Introduction

Please click here to see general Visual Arts information.

The digital design emphasis integrates aesthetic, creative and critical thought with expertise in electronic media and graphic design. Configured as an interdisciplinary arts and design laboratory, digital design offers a hands-on education combining new art technologies and design research to promote an understanding of the cultural impact and use of digital technology to solve human, social and business problems. Through this interdisciplinary approach combining arts and communication, digital design strives to produce artists and designers who will use technology in innovative ways in both commercial and artistic spheres.

Program Delivery

• This is an on-campus program.

Declaring This Major

• Click here to go to information about declaring a major.
• Students who are applying for entrance into the digital design emphasis must submit a portfolio, as described below. The digital design emphasis accepts applications only once a year. Students who meet the requirements and are accepted will be able to register for upper-division digital design courses.

Eligibility

• Currently enrolled CU Denver students seeking admission to the BFA Digital Design program who meet the following requirements in the Digital Design Foundation courses (completed or in the process of completing with a grade of C (2.0) or better in each OR
• You are a transfer student (not yet enrolled at CU Denver) seeking admission to the BFA Digital Design program
  • You have completed and are transferring a minimum of 24 credit hours from a previous institution AND
  • You have completed or are in the process of completing the Digital Design Foundation courses with a grade of C (2.0) or better in each

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
FINE 1000	Fostering Creativity	3
FINE 2405	Introduction to Digital Design 1	3
FINE 2415	Typography Studio 1	3

¹

offered in the fall at CU Denver.

Portfolio Application Requirements

Students applying to the digital design emphasis present a portfolio to be reviewed by design faculty. The deadline for submission will be November 1, 5:00pm (Mountain Time). The portfolio submission must be formatted and presented to the specifications listed on the Portfolio Review page here. There is no fee to apply.

• You do NOT need to submit a portfolio for review if you want to do a Digital Design minor. 

Application Instructions & Deadline

The Digital Design Major is a fall-entry program and only accepts applications once per year. The application assignments and specifications can be found on this page.  

Properly prepared application submissions must be uploaded to Canvas by 5:00 P.M. Mountain Time on November 1st. You must have a CU Denver email address to access the Canvas Application portal*. Applications are only accepted online and must be formatted to the specifications listed on the site. 

It is recommended to visit the Canvas site early and begin your uploads two weeks before the due date. Late submissions due to technical difficulties on the part of the applicant will NOT be accepted.  

*If you are an eligible transfer student, please email your portfolio to travis.vermilye@ucdenver.edu to submit your portfolio by November 1st before the 5:00 P.M. deadline. 

If you are a transfer student and transferring into Digital Design after the November 1st deadline, please emailtravis.vermilye@ucdenver.edu for information on how to submit your portfolio. 

Evaluation Process

https://ucdenver.instructure.com/courses/411758/pages/the-evaluation-process 

Notification

Notices will be emailed as soon as faculty have reviewed all applications and made their determinations, usually within 2 weeks from the application deadline. 

Questions

For general inquiries see the Digital Design Program page here. 

General Requirements

To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

• CU Denver General Graduation Requirements
• CU Denver Core Curriculum
• College of Arts & Media Graduation Requirements
• Click here for information about Academic Policies

Program Requirements

1. A minimum grade of C (2.0) is required for each course applied toward a College of Arts & Media major, minor or certificate requirement. A grade of C- (1.7) or lower will not fulfill a major, minor or certificate requirement. A grade of S is acceptable only for courses in which the grading basis is S/U. No more than 6 semester hours of P+/P/F is allowed in any given semester. No more than 12 semester hours may be elected as P+/P/F toward the degree.
2. All upper-division visual arts courses must be taken at CU Denver unless approved otherwise by Department of Visual Arts faculty.
3. At least 27 semester hours of visual arts credits (at any level) must be taken at CU Denver.
4. At least 24 semester hours of total visual arts courses must be upper-division.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Pre-Portfolio
Take all of the following Pre-Portfolio courses:
FINE 1000	Fostering Creativity	3
FINE 2405	Introduction to Digital Design	3
FINE 2415	Typography Studio	3
Digital Design Emphasis
Take all of the following Digital Design Emphasis courses: 1
FINE 3404	Typography II	3
FINE 3414	Motion Design I	3
FINE 3415	Design Studio I	3
FINE 3424	Interactive Media	3
FINE 3444	Interactive Media II	3
FINE 3454	Motion Design II	3
FINE 3464	Design Studio II	3
FINE 4400	Design Studio III	3
or FINE 3939	Internship
or FINE 4050	Design in a Global Workplace
FINE 4480	Design Thesis Research	3
FINE 4495	Design Thesis Project	3
Visual Arts
Take one of the following Visual Arts courses:		3
FINE 3434	3D Motion Design
FINE 4420	Interactive Media III
Take all of the following Visual Arts courses:
FINE 1100	Drawing I	3
FINE 1500	Three-Dimensional Design	3
FINE 2155	Introduction to Digital Photography	3
or FINE 1150	Introduction to Darkroom Photography
FINE 2600	Art History Survey I	3
FINE 2610	Art History Survey II	3
FINE 4600	History of Modern Design:Industrial Revolution-Present	3
Electives
Take three semester hours of Pre-20th Century Art History elective.		3
Take twelve semester hours of Visual Arts electives. 2		12
Total Hours		75

¹

Available only to students accepted to emphasis via portfolio review

²

These may include studio, lecture, internship, or art history courses.

Please contact the College of Arts & Media at CAM@ucdenver.edu for course sequencing, any prerequisite updates and for lists of approved electives and more information about this emphasis.

To review the Degree Map for this program, please visit our website.