Design B.S.
Three-Year Degree, Design B.S.
Degree: B.S.
Location(s): Rhode Island
Length: 3 or 4 years
Internship: 600 hours of Work Integrated Learning (3-year program); 6 credits of studio, project or internship (4-year program)
Credits: 94 or 123-125
Design Your Future — Faster
You creativity drives you and design is your passion: why wait four years to start your career? JWU’s Three-Year Career-Focused Bachelor’s Degree helps you build the skills, portfolio and industry experience you need — one year sooner.
From branding and typography to UI/UX and packaging, you’ll develop real-world design skills through hands-on projects. Choose your focus area: Web Design or Graphic Design.
You won’t just learn design — you’ll do it. Work on real-world projects for actual clients, build a digital and physical portfolio and showcase your work at our annual Reveal Senior Showcase, where faculty, industry professionals and community members see your creativity in action.
Guided by industry-experienced faculty, you’ll gain insight into design trends, production processes and professional best practices — setting you up for success from day one.
With the same rigorous academics as our four-year program, this degree lets you save on tuition, graduate earlier and start your career faster.
Three-Year Curriculum
Credits Major Courses | ||
| GDES1010 | Design Thinking & Creative Process | 3 |
| GDES1020 | Design Theory and Practice | 3 |
| GDES1040 | Foundations of Mobile & Web Design | 3 |
| GDES1060 | User Experience and Content Design I | 3 |
| GDES1080 | Vector Design & Image Editing | 3 |
| GDES2000 | Typography | 3 |
| GDES2020 | Motion Design I | 3 |
| GDES2030 | Editorial & Publication Design | 3 |
| GDES3015 | Design Team I | 4 |
| GDES3250 | Brand Identity Design and Development | 3 |
| GDES4050 | Design Capstone | 3 |
| IDES2010 | Human Factors | 3 |
| Major Electives | ||
| Choose 9 credits of the following: | 9 | |
| Graphic Design | ||
| Advanced Publication & Print | ||
| Package Design | ||
| Wayfinding & Environmental Graphics | ||
| Web (UI/UX) Design | ||
| Web Design & Development | ||
| User Experience and Content Design II | ||
| Web Design & User Experience Studio | ||
| Applied/Experiential Learning | ||
| Students in this program are required to complete 600 hours of Work Integrated Learning. | ||
| Related Professional Studies | ||
| DMSM1001 | Introduction to Digital/Social/Mobile Media | 3 |
| IDES2070 | Innovation and Design I | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | ||
| Communicating | 9 | |
| Rhetoric & Composition I | ||
| Rhetoric & Composition II | ||
| Communication Skills | ||
| Connecting | 6 | |
Two courses with the Connecting attribute (ECNG), one at the 2000 level, one at the 4000 level | ||
| Experiencing | 6 | |
| Art History | ||
Additional course with the Experiencing attribute (EEXP) in a different discipline | ||
| Measuring | 6 | |
| A Survey of College Mathematics (or higher, based on student’s placement) | ||
| Statistics I | ||
| Exploring | 3 | |
One course with the Exploring attribute (EEPL) | ||
| Interacting | 6 | |
| Sociology I | ||
or SOC2005 | Honors Seminar: Social Inequalities | |
Additional course with the Interacting attribute (EINT) in a different discipline | ||
| A&S Electives | 6 | |
| Foundations of Digital Photography | ||
One course with the Arts & Sciences elective attribute (EASC) | ||
| Total Credits | 94.0 | |
Study Design in Providence, R.I.
Faculty Contact
Deana Marzocchi
Associate Professor and Department Chair
401-598-2514
deana.marzocchi@jwu.edu