Mission

The GDES program is designed to offer students the opportunity to become creative graphic designers by providing them with the best academic experiences. The FAD department provides the best expertise in teaching and learning, with continuous updates in Graphic software and technological skills and innovation in the processes of creativity needed for students to succeed as individuals and as contributors in the betterment of their own lives and the surrounding communities, a generation of innovative and human-centered designers capable of producing visual communicative messages that are functional, creative and ethical. 

Objectives

  • Provide students with a spectrum of design courses, from studio to print and multi-media software, from history and theory classes to technical and hands on projects.
  • Prepare students to thinking, to plan and to execute their ideas with proper skills and technological faculties to succeed in the workplace.
  • Provide students with the proper tools to deal with the client and the printing press, to develop a portfolio and a CV that compete in the marketplace.
  • Provide students with a solid theoretical background and strong practical tools of design that will give them ample command of the design field.
  • Prepare students to various working platforms and diverse environments through personal communication skills.
  • Prepare students to be ethical designers and social individuals who accepts diversity and embrace multiplicity.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the BA program in Graphic Design, graduates will:

  • Display capabilities in formulating meaningful visual messages that can communicate with a specific target group.
  • Display competency in software and technical skills pertinent to graphic design.
  • Acquire and articulate graphic design lexicon and terminologies used to communicate with other designers or coworkers from other fields of expertise.
  • Implement and produce communicative visual designs from relevant themes and valid concepts.
  • Demonstrate the ability to design for digital media with openness on new alliances and developers and in collaboration with the end users.
  • User experience / user interface designers.
  • Apply methodological technics of design and design-thinking strategies to produce marketing and communication messages for companies, services and products.
  • Apply the elements and principles of design to produce interactive visuals and working compositions of images, shapes and texts.
  • Acquire and articulate conceptual thinking methodologies and prove the ability to scrutinize, synthesize, and construct successful solutions.
    Demonstrate awareness and involvement in the sociopolitical, cultural and ethical issues.
  • Demonstrate the ability to research and access information through conventional and/or database archives, and be able to filter and use this information in specific design jobs.
  • Understand the relationship of graphic design to other disciplines like advertising, marketing and public relations.
Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design

credits

courses

semesters

years

course code course title credits prerequisites
first year / sophomore (33 credits)
fall (15 credits)
ARTS200 Foundation Drawing I 3 ENGL051
ARTS210 Color Theory – Painting 3 ENGL051
ARTS260 Design Fundamentals – 2D 3 ENGL051
CSCI200 Introduction to Computers 3 ENGL051
ENGL201 Composition and Research Skills 3 ENGL151
spring (18 credits)
GDES270 Design Software I 3 CSCI200
ARTS320 Rendering and Perspective Techniques 3 ARTS210 – ENGL051 – ARTS200
ARTS270 Design Fundamentals – 3D 3 ARTS200 – ENGL051 – ENGL101 – ARTS260
ARTS250 Foundation Drawing II 3 ENGL051 – ARTS200
ENGL251 Communication Skills 3 ENGL201
COMM285 Theories of Perception 3 ENGL151
second year / junior (32 credits)
fall (16 credits)
GDES300 Typography I 3 GDES270 – ARTS320 – ENGL051 – ENGL101 – ARTS260
GDES345 Graphic Design Studio I 4 GDES270 – ARTS320 – ARTS260
GDES370 Graphic Design Software II 3 ENGL151
ARTS215 History of Arts 3 GDES270
ARAB200 Arabic Language and Literature 3
spring (16 credits)
GDES394 Graphic Design Studio II 4 GDES370 – GDES345 – GDES300 – COMM285
GDES350 Typography II & Art of Calligraphy 3 GDES370 – GDES345 – GDES300
GDES315 History of Graphic Design 3 ARTS215
GDES420 Web Page Design 3 GDES370
ARTS350 Photography 3 ENGL151
third year / senior (34 credits)
fall (19 credits)
GDES445 Graphic Design Studio III 4 GDES394 – GDES350
Elective 3
GDES440 Packaging 3 GDES394 – ARTS270
GDES365 Illustration II – Story Board 3 GDES394 – ARTS250
COMM325 Animation Software 3 GDES370
CULT200 Introduction to Arab – Islamic Civilization 3
spring (15 credits)
GDES495 Graphic Design Senior Project 4 GDES445
GDES480 Professional Practice 2 GDES445
GDES450 Advanced Animation 3 COMM325
Major Elective 3
Elective 3
major elective courses
ARTS300 Painting 3 ARTS210 – ARTS200 – ENGL051 – ENGL101
COMM200 Introduction to Communication Studies 3 ENGL101
COMM205 Introduction to Western Civilization 3 ENGL151 – COMM200
COMM220 Rhetoric & Persuasion 3 ENGL151
COMM225 Workshop 3 ENGL101
COMM255 Theories of Mass Media 3 COMM200
COMM265 Performance Theory & Practice 3 COMM200
GDES355 Sketching for Graphic Design 3
GDES395 Character Design 3 ARTS250 – ARTS200
GDES415 Creative Advertising 3
code title crds
first year / sophomore (33 credits)
fall (15 credits)
ARTS200 Foundation Drawing I 3
ARTS210 Color Theory – Painting 3
ARTS260 Design Fundamentals – 2D 3
CSCI200 Introduction to Computers 3
ENGL201 Composition and Research Skills 3
spring (18 credits)
GDES270 Design Software I 3
ARTS320 Rendering and Perspective Techniques 3
ARTS270 Design Fundamentals – 3D 3
ARTS250 Foundation Drawing II 3
ENGL251 Communication Skills 3
COMM285 Theories of Perception 3
second year / junior (32 credits)
fall (16 credits)
GDES300 Typography I 3
GDES345 Graphic Design Studio I 4
GDES370 Graphic Design Software II 3
ARTS215 History of Arts 3
ARAB200 Arabic Language and Literature 3
spring (16 credits)
GDES394 Graphic Design Studio II 4
GDES350 Typography II & Art of Calligraphy 3
GDES315 History of Graphic Design 3
GDES420 Web Page Design 3
ARTS350 Photography 3
third year / senior (34 credits)
fall (19 credits)
GDES445 Graphic Design Studio III 4
Elective 3
GDES440 Packaging 3
GDES365 Illustration II – Story Board 3
COMM325 Animation Software 3
CULT200 Introduction to Arab – Islamic Civilization 3
spring (15 credits)
GDES495 Graphic Design Senior Project 4
GDES480 Professional Practice 2
GDES450 Advanced Animation 3
Major Elective 3
Elective 3
major elective courses
ARTS300 Painting 3
COMM200 Introduction to Communication Studies 3
COMM205 Introduction to Western Civilization 3
COMM220 Rhetoric & Persuasion 3
COMM225 Workshop 3
COMM255 Theories of Mass Media 3
COMM265 Performance Theory & Practice 3
GDES355 Sketching for Graphic Design 3
GDES395 Character Design 3
GDES415 Creative Advertising 3