Where are you located on campus?
What are the main strengths of your program? Why should I go here, as opposed to other schools?
How do freshmen VCD students find an advisor?
When is the building open? Is it safe?
How much do class supplies cost?
When do I have to have a computer?
Why do I have to have a Macintosh?
Can I take fine art classes too?
Why do I have to have a Minor? And why can’t I pick out my own?
Why do you have Sophomore Entrance Exam?
What happens if I don’t pass that exam?
What happens if I pass Junior Review?
What if I don’t pass Junior Review?
What kind of internships do students get?
Are the internship jobs paid positions?
Are there design jobs on campus?
What kind of employment can a VCD graduate expect?
How much do they make on their first jobs?
Where are you located on campus?
The School of Visual Communication Design is located in the Art Building, on the west side of campus. The School office is in room 231, on the south side of the building.
Where do your students live?
Freshmen and sophomores are required to live on campus, and can select from a variety of housing options. Some choose to live in the Living/Learning Community with other CCI students called the CCI Commons, housed in Olson Hall. Students who are enrolled in the Honors College can look for rooms in its dorm, Johnson Hall. Johnson, Stopher, and Olson halls are located in close proximity to the VCD classrooms in the Art Building. Link to Residence Services.
What are the strengths of your program? Why should I go here, rather than other schools?
Graduates with a liberal arts background are attractive to employers because they have developed the necessary skills to adapt to an evolving workplace.
Some students are interested in a university college experience, as opposed to an art school. The University provides the opportunity to take English, marketing, language, and other classes from professors devoting their energy to those areas of study. The large residential campus setting offers a broad range of extracurricular activities such as intercollegiate sports, campus clubs and intramural sports.
How large are VCD classes?
In spite of KSU’s size, the School of Visual Communication Design “feels small,” students say. We meet in studio classes of 12–20 students for 5 hours a week, so there’s plenty of time to get to know your classmates and professors. We meet in the same section of the building as the faculty’s offices, rather than scattered in different locations.
As for our academic integrity: our faculty bring a wealth of talent and interests and experience. We invite you to read more about us under About VCD and the School’s unique academic opportunities described in ‘Special Programs’.
How do freshmen VCD students find an advisor?
The Placement Advising and Scheduling System (PASS) is Kent State University’s early advising and scheduling program for all new freshman. Students admitted for the fall semester are invited to participate in this daylong program beginning in February and continuing through June. Link to PASS on the Kent State main site.
When is the building open? Is it safe?
The Art Building is open 7 am until midnight, 7 days a week when school is in session. It is heavily used for classes from 7:30 am – 9 pm, and campus security and maintenance staff regularly come through the building after classes end.
How much do class supplies cost?
Required class supplies and equipment vary widely with areas of concentration.
Computer
First-year design students are required to buy a Macintosh laptop as well as specific software programs for spring semester. Software manufacturers update their products every 18–24 months, so students will probably need to buy an upgrade before they graduate. Most students find it helpful to have their own printer. A typical price for a Macintosh laptop is $1800. The three primary graphic software packages are bundled and sell for a total of $350. These prices are for products purchased via the KSUAppleStore.
Camera
First-year Photo Illustration students will need a single lens reflex (D-SLR) camera ranging in price from $1100 to $2000.
Second-year design students will need a basic digital camera ranging in price from $1100 to $2000.
Supplies
For each studio course, students will need to budget for supplies such as on paper, photocopy services, specific drafting and drawing tools, and books for VCD classes each year.
In their final year, students construct a portfolio of their work to use on job interviews. The case and reproductions can cost from $200 to $1,000, depending upon the student’s choice of case and the media of the student’s creative work.
When do I have to have a computer?
Design students purchase their Macintosh laptop for the spring semester of their first year. Photo illustration students need theirs the first semester of their second year.
There are two Macintosh labs in the Art building. There are also PC and Mac labs scattered around campus and in the residence halls where students may choose to do assignments for non-VCD courses during their first semester.
Other students opt to use a computer they already own (PC or Mac) for the fall term, so they have the convenience of having the machine in their own room. They purchase the required laptop and applications from the KSU Apple Store early in December, before they leave campus for winter break. The Apple Store is located in the School of VCD area, on the second floor of the Art Building, and products are offered to KSU students at a reduced rate.
Why do I have to have a Macintosh?
This platform is the industry standard, and our classroom instruction is based on Mac versions of the software.
Can I take fine art classes, too?
Yes. The School of Art is part of the College of the Arts (COTA), and some of its classes are in the same building at the School of VCD. They handle registration for those classes. However, credits earned from these classes would be elective credits and would not be apply toward requirements for a VCD major or minor.
Why do I have to have a Minor? And why can’t I pick out my own?
The minor degrees approved by the School are in fields allied with the design profession, and enrich the student’s understanding of this career path. They are: Advertising, Computer Information Systems, Electronic Media, Marketing, Media Literacy, Photo-Illustration, Public Relations, Visual Journalism or Web design. Sometimes, students find that the area of study they choose for a minor is more interesting to them than design, and switch majors. At times, those students have nearly enough credits to declare a Design minor.
Why do you have Sophomore Entrance Exam?
The work produced in foundation-level classes is the product of student-teacher discussions and critiques and group discussions. A selection of those projects are submitted as the portfolio component of the Sophomore Entrance Exam.
The Sophomore Entrance Exam is an occasion to see the ability of the student individually, after they’ve had classes on design fundamentals. During the exam, the student produces a page layout and a drawing during a day-long session. The portfolio of work from the first two years of VCD classes is submitted for faculty review. A final grade of pass or fail for the review is calculated from those two bodies of work. Students are informed in writing if they passed or not within two weeks after the Exam.
What happens if I don’t pass that exam?
Students meet with the faculty member supervising the Exam to determine an individual plan of action. Some students opt to re-take a class, and sit for the Exam again the following year. They use that year to take classes toward completing requirements for their declared Minor degree.
What is the Junior Review?
At the end of the third year, students assemble a portfolio of work produced in VCD classes since the Sophomore Entrance Exam. Faculty members assess the work with the student, and later make recommendations for the student to be admitted into either the BA or the BFA program, or not be admitted. Students are informed of this decision in writing about a week after their Review.
What happens if I pass Junior Review?
You celebrate! If you are admitted into the BFA program, you can still opt to finish in one year with a BA. If you choose the BFA degree, you declare your area of concentration, sign up for classes with your advisor, and start thinking of ideas to propose for your Senior Project. If you are admitted into the BA program (or if you choose it at as BFA student), you meet with the academic advisor to plan your last year of classes. You also sign up for an Internship. Most students do their required internship the summer after Junior Review.
What if I don’t pass Junior Review?
Then you meet with the faculty coordinator of Junior Review to create a plan specific to your situation.
What is the Senior Project?
It is, in many ways, a “master’s thesis” scaled to baccalaureate level. The student writes a proposal for a project, receives approval from the team of faculty overseeing Senior Projects, and completes all of the work independently. A VCD faculty member in the student’s area of interest serves as an advisor during that process. The student displays the finished work as part of the Portfolio Show held in the School of Art gallery. Family, friends, and businesses are invited to see this exhibition. Additionally, the student presents the work to the faculty committee for approval. Upon successful completion of this project (and all other academic requirements) the student will be awarded their well-earned BFA.
What kind of internships do students get?
It depends on the business and the student. The School keeps an active list of internship locations for the student’s reference. They include design or advertising firms, in-house design departments of large companies, museums and television companies, among others. Locations for internships have been throughout Ohio, as well as major cities such as Pittsburgh, New York City, Chicago and Washington, D. C. It is up to the student to choose where they wish to apply, fulfill that business’s application requirements, get hired, and make travel and living arrangements.
Are the internship jobs paid positions?
According to the US Department of Labor, an intern should be paid for work that directly benefits the employer. The rate of pay is determined by the employer. To meet the credit-hour requirements for an internship, the student should be on-site for a minimum of 300 hours.
Are there design jobs on campus?
Campus departments have funding allocated to them for general employment and student work/study employment. Some jobs can include design responsibilities, and would be posted at the job board in Michael Schwartz Center.
Glyphix is a design studio housed in the School of VCD that is staffed by select upperclassmen and graduate students. Glyphix Studio is a course that is taken for elective or internship credits. Read more: Special Programs: Glyphix.
Signum Design is a student-run studio in the Student Center. Signum primarily does work for Kent Student Center Programming, as well as some jobs for other groups, both on- and off-campus
What kind of employment can a VCD graduate expect?
Kent State VCD students obtain jobs in a wide variety of areas. Some work for advertising agencies, in-house design departments, small design firms, web design and data management firms, television studios, marketing firms, environmental design and display companies, publication houses, and other educational institutions. Visit the Alumni page to see a sampling of some of our alumni and links to their employers or self-owned businesses.
How much do they make on their first jobs?
According to a recent design salaries survey, recent graduates can earn $32,000 to $41,000 per year. This range is determined by geographic location, specialization, and the current demands of the market. Visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics for more information on the outlook for design jobs.
