Admissions

Undergraduate Majors

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Undergraduate Degrees

Creative Direction—BFA

Creativity defines, builds and grows brands, setting apart the quick thinkers and opportunity-seekers from companies that are satisfied with the status quo. The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Creative Direction degree (formerly the Bachelor’s in Advertising) prepares you to take the reins to steer marketing and advertising in exciting, intriguing, unexpected directions; to influence every aspect of how a company looks, sounds, feels and presents itself to the world.

Entertainment Design—BS

Entertainment designers bring stories to life by creating conceptual worlds, memorable animated characters and immersive gaming experiences

A successful career in Entertainment Design requires a fertile imagination, an understanding of the technological tools used to invent new realities and the ability to conceptualize within the parameters of a given story. Our alumni work in the fields of animation, video games, theme park design, film and television.

ArtCenter's Entertainment Design department offers three tracks:

  • Concept focuses on the skills and creative ability required of entertainment industry concept designers
  • Animation develops students in the disciplines of character animation, storyboarding, modeling, art direction, and lighting for 3D and 2D animation
  • Game Design prepares students to create and convey game concepts through prototyping and production for multiple platforms

Film—BFA

In an evolving industry, one constant remains: Filmmakers must be strong visual and narrative storytellers.

We believe in learning by making. Success in the entertainment industry requires a broader base of knowledge than ever before. And with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities located in Los Angeles, the world’s entertainment capital, we equip our Film students with the latest production and post-production tools and encourage them to begin shooting immediately. Students receive a strong foundational instruction in all aspects of storytelling for screens big and small. They then choose a specific track: cinematography, editing or directing. Upon completing the program, graduates will have had the opportunity to write and direct a film and develop a reel of individual work.

Fine Art—BFA

Our program prepares students for creating and questioning in a way that transforms how we think about and engage with the world.

The continual exercise of imagination and discipline is the basis for a career in art. ArtCenter Fine Art students become equipped with the rigorous foundational skills they need to be highly adaptable visual problem-solvers who learn to pay particular attention to aesthetics and conceptual dexterity.

Graphic Design—BFA

Graphic design has evolved to become much more than ink on paper; it has left the page to conquer space, motion and interaction.

At ArtCenter, Graphic Design students learn to infuse words and images with life and meaning—whether by creating motion graphics, an interface on the latest mobile device, setting type by hand in our letterpress shop or attending a workshop in our new typography center.

Illustration—BFA

Today’s illustrators are problem-solvers, conceptualizers and multifunctional artists whose work reaches across traditional and emerging media.

Illustration once meant creating artwork to accompany stories in books, newspapers and magazines. It now means so much more. It is about telling stories, conveying ideas and creating imagery for an array of commercial and social impact projects. Illustration’s unique ability to define social, political and cultural ideas makes it an ideal solution for an unparalleled scope of creative and communications projects.

Interaction Design—BS

Every technology interaction you experience in a day—from using mobile apps to playing games to wearing smart accessories to engaging with other digital environments—has been designed to maximize user experience (UX). By pursuing a bachelor’s degree in interaction design at ArtCenter, you will gain strategies and skills for creating person-first interactive environments and prepare to enter a burgeoning field of highly sought-after professional digital designers.

Photography and Imaging—BFA

Imagery tells our stories and grounds our most complex ideas. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Imaging degree equips photographers to turn visions into narratives and inspirations into realities. You’ll develop technical prowess, establish deep knowledge of photography concepts, gain ethical responsibility and cultural awareness, and become a professional photographer who is confident in dynamic environments.

Product Design—BS

Product Designers improve lives by creating consumer products—from game-changing wearables to life-changing medical devices to everything in between.

In recent years, business leaders have come to recognize the critical importance of good design in the success of corporate endeavors. Likewise, designers now realize that they need the tools necessary to succeed in business, whether as an entrepreneur or as part of an existing organization.

Spatial Experience Design—BS

Every space you enter is a scene—an opportunity to tell stories, engage emotions, and establish dynamics of the environment. By studying scenography, “the staging of spaces,” you will enhance your ability to make meaningful connections in all that you design. ArtCenter’s spatial experience design degree focuses on the total experience of the built environment from the first moment of encounter to the last moment of interaction. We prepare industry leaders in the fields of architecture, interiors, furniture, lighting and interior component design.

Transportation Design—BS

For seven decades, ArtCenter has educated the global design leaders who have brought beauty, innovation and meaning to the way we travel. ArtCenter graduates led the teams that created the iconic cars of the 40’s and 50’s, the muscle cars of the 60’s and 70’s, supercars, family cars, and a majority of the new concept cars unveiled at major motor shows each year. Alumni contributions in transportation design also include motorcycles, mega yachts, commercial trucks, agricultural equipment, trains, aircraft, spacecraft and more. They have created vehicle interiors that fuel our passion for driving, keep us safe, inform and entertain us. As dedicated problem solvers, they are addressing new challenges shaping the future.

First Year Immersion

At ArtCenter, you can begin your undergraduate education before you’ve determined the design major and degree that best fits your passions. In the selective First Year Immersion program, you can join other undecided majors as you develop your creative skills, broaden your critical perspectives of the world, and discover the focus and specialization (and major!) that will allow you to flourish in your creative practices.

How It Works

You and your fellow undeclared majors in the First-Year Immersion program will take courses in drawing, creative technologies, visual thinking, and humanities and sciences for your first two terms. These classes will equip you with core skills that apply to a wide spectrum of design majors. After gaining familiarity with ArtCenter’s design degrees, along with establishing critical and cultural awareness, you can pursue one of your top three choices of major and finish your degree in six additional terms.

Participating Majors

Through the First-Year Immersion program, you can complete a bachelor's degree degree in:

  • Creative Direction—BFA
  • Entertainment Design (Animation and Concept tracks)—BS
  • Fine Art—BFA
  • Graphic Design—BFA
  • Illustration—BFA
  • Interaction Design—BS
  • Photography and Imaging—BFA
  • Product Design—BS
  • Transportation Design—BS

The Entertainment Design (Game Design track), Film, and Spatial Experience Design majors are not part of the First-Year Immersion program.