Graphic Design

Degrees Offered:
 Program Title 

 Ph.D. 

 Ed.D. 

 M.S. 

 M.A. 

Master 
of 

 M.Ed. 

 MFA 

Graphic Design 

   

   

   

   

 Y 

   

   

GRADUATE FACULTY

S. J. Piedrafita Iglesias, Department Head

Director of Graduate Programs:
H. Khachatoorian, Box 7701, 515-8331, haig_khachatoorian@ncsu.edu, Industrial Design

Professors: D. M. Crisp, M. J. Davis, M. Scotford; Emeritus Professors: A. S. Lowrey; Associate Professors: K. L. Bailey, S. J. Piedrafita Iglesias, S. Townsend; Assistant Professors: W. F. Temple

Fields of Graduate Instruction - Graphic Design

Recognizing that graphic design is both a social activity and a form of cultural production, faculty and students in the Department of Graphic Design define the study of the discipline as necessarily contextual; graduate research examines the creation, reproduction, distribution, and reception of design from a multidisciplinary perspective. The Master of Graphic Design Program also emphasizes the importance of understanding design as the creation of cognitive and cultural artifacts; study focuses on the construction of messages, the reproduction of such artifacts, the systems for their distribution, and their reception within various cultures of society.

Graduate students in graphic design learn through their own search for problems within critical content frameworks presented by the faculty. The program places primary importance on the ability of students to be critical agents; to seek problems and to pose questions. Faculty evaluate graduate students on their capacity to define individual investigations and to support their decision-making with an independent program of reading and research; on their ability to critically evaluate and articulate discoveries; and on their skills in synthesizing ideas through the creation of design artifacts.

The Master of Graphic Design Program provides focused study and research in the discipline that reflects concern for how designers will shape and respond to the changing technological and social communications environments of the future. The Program has the broad objective to educate socially responsible, intellectually curious, historically aware, and technologically adept communication design professionals.

In the Track III Program, students whose undergraduate preparation is in fields other than graphic design examine relationships between their previous study and graphic design. While acquiring design skills and knowledge in graphic design, they apply concepts and methods from their previous study to design research and innovation.

Admissions Requirements: Students must make application to the Department of Graphic Design by January 5. In addition to Graduate School requirements, the department requires department personal data forms, a slide portfolio of design and two-dimensional visual work, and a statement of intent. The GRE is required for students whose first degree is not in Graphic Design.

Master's Degree Requirements: The Master's of Graphic Design degree requires a minimum of 48 credit hours. Studio credits presented for transfer must be accompanied by a portfolio of work from the courses under consideration.

Student Financial Support: The department has limited provisions for tuition remission and assistantships. Assistantships are awarded on the basis of student and departmental needs. Assistantship applications are available from the Department of Graphic Design and should be submitted with the application for admission (for incoming students) or by the advertised deadline (for continuing students).

Click on Graduate Courses for current course information.

NCSU Graduate Catalog