The JMU Graphic Design program focuses on fundamental design principles, research, and applications, while addressing current and emerging technologies through digital practice. Success within the major requires students to be creative, nimble, inquisitive and willing to take risks. Our specialized courses explore design for print, brand identity, illustration, interaction and web design, UI & UX, and package design. Study of the diverse social contexts for design, its interdisciplinary and multi-ethnic histories, and design’s incredible impact on local and global cultures, deepens students' appreciation for diversity, broadens knowledge, and encourages innovation and creativity.

After a student completes the first year of Graphic Design coursework, there is a second portfolio review, the GRPH Portfolio Review, which is required to advance further in the major. The GRPH Portfolio Review is very selective. Students who do not advance after two attempts at the GRPH Portfolio Review change majors, and are able to apply previous coursework to a different SADAH major or an Art minor. Students who successfully pass the GRPH Portfolio Review and advance in the major are required to purchase an Apple laptop equipped with Adobe Creative Cloud.

The BFA in Graphic Design (GRPH) is professionally accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The major requires 3 academic years of sequenced JMU coursework: there are no transfer equivalents for core JMU GRPH major courses in this sequence. The major cannot be condensed into a shorter time period. Plan on a three-year commitment in transferring to JMU to complete the GRPH major.

To best prepare to begin GRPH major courses, complete the equivalent of JMU Foundations courses (ARTH 205, 206; ART 102, 104, 106 & 108). Assemble a portfolio of work for consideration for 'artistic admission' by portfolio review to the JMU School of Art, Design and Art History (SADAH), which includes acceptance to your chosen major of GRPH. Consult transferology.com to check transfer equivalency for prior coursework, but please be aware that JMU grants little to no transfer credit for Design classes taken at other institutions that would advance degree progress within the GRPH major.

• Create a schedule for all required courses, pay attention to prerequisites and when courses are offered, complete your first math and English courses in your first year
• Connect with an advisor at your community college and James Madison University within your first year via College Connect

JMU students gain wide exposure to top-notch Design professionals through field trips, studio visits, and vetted internships in firms in our region and across the country. On campus there are rich opportunities to engage with visiting designers and guest speakers, to contribute to design for exhibitions in the University’s many museum and gallery spaces, as well as to collaborate with faculty and peers in exhibiting their own work, as in the JMU student-directed Artworks Gallery. Majors also have opportunities to gain professional Design experience working for a wide range of University offices and organizations, and to join and lead the JMU student chapter of AIGA, The Professional Association for Design.

An entrepreneurial spirit characterizes our alumni, who include design leaders at The New York Times, Wired, Adobe and Google. Employers actively recruit JMU majors and our program has a very high employment rate: more than 80% are working in a full-time Design position by 6 months after graduation, while other graduates opt to pursue careers in other innovative and creative fields within the arts, education, and technology.

• Completing your Associate transfer degree post-high school satisfies all lower division general education requirements and increases the chance of completing your bachelor's degree?
• Exceeding 3 years or 90 credits at your community college means you may have exhausted your financial aid at that college and have limited your future financial aid at: James Madison University