The visual communications program prepares students for careers in the print, web, and digital media design fields.
Talk with your advisor about adapting the first year course sequence for your individual goals. You must apply and be admitted into the program to take the second year courses. Second year program courses must be taken in sequence. A limited number of part-time spots is available.
Scroll to the end for the list of electives.
Year 1
Quarter 1 (11 or 15 credits)
ART 112 Drawing I (3 or 5 credits)
ART 115 2D design (3 or 5 credits)
or ART 116 3D design (3 or 5 credits)
ENGL& 101 English composition I (5 credits)
Career exploration:
- Find your people! Attend area-of-study activities and connect with clubs related to your career goals. Find out where students in your pathway go to study.
- Start keeping a portfolio of your best work. Ask your art instructors for tips.
- Explore the Inspiration links at aiga.org
- Visit museums with design and art exhibits.
Action items:
- Meet with your advisor to build your degree plan in Starfish.
- Have your transfer-in credits evaluated.
- Meet with the visual communications faculty lead for information about the program.
- Visit the Intercultural Center, the Learning Center and the library.
Quarter 2 (13 or 15 credits)
ART& 100 Art appreciation (3 or 5 credits)
or ART 114 History of graphic design (5 credits)
or ART 205 Western art from 18th to 20th century (3 or 5 credits)
or ART 215 Western art from World War II to the present (3 or 5 credits)
ART 185 Introduction to visual communications (5 credits)
BUS 100 Business math (5 credits)
or CS& 141 Computer science I - Java (5 credits)
or IDS 112 Ethno mathematics (5 credits)
or IDS 113 Quantitative methods in the social sciences (5 credits)
or PHIL& 117 Traditional logic (5 credits)
or Any course designated as Computation on the Related Instruction list (CP) (5 credits)
Career exploration:
- Watch films or listen to podcasts about design, designers, illustrators, print production, advertising, typography, and marketing.
- Explore the resources on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page under the Membership & Community menu at aiga.org.
- Visit the Learning Center to work the tutors in visual communications or other topics if needed.
Action items:
- Collect and refine previous work or create new work for the portfolio you'll submit in April as part of your program application.
- Verify that you'll have completed these four prerequisites for the visual communications program before Year 2 starts:
- ART 112
- ART 115 or ART 116
- ART& 100, ART 114, ART 205, or ART 215
- ART 185
- Apply for next year's financial aid.
Quarter 3 (8 - 14 credits)
ANTH& 206 Cultural anthropology (5 credits)
or PSYC& 100 General psychology (5 credits)
or SOC& 101 Intro to sociology (5 credits)
or Any CMST or CMST& course with "OC" at the end of the course description (5 credits)
Electives See below for options (3 to 9 credits)
Take the number of elective credits you need so that your 100- and 200-level credits, not including the Year 2 VISCM courses, will add up to at least 38 credits.
Career exploration:
- Choose electives that support your career goals.
Action items:
- Turn in your visual communications program application form, fee, and portfolio in early April of your first year for admission into VISCM classes in your second year.
Year 2
Fall quarter (13 credits)
VISCM 240 Typography (3 credits)
VISCM 260 Vector illustration (5 credits)
VISCM 262 Advanced digital imaging (5 credits)
Career exploration:
- Using job search posting, consider design employment possibilities and research the kind of education and experience that is required for an entry-level position.
- Follow design related entities on social media.
- Research general strategies for time management.
Action items:
- Check in with the visual communications faculty lead.
- If transferring courses that are not direct transfer courses to WCC arrange any needed course substitution forms with the visual communications faculty lead.
Winter quarter (15 credits)
VISCM 250 Layout & publication design I (5 credits)
VISCM 270 Print production and prepress (5 credits)
VISCM 280 Web design and authoring I (5 credits)
Career exploration:
- Volunteer for simple design projects for family and/or friends to find opportunities to use and develop your design skills.
- Explore any readily available design industry connections to identify and reach out to possible mentors in the profession.
Action items:
- Refine and archive design projects from fall quarter.
Spring quarter (15 credits)
VISCM 251 Layout & publication design II (5 credits)
VISCM 282 Web design and authoring I (5 credits)
VISCM 286 Video production for the web (5 credits)
Career exploration:
- Volunteer for simple design projects for small non-profit organizations to find opportunities to use and develop your design skills.
- Cultivate opportunities to build work experience through work study or part-time design industry related work.
Action items:
- Apply to graduate.
- Refine and archive design projects from winter quarter.
- Decide to take either Design Lab or Internship in summer in consultation with the visual communications faculty lead.
Summer quarter (9 credits)
VISCM 192 Design lab (2 credits)
or VISCM 190 Visual communications internship (2 credits)
VISCM 284 Web content management systems (5 credits)
VISCM 292 Portfolio/professional practices (2 credits)
Career exploration:
- Most of summer quarter is spent preparing to search for a job or start a freelance business - resumes and portfolio (print and web versions) will be completed.
- Identify references, collect contact information, and solicit letters to prepare for transition after graduation.
- Consider opportunities for further design specialization and/or enhance your capabilities through self-study and/or further education.
Action items:
- Refine and archive design projects from spring quarter.
- If looking for employment after graduation, begin job search prior to the end of the quarter.
- If your intention is to freelance, begin the process of setting up a small business.
- Graduate!
Electives
Note: If you took a course from this list as a prerequisite for the VISCM program, it cannot also count as an elective.
- ART& 100 Art appreciation (3 or 5 credits)
- ART 114 History of graphic design (5 credits)
- ART 118 Mixed media/collage (5 credits)
- ART 123 Water based media (3 or 5 credits)
- ART 134 The art of color (3 or 5 credits)
- ART 175 Printmaking: relief and monotype (3 or 5 credits)
- ART 179 2D animation (5 credits)
- ART 187 Computer art (3 or 5 credits)
- ART 200 Figure drawing I (3 or 5 credits)
- ART 205 Western art from 18th to mid-20th century (3 or 5 credits)
- ART 215 Art from WWII to the present (3 or 5 credits)
- ART 221 Painting (3 or 5 credits)
- BTEC 101 Intro to business computing (5 credits)
- BTEC 121 Word processing I (3 credits)
- BTEC 122 Business document design (5 credits)
- BTEC 161 Database management I (3 credits)
- BTEC 181 Intro to presentation software (3 credits)
- BUS 108 Principles of marketing (5 credits)
- BUS 190 Business internship (3 to 5 credits)
- CIS 105 Computer operating systems I (4 credits)
- CIS 205 Operating systems II (5 credits)
- CS 120 HTML fundamentals (5 credits)
- FILM 101 Intro to film (3 or 5 credits)
- IDS 170 Intro to sustainability (5 credits)
- IDS 180 Visual media and culture (5 credits)
- PHIL& 115 Critical thinking (3 or 5 credits)
- VISCM 190 Visual communications internship (3 to 5 credits)
Take internship credits close to the end of the program. Internship counts as either a core course or an elective, but not both. You must have at least a 2.5 GPA in program courses.
