Bachelor of Arts · Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Graphic Design and Digital Media
Your imagination is a starting point. Learn to give it form.
If you enjoy drawing, painting or imagining new images, explore how to develop those instincts into artistic and design skills. Work with traditional art, illustration, visual storytelling and digital media — and learn to create for different people and purposes.
An Artistic Way of Seeing
What could your next sketch become?
An image can begin with a quick pencil line, an unexpected color, or a question you cannot quite put into words. What happens when you keep exploring it?
In Graphic Design and Digital Media, you learn to look closely, sketch, experiment, make choices and revise. At MEU, the artistic foundations of drawing, painting and illustration connect with typography, design, photography and digital tools. Creative expression matters — and so does learning how your work can speak to others.
Program video will appear here when available.
The Degree at a Glance
What will help your ideas take shape?
Drawing & Painting
Train your eye through observation, line, form, color and composition.
Illustration & Storytelling
Find visual ways to express an idea, a narrative or a point of view.
Design & Digital Media
Carry your ideas into photography, typography, digital imaging, video and interfaces.
Your Own Body of Work
Develop studio assignments, a senior project and portfolio, and supervised practice.
Art Meets Design
Build an artistic eye. Learn where it can take you.
Start with ways of seeing and making. Then explore how images tell stories, communicate ideas and take shape across physical and digital formats.
SKETCH.
EXPLORE.
01 · ARTISTIC FOUNDATIONS
Develop your eye and your hand.
Explore observation, drawing, painting, color, illustration and art history. Learn to see details, try unfamiliar approaches and give form to what you imagine.
WITH
IMAGES.
02 · VISUAL STORIES & DESIGN
Give your ideas a visual voice.
Use images, typography and composition to tell a story or express a message. Learn how illustration and design thinking can inform identities, posters, publications and other creative work.
ACROSS
MEDIA.
03 · DIGITAL CREATION
Let your ideas move between media.
Work with photography, digital images, video production, web design and UX/UI principles. Discover how artistic choices change when the format changes.
They belong together: These are ways to understand one BA degree, not separate concentrations. Art and design meet in the process of observing, imagining, making and communicating.
The Creative Process
Before the final image, there is the work of looking.
Imagine wanting to illustrate a place you have never visited. Where would you begin? You might research its architecture, study light, sketch the scene and try different compositions before finding the image you want to make.
That kind of curiosity belongs in both fine art and design. Through drawing, painting, art history, illustration and studio work at MEU, you explore how observation, imagination and technique develop together.
You also learn that a first idea does not have to be the final one. Sketches, experiments and thoughtful revisions help you discover what an image can become.
An Artist's Perspective
An image is built one decision at a time.
What you see in a finished artwork is only part of the story. Before it comes observation, research, imagination, sketching and revision.
Steve Creitz, MFA, Chair of MEU's Department of Art and Design, is a professional illustrator and designer. In his personal illustration practice, he describes researching a subject's history, architecture and visual details before beginning a drawing. His work connects traditional artistic study with digital methods.
His approach is one example of a larger principle: learn to understand what you want to depict, then develop your own way of showing it. The BA offers a broader foundation in art and design across many subjects and styles.
A Creative Practice
How do you turn inspiration into work?
Artistic ability grows through attention and practice. Making something new means learning how to observe, investigate, experiment, revise and share it.
Study details, proportions, light, color and the world around you.
Explore the history, meaning and context behind an idea.
Try forms, materials, compositions and different visual possibilities.
Bring together drawing, images, color, type and digital techniques.
Return to your work, hear feedback and explore what could improve.
Let your creation speak for itself, communicating your idea without needing many words.
From Studio to Portfolio
Give your work the time and space to develop.
You do more than learn about images. The BA includes studio coursework, a senior project and portfolio, a supervised internship and Art in Service — opportunities to connect creative practice with real responsibilities.
Senior Project & Portfolio
See how your artistic voice develops.
Bring ideas, visual research and finished work together in a senior project and portfolio. The current catalog describes presenting and defending your design work before faculty, including the choices that shaped it.
Internship & Art in Service
Discover how creative work connects with others.
The program includes a supervised graphic design internship and Art in Service. These components connect your developing creative skills with professional contexts and opportunities to respond to community needs; specific placements and projects vary.
Your Learning Journey
From curiosity to your own way of creating.
You do not need to arrive with a finished style. Through study and practice, you can discover interests, explore different media, and learn to explain what matters in your work.
Observe
Learn to look carefully before you make.
Experiment
Try sketches, media and unfamiliar approaches.
Practice
Strengthen drawing, composition and digital techniques.
Create
Connect your ideas with studio assignments and applied work.
Express
Shape a portfolio that shows your development and decisions.
Your Next Chapter
Where could a creative practice lead you?
You might love making pictures, inventing characters, arranging words on a page or telling a story through motion. Those interests can grow into different forms of visual work.
Graphic Design and Digital Media provides a foundation for pursuing illustration, visual identity, publications, advertising, digital content and other creative directions. Your interests, portfolio, additional training and experience will help determine where you go next.
These are possible professional directions, not guaranteed job placements. Particular roles may require additional specialization, software expertise or industry experience.
Why MEU?
Explore the artist in you. Build the designer you could become.
At MEU, drawing and visual exploration are not separate from digital design. The degree brings creative foundations, technical development and applied work into one experience.
Artistic Foundations with Room to Explore
Study drawing, painting, illustration, art history and composition, alongside photography and digital tools. Explore different methods rather than just one style.
Making, Revising and Presenting
Studio projects and a required senior portfolio give you reasons to test ideas, improve work and communicate how it developed.
Art Connected to Purpose
Art in Service and the graphic design internship provide opportunities to apply creative skills in community and professional settings.
Official Academic Requirements
Want to see the courses behind the degree?
Visit the official Academic Catalog for the current course list, prerequisites, elective options, studio requirements, internship details and credits. These may be updated as the curriculum develops.
Questions
Questions about studying art and design?
Is this an art degree or a digital design degree?
It brings both together. The BA includes drawing, painting, illustration, art history and other visual foundations, alongside graphic design, photography, digital imaging, video and web-related design. It is a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and Digital Media — not a separate fine-arts or animation major.
What if I love drawing but have not studied design before?
Drawing and artistic foundations are part of the course of study, and the curriculum includes digital skills too. Prior expertise should not be assumed to be required or unnecessary: ask MEU Admissions about current entry requirements and whether a portfolio or other preparation is needed.
Will I study UX/UI, web design and video?
Yes. The current required curriculum lists Principles of UX/UI, Web Design and Video Production. Each introduces design considerations relevant to its field; this is not a guarantee of a separate specialization in any of them.
Will I build a portfolio?
Yes. The required Senior Project and Portfolio course brings together a substantial design project and work that demonstrates your development. The current catalog describes a formal faculty presentation of the project.
Does the program include an internship?
Yes. The current degree requirements include Internship in Graphic Design, a supervised practical experience in a professional design environment. The exact arrangements and credit/hour conditions are set by the official catalog and the department.
Will everyone learn animation, 3D or generative AI?
Not necessarily. Courses in Digital Animation, 3D Modeling and Fabrication, and generative AI are listed among elective options in the current catalog, not as separate concentrations or courses required of every student. Availability and academic choices should be checked with the department.
Your Next Step
Want to study Graphic Design and Digital Media at MEU? Here's what to do next.
Ready to get started? Begin your application today. Still have questions? Talk to our Admissions team and we'll help you understand your next step.
View Current Academic Requirements →Keep Exploring
Still deciding what you want to study?
Every field opens a different way to learn, grow, and contribute. Return to MEU's full program list and explore what fits your interests.
