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CDM Home > Academics > BFA in Graphic Design

BFA in Graphic Design

Bachelor of fine Arts 2011-2012

Graphic Design

The BFA in Graphic Design at DePaul CDM provides a balance of conceptual, creative and technical design skills.  Students will gain a strong foundation in both traditional and computer-based forms of graphic design with a professional orientation actively preparing students for the job market as well as their own creative practice. A unique feature of this degree is its practice in the allied fields of cinema, animation, game development and interaction design. Graduating students will be prepared for design careers in advertising, book and web design, motion graphics, photography, poster design, signage, typography, multimedia, print, visual design, art direction and title design in cinema, television, games, and interactive media, among others.

Online Learning Options
Some courses are available for review and playback via the CDM Course Online playback system (COL). If a course is COL-enabled, any student registered in the course has access to the course playback. Students are strongly encouraged to utilize the COL resource wherever available. Some undergraduate courses are offered online. However, CDM currently does not offer any undergraduate program completely online. For more information on online learning at CDM visit the Online Learning page.
Course Requirements
Liberal Studies
The Liberal Studies program is the general education portion of the curriculum at DePaul University. Students must earn a grade of D or better in all courses taken to satisfy these requirements. The only exception is the Capstone course which is considered also a major requirement and in which students need to earn a C- or better.

Students may choose to take some CDM courses that carry Liberal Studies credit but they cannot double count them if they are part of the major requirements. A complete list of courses that carry Liberal Studies credit can be found on the Liberal Studies website along with an overview of the Liberal Studies requirements for this program. Students can search for courses that satisfy a particular Liberal Studies requirement on campusconnect.

The representation of these course requirements on a year-by-year basis is just a suggestion. Students are free to take these courses in any order they choose, provided they have mastered the course-specific prerequisites. A undergraduate course carries 4 quarter hours of credit unless otherwise specified.
Course Legend
First Year
GD 105
GD 150 (2 quarter hours of credit)
GD 151 (2 quarter hours of credit)
GD 200
GD 230
IT 130
ANI 101 *
OR ANI 201
DC 225 (Recommended)
OR ART 224
ART 106
* ANI 101 allowed for transfers
Liberal Studies Requirements
LSP 110
OR LSP 111
WRD 103
WRD 104
2 Arts & Literature courses required from the following list:
Any History of Art & Architecture (HAA) course with AL requirement designation
ANI 206
DC 202
DC 233
MCS 207
MCS 208
MCS 209
Second Year
GD 210
GD 220
GD 221
DC 220
IM 220
IM 270
3 Major Electives
Liberal Studies Requirements
LSP 120
LSP 200
1 Philosophical Inquiry
1 Understanding the Past
Third Year
GD 270
GD 300
ANI 230
ANI 260
ANI 360
GD 152 (2 quarter hours of credit)
GD 350 (2 quarter hours of credit)
IM 320
2 Major Electives
2 Open Elective
Liberal Studies Requirements
1 Junior Year Experiential Learning GD 380 (Recommended)
1 Self, Society and the Modern World
Fourth Year
GD 330
GD 340
GD 360
GD 394
AND GD 395
DC 376
DC 321
2 Major Electives
2 Open Electives
Liberal Studies Requirements
1 Scientific Inquiry Lab
1 Religious Dimensions
Major Electives
Students must complete 28 Major Elective credits in any ANI, DC, GD, GAM, GPH, IM, TV, VFX or ART courses.

Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in all major elective courses.

Open Electives
Open Electives may be taken from any unit at DePaul. These are the only courses that may be taken under the pass/fail option (see the DePaul Undergraduate Course Catalogue for details). Students must earn a grade of D or higher in all open elective courses. Courses that satisfy a CDM minor or other minors are normally credited as open electives.
Degree Requirements
Students in this degree must meet the following requirements:
  • complete a minimum of 208 credit hours (generally 54 courses)
  • earn a grade of C- or higher in all Major courses (excluding Liberal Studies courses and Open Electives)
  • maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
Students who earn a cumulative DePaul University GPA:
  • between 3.500 and 3.699 will be graduated cum laude
  • between 3.700 and 3.849 will be graduated magna cum laude
  • of at least 3.850 will be graduated summa cum laude
For DePaul's policy on repeat courses and a complete list of academic policies see the DePaul Undergraduate Handbook in the Course Catalog.