The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Visual Communication is designed to prepare students for employment and upgrade the skills of those already employed in the visual communication industry. The program focuses on design principles, technical, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills needed to communicate and complete successful visual communication projects. Students will receive hands-on specialized training for the application of specific technology to meet the unique needs of various careers, including, but not limited to graphic design, publication design, branding, illustration, digital prepress, digital press operation, estimating, production, project management, customer service, marketing, social media, creative advertising, user experience/user interface and creative direction. A Certificate of Completion (CCL) in either graphic design, creative branding or digital process management is embedded in this degree. Students may also elect to pursue standalone Certificates of Completion or transfer to a university.
Details
Important information you’ll need when applying for admission:Field of Interest:
Visual and Performing Arts
Type:
Associate Degree
Academic Plan Code:
3052
Total credits required:
60-68
Effective term:
Fall 2022
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| None | ||
Academic Plan:
Visual Communication (DEG)
Notes
Students must earn a grade of C or better for all courses required within the program.
This degree is designed for students seeking gainful, entry-level employment within the Visual Communication field. Graduates may apply courses within this program to Bachelor of Applied Science degrees at an Arizona public university.
See the AGEC Matrix course selections. See a university transfer specialist for details.
Students who plan to transfer to a four-year university who are seeking a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS), or Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree can also choose to pursue the Associate in Arts, Fine Arts (AAFA) option.
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Credits: | 39-40 | |
| Students should select one of the following Certificates of Completion in Visual Communication. Speak with an Academic Advisor or Program Director for guidance. | ||
| CCL Visual Communication: DESIGN | ||
| ADA/ART169 | 2D Media Design | 3 |
| ADA/ART175 | Electronic Publishing Design I | 3 |
| ADA/ART177 | Digital Photographic Imaging I | 3 |
| ADA/ART248 | Design Self Promotion | 3 |
| ARH110 | History of Graphic Design | 3 |
| ART100 | Introduction to Digital Arts (1) OR | |
| Permission of Department (0) | 0-1 | |
| ART103 | Typography in the Digital Age | 3 |
| ART104 | Cross-Media Marketing for Designers | 3 |
| ART114 | Digital Color | 3 |
| ART181 | Graphic Design I | 3 |
| ART291 | Digital Prepress | 3 |
| Students should select an additional 9 credits from the following list of courses: | ||
| ADA/ART289 | Computer Illustration | 3 |
| ART142 | Introduction to Digital Photography | 3 |
| ART143 | Intermediate Digital Photography | 3 |
| ART182 | Graphic Design II | 3 |
| ART/MMT190 | Art of Web Site Design | 3 |
| ART201 | Variable Data Printing | 3 |
| ART215 | Advanced Electronic Publishing | 3 |
| ART230 | Visual Brand Design | 3 |
| ART270 | Digital Photographic Imaging II | 3 |
| ART274 | Digital Photographic Imaging III | 3 |
| ART281 | Graphic Design III | 3 |
| ART286 | Graphic Design IV | 3 |
| ART288 | PDF Portable Document Format | 3 |
| ART290AA | Studio Art | 1 |
| ART290AB | Studio Art | 2 |
| ART290AC | Studio Art | 3 |
| ART296++ | Any Cooperative Education course | 1-4 |
| ART298++ | Any Special Projects course | 1-4 |
| CCL Visual Communication: CREATIVE BRANDING | ||
| ADA/ART169 | 2D Media Design | 3 |
| ADA/ART175 | Electronic Publishing Design I | 3 |
| ADA/ART177 | Digital Photographic Imaging I | 3 |
| ADA203 | Creative Design for Advertising | 3 |
| ADA/ART248 | Design Self Promotion | 3 |
| ART100 | Introduction to Digital Arts (1) OR | |
| Permission of Department (0) | 0-1 | |
| ART103 | Typography in the Digital Age | 3 |
| ART104 | Cross-Media Marketing for Designers | 3 |
| ART181 | Graphic Design I | 3 |
| ART/MMT190 | Art of Web Site Design | 3 |
| ART230 | Visual Brand Design | 3 |
| MKT110 | Marketing and Social Networking | 3 |
| Students should select an additional 6 credits from the following list of courses: | ||
| ART114 | Digital Color | 3 |
| ART142 | Introduction to Digital Photography | 3 |
| ART182 | Graphic Design II | 3 |
| ART192 | Advanced Web Presentation Design | 3 |
| ART201 | Variable Data Printing | 3 |
| ART215 | Advanced Electronic Publishing | 3 |
| ART291 | Digital Prepress | 3 |
| ART296++ | Any Cooperative Education Course | 1-4 |
| ART298++ | Any Special Projects course | 1-4 |
| MKT111 | Applied Marketing and Social Networking | 3 |
| CCL Visual Communication: DIGITAL PROCESS MANAGEMENT | ||
| ADA/ART169 | 2D Media Design | 3 |
| ADA/ART175 | Electronic Publishing Design I | 3 |
| ADA/ART177 | Digital Photographic Imaging I | 3 |
| ART100 | Introduction to Digital Arts (1) OR | |
| Permission of Department (0) | 0-1 | |
| ART103 | Typography in the Digital Age | 3 |
| ART114 | Digital Color | 3 |
| ART181 | Graphic Design I | 3 |
| ART227 | Estimating for Digital Output | 3 |
| ART249 | Visual Communication Project Management and Workflow | 3 |
| ART288 | PDF Portable Document Format | 3 |
| ART291 | Digital Prepress | 3 |
| ART292 | Digital Output Prepress | 3 |
| ART293 | Digital Output | 3 |
| Students should select an additional 3 credits from the following list of courses: | ||
| ART/MMT190 | Art of Web Site Design | 3 |
| ART201 | Variable Data Printing | 3 |
| ART296++ | Any Cooperative Education course | 1-4 |
| ART298++ | Any Special Projects course | 1-4 |
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Credits: | 0-2 | |
| Students in the Visual Communication: Design specialization may need to complete two (2) additional credits to meet a minimum of 60 credits. | ||
| General Education Requirement | Credits: 19-28 | |
| General Education Core | Credits: 12-18 | |
| First-Year Composition | Credits: 6 | |
| ENG101 | First-Year Composition (3) OR | |
| ENG107 | First-Year Composition for ESL (3) AND | |
| ENG102 | First-Year Composition (3) OR | |
| ENG108 | First-Year Composition for ESL (3) | 6 |
| Oral Communication | Credits: 3 | |
| COM100 | Introduction to Human Communication (3) OR | |
| COM110 | Interpersonal Communication (3) OR | |
| COM225 | Public Speaking (3) OR | |
| COM230 | Small Group Communication (3) | 3 |
| COM225 | recommended for students transferring to Northern Arizona University to meet the Literacy [L] requirement. | |
| Critical Reading | Credits: 0-3 | |
| CRE101 | College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking (3) OR | |
| Equivalent as indicated by assessment (0) | 0-3 | |
| Mathematics | Credits: 3-6 | |
| MAT140 | College Mathematics (5) OR | |
| MAT141 | College Mathematics (4) OR | |
| MAT142 | College Mathematics (3) OR | |
| MAT145 | College Mathematics with Review (5) OR | |
| MAT146 | College Mathematics with Review (6) OR | |
| Any approved general education course from the Mathematical Applications [MA] area. (3-6) | 3-6 | |
| General Education Distribution | Credits: 7-10 | |
| Humanities and Fine Arts | Credits: 0-3 | |
| May be met by ARH110 in the Required Courses of the Graphic Design specialization. | ||
| OR | ||
| Any approved general education course from the Humanities, Arts and Design [HU] area. | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | Credits: 3 | |
| Any approved general education course from the Social-Behavioral Sciences [SB] area. | ||
| Natural Sciences | Credits: 4 | |
| Any approved general education course from the Natural Sciences (Quantitative) [SQ] area or the Natural Sciences (General) [SG] area. | ||
Competencies
- Shared Outcomes
- Develop visual concepts in response to communication problems including visual organization of information hierarchy. (ADA/ART169, ADA/ART175, ADA/ART177, ADA/ART248, ADA/ART289, ART100, ART103, ART104, ART142, ART143, ART181, ART182, ART215, ART270, ART274, ART281, ART286, ART290AA, ART290AB, ART290AC, ART296++, ART298++, (COM), (CRE), [HU], [MA], [SB])
- Apply principles of design, history, theory, and criticism from a variety of perspectives for effective visual communication. (ADA/ART248, ARH110, ART100, ART142, ART143, ART181, ART182, ART298++ (COM))
- Critique designs to evaluate their effectiveness, and provide critical feedback to guide improvement and success. (ADA/ART169, ADA/ART175, ADA/ART177, ART100, ART103, ART142, ART143, ART181, ART182, ART215, ART281, ART286, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [SG], [SQ].
- Utilize industry standard software to produce effective solutions to client-based problems. (ART103, ADA/ART169, ADA/ART175, ADA/ART177, ADA203, ADA/ART289, ART100, ART142, ART143, ART/MMT190, ART192, ART201, ART230, ART249, ART270, ART274, ART288, ART290AA, ART290AB, ART290AC, ART292, ART293, ART296++, ART298++, MKT110, MKT111, (CRE), [MA])
- Demonstrate professional and collaborative practices in diverse settings as appropriate to the field (e.g., communication, presentation, time management, organization, and legal and ethical considerations). (ADA/ART248, ART104, ART230, ART249, ART291, ART296++, MKT110, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [SB])
- Communicate design ideas and solutions that integrate diverse opinions and cultural and individual differences. (ADA/ART169, ADA/ART175, ADA/ART177, ADA203, ADA/ART289, ARH110, ART103, ART104, ART181, ART182, ART281, ART230, ART296++, ART298++, (COM), CRE), [HU], [SB])
- Demonstrate the use of appropriate typography and font management. (ADA/ART169, ADA/ART175, ADA/ART177, ART103, ART104, ART181, ART182, ART/MMT190, ART192, ART215, ART230, ART270, ART274, ART281, ART286, ART288, ART290AA, ART290AB, ART290AC, ART291, MKT110)
- Visual Communication: Design CCL
- Utilize calibration, characterization, definitions, and profiles of digital color to ensure color consistency across outputs. (ADA/ART177, ART114, ART142, ART143, ART291, [MA], [SG], [SQ])
- Use digital prepress concepts and techniques to design, create, and evaluate electronic files for successful output to digital devices. (ART114, ART201, ART291, ART296++, [MA])
- Apply the fundamentals of digital marketing tools and methods for complex segments as they relate to graphic design. (ART104, ART281, ART286, ART296++, [SB])
- Create a portfolio of work that reflects current industry practices. (ADA/ART248, ADA/ART175, ART215, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [SB])
- Visual Communication: Creative Branding CCL
- Create effective marketing messages and campaigns for appropriate audiences to drive client-specific business goals. (ART104, ART/MMT190, ART192, ART230, ART296++, MKT110, MKT111, (COM), (CRE), [FYC], [HU], [SB])
- Design effective online and offline collateral to achieve business goals. (ADA/ART169, ADA/ART175, ADA/ART177, ART103, ART104, ART142, ART143, ART181, ART182, ART/MMT190, ART192, ART215, ART230, ART296++, MKT110, MKT111, (COM), (CRE), [FYC])
- Develop comprehensive brand standards and guidelines to maintain brand integrity. (ADA/ART169, ADA/ART175, ADA/ART177, ART103, ART104, ART142, ART181, ART182, ART215, ART291, ART296++, (CRE), [MA])
- Visual Communication: Digital Process Management CCL
- Estimate each function and process associated with a standard job ticket for printing using appropriate mathematical calculations for cost and time analysis. (ART227, ART249, ART296++, (COM), (CRE), [MA])
- Map the unique digital workflows for projects through the completion process. (ADA/ART175, ART249, ART288, ART291, ART292, ART293)
- Operate and troubleshoot the output of a file for prepress, press and post-press processes. (ADA/ART169, ADA/ART175, ART103, ART114, ART181, ART291, ART292, ART293, ART296++, [MA])
- Calibrate an output device for correct color. (ART114, ART296++, [MA])
- Demonstrate safe use and maintenance of equipment and consumables. (ART292, ART293, [SG], [SQ])
- Manage the project lifecycle for internal and external stakeholders. (ADA/ART175, ART249, ART288, ART291, ART296++, (COM), (CRE))
At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.