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Design Studies

Design a future in the visual vocabulary of today’s world.

Design studies art installation

The BS in design studies offers a flexible, broad-based alternative to the BFA degree that combines instruction in visual communication with an optional minor or second major.

You’ll study in the heart of a major national design and advertising market. Our program has close ties with the local advertising and design communities.

Our location in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex gives you access to many opportunities and design leaders, including the largest art directors club in the world, the Dallas Society of Visual Communication (DSVC); the American Advertising Federation (AAF); and the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), among others.

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Programs Offered


Sample Courses


  • Typography
  • Advertising Design
  • Package Design
  • History of Visual Communication
View Courses & Degree Requirements

Special Admission Requirements


There are no special requirements when applying to the Department of Graphic Design. However, we strongly encourage applicants to take advantage of the optional portfolio upload as part of the TCU general admission application process. The portfolio can help identify highly talented individuals ahead of time and can positively influence the admission offer.

What Sets Us Apart


BS candidates are encouraged to participate in an internship program. Students secure internships as hands-on designers in design studios or advertising agencies in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and around the world, including in England, Taiwan, Peru, Panama, New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Saint Louis, Austin, Houston, among others.

Career Prospects


Popular career paths include account service at advertising agencies and PR firms; production managers at agencies, printing firms, and production houses; and as developers at interactive design businesses.