B.A. – Design Arts & Practices
Design Arts & Practices
The Design Arts & Practices (DAP) degree will provide you the opportunity to develop a foundation in design thinking and making from an interdisciplinary perspective that you will be able to apply to a career in fields such as Experience and User Interface Design, Product Design, Industrial Design, Information Design, Graphic Design/Desktop Publishing, Interior and Spatial Design, Set and Exhibition Design, Environmental and Fashion Design, Art/Illustration, Multimedia Design/Animation, Art Direction, Web Design, and more.
This major is a great fit for you if you are passionate about art, design, and information, and how they come together and are applied to making a better world. In this interdisciplinary degree you will be able to take classes from the School of Art and the School of Information (Arizona’s iSchool). DAP students will develop core conceptual and technical skills to design artifacts and experiences across a range of scales and media. Project-based courses will build your abilities in problem solving and seeking, innovating with and through technologies, and developing creative visual strategies to address problems (climate change, social justice issues, representation and identity, education, limited water supplies, wildfires in local community, understanding information). History, theory, and academic courses will construct cultural frameworks for depth and breadth in research and application.
Courses across Art, Design, Information Studies, and Technology in distinct, interdisciplinary ways will shape your degree plan moving from foundations and skills over the first two years, to theories and issues, and a culminating capstone project. Capstone projects will be developed through transdisciplinary lenses, and will tackle challenges spanning fields from Social Justice, Design, and the Environment.
| Program Requirement | Description | Required Number of Units |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Courses Art History | ART 119 Contemporary Art & Theory | 3 |
| Foundation Courses First Year Experience | Three courses required from the following: ART 100A Mapping Drawing from observation ART 100B Space Sculpture ART 100C Gaze Digital photography ART 100D Experience Sound, video, and performance ART 100E Surface Painting and color theory ART 100F Amalgam Mixed-media ART 100G Propaganda Design ART 100J The Body Figure drawing | 6 |
| Core Courses | 16 units from the following: ISTA 131 (3) Dealing with Data ART 265 (3) Design Studio I ART 266 (3) Illustration Studio I SBE 301 (4) Introduction to Design Thinking ART 306B (3) Basics of Animation ART 361A (3) Design for Web and Devices ART 363A (3) Typography ART 462F (3) Information Graphics | 16 |
| Transdisciplinary Electives | Complete a minimum of 18 units of elective coursework in the major. Courses chosen in consultation with your advisor. | 18 |
| Non-Studio Based Art Courses | Upper Division: History + Theory Courses chosen in consultation with your advisor. | 6 |
| Senior Capstone | ART 498 Capstone | 3 |
Within the College of Fine Arts there are a number of computer labs reserved exclusively for graphic applications. Through the Office of Student Computing Resources (OSCR), students have access to a wide variety of technologies, training, and support in computer, video and audio production.
Within the School of Art there are numerous studios, labs, and classrooms dedicated to instruction and critique. Most spaces are equipped with digital projection and sound systems, pin-up walls and worktables, wireless connectivity and high speed internet.
Digital Print Studio
The Digital Print Studio uses a service based drop-off system and provides high quality, fine art digital prints using state-of-the-art printers and scanners. The studio also offers finishing services, which include mounting, matting, and framing. Visit the Digital Print Studio website for more information.
Book Art & Letterpress Lab
The Book Art and Letterpress Lab supports on campus letterpress printing, experimental printing, paper techniques, binding and bookery. Visit the Book Art & Letterpress Lab for more information.
Visit the School of Art’s Resources & Facilities page to learn more about the excellent facilities available for instruction in Design Arts & Practices.
The University of Arizona Museum of Art and The Center for Creative Photography, Joseph Gross Gallery and Lionel Rombach Gallery are just some of the on-campus sites to view contemporary as well as historic art works. Other contemporary venues are the Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson and the Tucson Museum of Art in the downtown area.
There are a number of galleries on campus and additionally in Tucson and Phoenix where students have a wide variety of opportunities to exhibit by proposal, application or invitation. Graduate students can exhibit in three School Galleries, two Student Union Galleries, and several community gallery spaces. Lionel Rombach Gallery and the Graduate Gallery are currently two of the popular venues for students. Graduate students have their thesis exhibitions in the University of Arizona Museum of Art and the Joseph Gross Gallery, both adjacent to the main entrance of the School of Art.
Visit the Galleries at the School of Art website for more on current and upcoming exhibitions along with our News and Events page.
Ready to join our community of dedicated artists, educators, and scholars? Visit our Admissions page to start your application.