Communication, BA, Concentration: Visual Communication Design

About the Program

We live in a visual society.  The concentration in Visual Communication gives students the opportunity to explore a visual world.  Visual Communicators combine words, images and ideas in original ways to convey information.  The concentration emphasizes real-world problem solving, contemporary creative thinking, design methodology, technique and skill development, industry standard computer technology, and practical ability.

Degree Requirements

• 120 Credit Hours
• Minimum grade of B required for the following courses: AD 10500 , AD 10600 , AD 11200 , AD 11300 , AD 22800 , AD 22900 , AD 30102 , and AD 32800 
• Minimum grade of C required for free elective courses
• Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
• Certain courses may only be available at one campus location

PNW General Education Core (30 Credits Minimum)

• English Composition (6 Credits): ENGL 10400 - English Composition I  and ENGL 10500 - English Composition II  
• Speech Communication (3 Credits): COM 11400 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication  
• Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits):  Select from the Quantitative Reasoning Core List   
• Natural Sciences (3 Credits):  Select from the Natural Sciences Core List    
• Technology (3 Credits):  Select from the Technology Core List    
• Humanities (3 Credits):  Select from the Humanities Core List   
• Social Sciences (3 Credits): Select from the Social Sciences Core List   
• Additional Credits (3 Credits): Select from any Communications & Creative Arts General Education Core courses - select from Gen Ed Core List ​  
• First-Year Experience (FYE) (3 Credits): COM 10300 - The Freshman Seminar In Communication  

CHESS College Core (24 Credits)

• Four (4) College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences (CHESS) electives from courses outside of the student’s major. Electives may not be used toward the fulfillment of General Education requirements (*See notes below) (12 Credits)
• World Language - Proficiency through Level IV in one world language (12 Credits)

*Requirements for transfer students are based on the number of transfer credits accepted at PNW as follows:

1. Students who transfer with less than 30 credits need to take 4 CHESS Core Electives (12 credits)
2. Students who transfer with 30 credits or more and with less than 60 credits need to take 3 CHESS Core Electives (9 credits)
3. Students who transfer with 60 credits or more and with less than 90 credits need to take 2 CHESS Core Electives (6 credits)
4. Students who transfer with 90 credits or more need to take 1 CHESS Core Elective (3 credits)

Major Core (21 Credits)

• AD 32800 - Visual Communication Design I
• COM 20400 - Critical Perspectives On Communication
• COM 22500 - Introduction To Rhetoric And Social Influence
• COM 25000 - Mass Communication And Society
• COM 31800 - Principles Of Persuasion
• COM 32000 - Small Group Communication
• COM 37000 - Writing For Media

Concentration Core (15 Credits)

• AD 22200 - Introduction to Photography
• AD 32900 - Visual Communication Design II
• AD 40300 - Portfolio Process And Presentation
• AD 44800 - Visual Communication Design III
• AD 44900 - Visual Communication Design IV

Other Required Courses (30 Credits)

• Free Electives (30 Credits)

Civics Literacy Proficiency

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

• Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
• Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
• Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)

For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Resources

The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, click here to visit the Careers and Employment Trends page.

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here. Annual FAFSA filing deadline is March 10. Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to stay eligible for the standard financial aid award.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester.  Certain exclusions apply. 

College Scorecard

The U.S. Department of Education has created a scorecard for each university and its programs.  The scorecard shows data for the university such as graduation rate, average annual cost, and median earnings.  Then, when certain minimum standards have been met, data are available for a specific program.  That data could include median earnings, median total debt, and number of graduates. The link below will help you learn more:

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?490805-Purdue-University-Northwest&fos_code=0901&fos_credential=3