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Undergraduate Graphic Design

The Graphic Design major is a liberal arts program that prepares students to enter the workforce by teaching a balance of technical skill and creative expression. You will gain real-world work experience through opportunities such as work-study jobs on campus and internships with community organizations and companies of all sizes in the Madison area. Students finish their studies with a portfolio development and internship course to further prepare them to enter work in the graphic design industry.

Small classes in which faculty provide individual attention to students, and students work closely with their peers.
A broad skills-based foundation so that you can find your niche in this ever-evolving field.
All Graphic Design students complete at least one internship experience, during which they are mentored by a member of the Graphic Design faculty.

Students prepare professional-quality portfolios for their senior presentations, and are able to use these when applying for work in the field.
Faculty are practicing artists with diverse professional experience in the design industry.
Graphic Design majors take valuable courses that provide skills needed in this field, including digital art and design, video, layout, typography, web design, and coding, along with courses in drawing, painting, photography, and art history.

Graduates have pursued internships and employment in the graphic design field in the Madison area as well as in Chicago and New York. Our graduates work for advertising and design agencies, non-profit community organizations, and small to large companies that include fashion, supermarkets, and technology. Their roles include graphic designer, photo re-toucher, usability designer, environmental graphic designer, and freelance photographer, and other graphic design-related positions.

I always went to big schools, I graduated high school with 900 people. If I went to a bigger school I wouldn't get the attention and critiques that I needed so that was huge for me. Professors make themselves available for students here, and I would email (Professor Carrie Firman) about something not even related to school and she would help me out. So it wasn’t just in school stuff, it's out of school stuff, real world stuff.

Tara Kaplan ’16, Magna Cum Laude

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Undergraduate Graphic Design

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