SUNY Potsdam Launches New Program in Graphic Design and Media Arts

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SUNY Potsdam has unveiled two new bachelor’s degrees in graphic design and media arts. For more information, visit potsdam.edu/art.

POTSDAM, NY (02/25/2015)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam has been approved to offer new baccalaureate programs in the vibrant and growing field of graphic design and media arts.

The College's Department of Art will offer two tracks in the new graphic design and media arts major -- one leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree, and another leading to the rigorous Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

SUNY Potsdam's art department has seen significant growth in the last decade, with high enrollment and an excellent placement record into both graduate programs and employment in art fields. The College began to develop the new graphic design and media arts major after seeing increased demand for the digital design concentration in its art studio and visual arts BFA programs.

"With our culture of creativity, these new arts programs are a natural fit for SUNY Potsdam. These exciting new bachelor's degree programs will offer our students a strong foundation in the fine arts, complemented by coursework in all aspects of graphic design and new media," said College President Dr. Kristin G. Esterberg. "We can't wait to see what our students and faculty will create together."

The new program will offer students a concentrated experience in graphic and printed design, time-based design, typography, interactive media, digital illustration and imaging, and video, sound and motion graphics. Grounded in SUNY Potsdam's liberal arts and sciences core, the majors will also incorporate art foundations, and students will choose from studio electives in painting, printmaking, sculpture, drawing and mixed media, ceramics or photography.

All students will complete a capstone course in graphic design or media arts professional practices and portfolio development, and will be required to complete an internship.

The BA program requires 45 credit hours to complete, while the competitive BFA program requires 62 to 67 credit hours of coursework, and has a senior thesis sequence and a capstone exhibition. Admission to the graphic design and media arts BFA program will be by application only, similar to the College's existing visual arts BFA.

SUNY Potsdam art graduates have gone on to pursue professions in the fine arts, art administration, art therapy, digital design, K-12 and university teaching, museum curation, audio/visual administration, publishing, gallery ownership, interior design, architecture, commercial printing, pattern making, photojournalism and studio ceramics.

Art students at SUNY Potsdam live and create in a unique art environment, within the context of a stimulating liberal arts tradition. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/art.

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of only three arts campuses in the entire SUNY system. SUNY Potsdam's arts curriculum offers the full palette: music, theatre, dance, fine arts and creative writing. No matter the discipline, people from all backgrounds can find their creative compass at Potsdam, with myriad arts immersion experiences available for both campus and community.

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