2026-2028 Catalog

Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus

The Department of Art and Design provides students with a diverse program of study, including courses in: art history, digital media, graphic and interaction design, photography, video, and visual art. Art and Design courses integrate hands-on creative work with critical thinking; visual and conceptual experimentation; interdisciplinary collaboration; and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Students are admitted into the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree program through submission of a portfolio in their chosen concentration: Graphic Design, Photography and Video, or Studio Art. The Department offers minors in Art History, Photography, and Studio Art. We also offer two affiliate minors: Computing for Interactive Arts and the Media Arts, Society and Technology minor. There are a number of Art and Design Courses that fulfill general education requirements in the 3A and 3B areas.

The department is also home to the University Art Gallery that showcases nationally and internationally known artists, designers, and photographers, as well as creative work from students, alumni, and faculty.

Concentrations

Graphic Design

Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus

As a discipline and a profession, graphic design is diverse and expanding. It encompasses: branding, package design, interaction design, environmental graphic design, publication design, and motion design. Students in the graphic design concentration study a variety of subjects relevant to the field, including: typography, identity design, user experience design, user interface design, animation, illustration, book arts, and design history. Our curriculum emphasizes a human-centered approach; students research, analyze, prototype, and design creative concepts and solutions for businesses, social, and cultural contexts. Our program encourages students to think innovatively, ethically, and inclusively, and to engage in hands-on creative exploration and problem solving. Graduates in the graphic design area obtain competitive positions in design studios, creative agencies, in-house creative departments, and in the entertainment and tech industries.

The Graphic Design concentration in the Department of Art and Design is distinct from the Design Reproduction Technology concentration in the Graphic Communication Department, which focuses on the technical and electronic aspects of preparing design pieces for reproduction in print media. In contrast, the emphasis of the Graphic Design concentration is on the preparation of a professional portfolio that showcases one's creative and conceptual design abilities.

Photography and Video

Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus

The study and practice of the lens-based arts of photography and video. Emphasis is placed on concept development, photographic expression, and creative problem solving. Production skills with studio and location lighting are emphasized using digital image making, large format photography and video/cinematic production. This is a diversified, commercially oriented program stressing preparation for careers in advertising, illustration, video and cinema production, corporate and editorial photography, portraiture and digital image making for both online and print. The study of photographic history, cinema styles and contemporary practices is integral to the program. The program culminates in the creation of a professional portfolio in both still and motion that can allow the graduate to enter the professional workforce or apply for graduate study.

Studio Art

Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus

The studio art concentration is a program designed for students who are seeking a comprehensive study of visual art for their undergraduate education. This program is distinctive in its depth of required coursework across a range of contemporary art practices, from two-dimensional media in painting and drawing, to three- and four-dimensional media in sculpture and time-based art. The upper division curriculum allows students to specialize in a discipline pertinent to their career choice in the visual arts. Courses in portfolio preparation, professional practices, and a senior project prepare the student to enter the workplace or pursue advanced degrees.

Our concentration is small and rigorous. Students are able to work closely with their art professors and peers, while having access to the resources of a larger, nationally-ranked university. Students within the concentration are presented with an environment where imagination, intellectual rigor, self-expression, cultural competency, and skill development are expected and explored within a community dedicated to their success. The studio art concentration is committed to cultivating creative professionals with a worldview that is informed by issues of diversity, inequality, and power.

Program Learning Objectives

  1. Produce a strong body of work and/or professional portfolio.
  2. Apply comparative reasoning in evaluating works of art and design.
  3. Use verbal, visual, and technical vocabulary related to art and design that demonstrates cultural competency and a world view informed by issues of diversity, inequality, and power.
  4. Effectively and professionally work in teams and participate in interdisciplinary, collaborative endeavors with people who have beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that are different from their own.
  5. Critically examine the role that visual language plays in global culture through research, innovative thinking, writing, and creative expression.
  6. Demonstrate integrity and make ethical decisions in professional practice and/or creative expression
  7. Establish and maintain a rigorous creative practice that is productive and professional.
  8. Demonstrate a commitment to learning, inquiry, and discovery.

Degree Requirements and Curriculum

In addition to the program requirements listed on this page, students must also satisfy requirements outlined in more detail in the Minimum Requirements for Graduation section of this catalog, including:

  • 40 units of upper-division courses
  • 2.0 GPA
  • Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)
  • U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)

Note: Up to 3 units of credit/no credit grading may be selected for courses in Major or Concentration. In addition, no more than 12 units of cooperative or internship courses can count towards your degree requirements.

MAJOR COURSES
ART 1101Fundamentals of Drawing (3A) 13
ART 11022D Design3
ART 11033D Design3
ART 11044D Design3
ART 1141Design Thinking and Methods3
ART 2201Visual Culture and Society: Analysis and Practice (4B) 13
ART 2212Renaissance to Modern Art3
ART 2215Global Contemporary Art3
ART 2260Camera and Light3
Select from the following: 23
Beginning Sculpture
Beginning Painting
Select from the following:3
Portfolio: Graphic Design
Portfolio: Photo Video
Portfolio: Studio Art
Upper-Division Art History Elective
Select from the following: (Upper-Division 3) 13
Art of the Americas
Nineteenth Century Art of Europe and the United States
History and Contemporary Practices of Photography
Asian Art Survey
Michelangelo
Themes in Renaissance Art
Themes in Modern and Contemporary Art
New Media Art History
Politics of Abstraction
Select any 3000 - 4000 level ART courses not already used to meet the Major or Concentration requirement 38
Concentration
(See list of Concentrations below)39
GENERAL EDUCATION (GE)
(See GE program requirements below)34
FREE ELECTIVES
Free Electives 43
Total Units120
1

Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.

2

ART 1184 and ART 2282 are required in the major and the Studio Art concentration. The course taken to fulfill the major course requirement cannot be double-counted in the concentration.

3

A maximum of 3 units from Art History courses.

4

If a General Education (GE) course is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.

 

Concentrations

Graphic Design

REQUIRED COURSES
ART 2241Graphic Design I3
ART 2242Typography I3
ART 2243Interaction Design I3
ART 3313Design History3
ART 3341Graphic Design II3
ART 3342Typography II3
ART 3343Interaction Design II3
ART 4441Design Collaborative Studio3
ART 4444Motion Design3
ART 4459Senior Project - Design Portfolio3
Design Electives
Select from the following:9
Concept Art and Storyboarding
Three-dimensional Design and Modeling for Animation and Interactive Art
Social Justice Art: Activist Cultures, Politics, and Pedagogies
Book Arts
Illustration I: Tools and Techniques
Time-Based Art
Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates
Brand Identity and Advertising
Illustration II: Practice and Development
Cooperative Education Experience
Cooperative Education Experience
Total Units39
 

Photography and Video

REQUIRED COURSES
ART 2261Creative Lighting3
ART 2263Black and White Photography3
ART 3314History and Contemporary Practices of Photography3
ART 3370Digital Video4
ART 4479Senior Project - Portfolio Photo Video4
Select from the following:4
Photographic Expression
Large Format Photography
Select from the following:4
Editorial Storytelling
Advertising Photography
Select from the following:4
Video Art and Expanded Cinema
Documentary Video
Narrative Video
Select from the following:3
Film Styles and Genres
Film Directors
Fiction Writing
Electives
Select from the following:4
New Media Art History
Photographic Expression
Large Format Photography
Editorial Storytelling
Advertising Photography
Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates
Animation, Video, and Interactive Design
Video Art and Expanded Cinema
Documentary Video
Narrative Video
Cooperative Education Experience
Cooperative Education Experience
Color Management
Select any 3000-4000 level ART courses not already used to meet the Major or Concentration requirement3
Total Units39
 

Studio Art

REQUIRED COURSES
ART 1184Beginning Sculpture 13
or ART 2282 Beginning Painting
ART 2281Intermediate Drawing3
ART 3382Intermediate Painting3
ART 3384Intermediate Sculpture4
ART 3386Junior Studio Art Practice4
Select from the following:4
Time-Based Art
Advanced Sculpture
Select from the following:4
Advanced Figure in Studio Art
Advanced 2-D
ART 4486Senior Studio Art Practice4
ART 4499Senior Project - Studio Portfolio4
Art History Upper-Division Elective
Select from the following:3
Art of the Americas
Nineteenth Century Art of Europe and the United States
Design History
History and Contemporary Practices of Photography
Asian Art Survey
Michelangelo
Themes in Renaissance Art
Themes in Modern and Contemporary Art
New Media Art History
Politics of Abstraction
Intersectional Feminist Art Histories
Art Elective
Select from the following:3
Curatorial Studies
Studio Lighting
Materials and Methods
Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates
Total Units39
1

ART 1184 and ART 2282 are required in the major and the Studio Art concentration. The course taken to fulfill the concentration requirement cannot be double-counted in the major.

 

General Education (GE) Requirements 

General Education (GE) Requirements

  • 43 units required, 9 of which are specified in Major and/or Support.
  • If any of the remaining 34 Units is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
  • See the complete GE course listing.
  • A grade of C- or better is required in one course in each of the following GE Areas: 1A (English Composition), 1B (Critical Thinking), 1C (Oral Communication), and 2 (Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning). 
Lower-Division General Education
Area 1English Communication and Critical Thinking
1AWritten Communication3
1BCritical Thinking3
1COral Communication3
Area 2Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning
2Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning3
Area 3Arts and Humanities
3AArts (3 units in Major) 10
3BHumanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English 3
Area 4Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.)
4AAmerican Institutions (Title 5, Section 40404 Requirement)3
4BSocial and Behavioral Sciences (3 units in Major) 10
Area 5Physical and Life Sciences
5APhysical Sciences3
5BLife Sciences3
5CLaboratory (may be embedded in a 5A or 5B course)1
Area 6 Ethnic Studies
6 Ethnic Studies3
Upper-Division General Education
Upper-Division 2/5Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning or Physical and Life Sciences3
Upper-Division 3Arts and Humanities (3 units in Major) 10
Upper-Division 4Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.)3
Total Units34
1

Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.

Art and Design

Concentration Not Yet Declared - BFA in Art and Design
Suggested Four-Year Flowcharts are planning guides and do not represent a required course sequence. 
Courses may be completed in a different order, provided requisite requirements are satisfied. 

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Term 1Units
ART 1101 Fundamentals of Drawing (3A) 1 3
ART 1102 2D Design 3
General Education Requirement (1A) 3
General Education Requirement (1C) 3
General Education Requirement (2) 3
 Units15
Term 2
ART 1103 3D Design 3
ART 1141 Design Thinking and Methods 3
ART 2260 Camera and Light 3
General Education Requirement (1B) 3
General Education Requirement 3
 Units15
Second Year
Term 1
ART 1104 4D Design 3
ART 1184
Beginning Sculpture 2
or Beginning Painting
3
ART 2212 Renaissance to Modern Art 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 3
 Units15
Term 2
ART 2201 Visual Culture and Society: Analysis and Practice (4B) 1 3
ART 2215 Global Contemporary Art 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 3
 Units15
Third Year
Term 1
Concentration Course 3
Concentration Course 3
Concentration Course 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 1
 Units13
Term 2
ART 3359
Portfolio: Graphic Design
or Portfolio: Photo Video
or Portfolio: Studio Art
3
Concentration Course 3
Concentration Course 3
Concentration Course 3
Concentration Course 3
 Units15
Fourth Year
Term 1
Upper-Division Art History Elective (Upper-Division 3) 1 3
3000-4000 level Art Course 3 4
Concentration Course 3
Concentration Course 3
Concentration Course 3
 Units16
Term 2
3000-4000 level Art Course 3 4
Concentration Course 3
Concentration Course 3
Concentration Course 3
Free Elective 4 3
 Units16
 Total Units120
1

Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.

2

ART 1184 and ART 2282 are required in the major and the Studio Art concentration. The course taken to fulfill the major course requirement cannot be double-counted in the concentration.

3

A maximum of 3 units from Art History courses.

4

If a General Education (GE) course is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.

 

Graphic Design

Graphic Design Concentration - BFA in Art and Design
Suggested Four-Year Flowcharts are planning guides and do not represent a required course sequence. 
Courses may be completed in a different order, provided requisite requirements are satisfied. 

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Term 1Units
ART 1101 Fundamentals of Drawing (3A) 1 3
ART 1102 2D Design 3
ART 2212 Renaissance to Modern Art 3
General Education Requirement (1A) 3
General Education Requirement (1C) 3
 Units15
Term 2
ART 1103 3D Design 3
ART 1141 Design Thinking and Methods 3
ART 2215 Global Contemporary Art 3
General Education Requirement (1B) 3
General Education Requirement (2) 3
 Units15
Second Year
Term 1
ART 1104 4D Design 3
ART 2241 Graphic Design I 3
ART 2242 Typography I 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 3
 Units15
Term 2
ART 2201 Visual Culture and Society: Analysis and Practice (4B) 1 3
ART 2243 Interaction Design I 3
ART 3359 Portfolio: Graphic Design 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 1
 Units16
Third Year
Term 1
ART 1184
Beginning Sculpture 2
or Beginning Painting
3
ART 3342 Typography II 3
ART 3343 Interaction Design II 3
Design Elective 3
General Education Requirement 3
 Units15
Term 2
ART 2260 Camera and Light 3
ART 3313 Design History 3
ART 3341 Graphic Design II 3
Design Elective 3
General Education Requirement 3
 Units15
Fourth Year
Term 1
ART 4441
Design Collaborative Studio
or Motion Design
3
3000-4000 level Art Course 3 4
Design Elective 3
General Education Requirement 3
Free Elective 4 3
 Units16
Term 2
ART 4441
Design Collaborative Studio
or Motion Design
3
ART 4459 Senior Project - Design Portfolio 3
Upper-Division Art History Elective (Upper-Division 3) 1 3
3000-4000 level Art Course 3 4
 Units13
 Total Units120
1

Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.

2

ART 1184 and ART 2282 are required in the major and the Studio Art concentration. The course taken to fulfill the major course requirement cannot be double-counted in the concentration.

3

A maximum of 3 units from Art History courses.

4

If a General Education (GE) course is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.

 

Photography and Video

Photography and Video Concentration - BFA in Art and Design
Suggested Four-Year Flowcharts are planning guides and do not represent a required course sequence. 
Courses may be completed in a different order, provided requisite requirements are satisfied. 

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Term 1Units
ART 1102 2D Design 3
ART 2212 Renaissance to Modern Art 3
ART 2260 Camera and Light 3
General Education Requirement (1A) 3
General Education Requirement (1C) 3
 Units15
Term 2
ART 1101 Fundamentals of Drawing (3A) 1 3
ART 1103 3D Design 3
ART 2215 Global Contemporary Art 3
General Education Requirement (1B) 3
General Education Requirement (2) 3
 Units15
Second Year
Term 1
ART 1104 4D Design 3
ART 2201 Visual Culture and Society: Analysis and Practice (4B) 1 3
ART 2263 Black and White Photography 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 3
 Units15
Term 2
ART 1141 Design Thinking and Methods 3
ART 2261 Creative Lighting 3
ART 3379 Portfolio: Photo Video 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 1
 Units16
Third Year
Term 1
ART 1184
Beginning Sculpture 2
or Beginning Painting
3
ART 3314 History and Contemporary Practices of Photography 3
ART 3370 Digital Video 4
ENGL 3371
Film Styles and Genres
or Film Directors
or Fiction Writing
3
General Education Requirement 3
 Units16
Term 2
ART 3364
Editorial Storytelling
or Advertising Photography
4
3000-4000 level Art Course 4
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 3
 Units14
Fourth Year
Term 1
ART 3362
Photographic Expression
or Large Format Photography
4
Upper-Division Art History Elective (Upper-Division 3) 1 3
3000-4000 level Art Course 3 3
Concentration Elective 4
 Units14
Term 2
ART 4472
Video Art and Expanded Cinema
or Documentary Video
or Narrative Video
4
ART 4479 Senior Project - Portfolio Photo Video 4
3000-4000 level Art Course 3 4
Free Elective 4 3
 Units15
 Total Units120
1

Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.

2

ART 1184 and ART 2282 are required in the major and the Studio Art concentration. The course taken to fulfill the major course requirement cannot be double-counted in the concentration.

3

A maximum of 3 units from Art History courses.

4

If a General Education (GE) course is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.

 

Studio Art

Studio Art Concentration - BFA in Art and Design
Suggested Four-Year Flowcharts are planning guides and do not represent a required course sequence. 
Courses may be completed in a different order, provided requisite requirements are satisfied.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Term 1Units
ART 1102 2D Design 3
ART 1184 Beginning Sculpture 2 3
ART 2212 Renaissance to Modern Art 3
General Education Requirement (1A) 3
General Education Requirement (1C) 3
 Units15
Term 2
ART 1101 Fundamentals of Drawing (3A) 1 3
ART 1103 3D Design 3
ART 2215 Global Contemporary Art 3
General Education Requirement (1B) 3
General Education Requirement (2) 3
 Units15
Second Year
Term 1
ART 1104 4D Design 3
ART 2201 Visual Culture and Society: Analysis and Practice (4B) 1 3
ART 2282 Beginning Painting 2 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 3
 Units15
Term 2
ART 2281 Intermediate Drawing 3
ART 3382 Intermediate Painting 3
ART 3399 Portfolio: Studio Art 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 1
 Units16
Third Year
Term 1
ART 2260 Camera and Light 3
ART 3384 Intermediate Sculpture 4
ART 3386 Junior Studio Art Practice 4
General Education Requirement 3
 Units14
Term 2
ART 1141 Design Thinking and Methods 3
ART 4481
Advanced Figure in Studio Art
or Advanced 2-D
4
Concentration Art Elective 3
General Education Requirement 3
General Education Requirement 3
 Units16
Fourth Year
Term 1
ART 3385
Time-Based Art
or Advanced Sculpture
4
ART 4486 Senior Studio Art Practice 4
Upper-Division Art History Elective (Upper-Division 3) 1 3
3000-4000 level Art Course 3 4
 Units15
Term 2
ART 4499 Senior Project - Studio Portfolio 4
3000-4000 level Art Course 3 4
Concentration Art History Upper-Division Elective 3
Free Elective 4 3
 Units14
 Total Units120
1

Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.

2

ART 1184 and ART 2282 are required in the major and the Studio Art concentration. The course taken to fulfill the major course requirement cannot be double-counted in the concentration.

3

A maximum of 3 units from Art History courses.

4

If a General Education (GE) course is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.