology
Graphic design is the applied art of arranging images and text to communicate a message. It may be applied in any medium, such as print or digital media, movies, animation, product decoration, packaging, and signage.
We offer courses in graphic design, web design, digital illustration, imagery for business, animation, game design, photography, and video production and editing. Our hands-on courses are taught in the CIT Lab using Wacom Cintiq drawing tablets and the state-of-the-art software. Class sizes are small, with 5 to 15 students per class. We also offer an in-house summer internship experience, where our students design graphic materials and websites for local businesses.
Taytum Bouchard ’17
“I diversified what I did within graphic design so that I didn’t limit myself on the job market.”
As valedictorian for the class of 2017, Taytum achieved great success as a graphic design and CIT double major. For her senior capstone project, she exhibited an interactive multimedia collage titled “Insert Color Here.” After graduation, she found a job as a prepress graphic designer at Pioneer Packaging in Chicopee, MA. Read Taytum’s story.
Curriculum
Click to view course requirements for the Graphic Design (B.A.).
The Graphic Design major requires 42 credits.
General Requirements
| Course # | Formerly | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| ART 1002 | ART 102 | Basic Drawing and Design (required) | 3 |
| ART 2000 | ART 200 | Color Exploration | 3 |
| CIT 1005 | CIT 105 | Cyber Culture | 3 |
| CIT 1202 | CIT 122 | Concept Design | 3 |
| GDS 1709 | GDS 179 | Introduction to Computer Graphics | 3 |
| CIT/GDS 2506 | CIT/GDS 256 | Web Design | 3 |
| GDS 2709 | GDS 279 | Digital Imagery | 3 |
| GDS 2809 | GDS 289 | Digital Graphic Design | 3 |
| GDS 3401 | GDS 341 | 2D Animation | 3 |
| GDS 3505 | GDS 355 | Digital Photography | 3 |
| GDS 3708 | GDS 378 | Computer Imagery for Industry | 3 |
| GDS 3809 | GDS 389 | Digital Illustration | 3 |
| GDS 4802 | GDS 482 | Internship | 3 |
| GDS 4809 | GDS 489 | Digital Showcase (Senior Capstone) | 3 |
| GDS elective (see below) |
Electives (3 credits)
| Course # | Formerly | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIT 2001 | CIT 201 | Technology Through Film | 3 |
| GDS 3406 | GDS 346 | Interface Design | 3 |
| GDS 3900 | GDS 390 | Digital Video | 3 |
| Any GDS or CIT course not listed above | 3 |
Click to view course requirements for the Graphic Design minor.
Graphic Design Minor Requirements (27 credits)
| Course # | Formerly | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| ART 1002 | ART 102 | Basic Drawing and Design (required) | 3 |
| ART 2000 | ART 200 | Color Exploration | 3 |
| GDS 1709 | GDS 179 | Introduction to Computer Graphics | 3 |
| CIT/GDS 2506 | CIT/GDS 256 | Web Design | 3 |
| GDS 2709 | GDS 279 | Digital Imagery | 3 |
| GDS 2809 | GDS 289 | Digital Graphic Design | 3 |
| GDS 3401 | GDS 341 | 2D Animation | 3 |
| GDS 3505 | GDS 355 | Digital Photography | 3 |
| GDS 3708 | GDS 378 | Computer Imagery for Industry | 3 |
| GDS 3809 | GDS 389 | Digital Illustration | 3 |