VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS

(Associate in Applied Sciences Degree)

Brookhaven only

• Students pursuing this award program are required to meet Texas Success Initiative (TSI) standards and course prerequisites.
• Students must earn at least 25% of the credit hours required for graduation through instruction by the college awarding the degree.

Degree Plan Code: Individual degree plan codes(s) have been assigned to a specific track(s) within this degree plan.

The Visual Communications program is designed to provide students with a foundation of knowledge, creative and technical skills required for the visual communications industry. The complete course of study provides for the development of creative, conceptual, technical, interpersonal, and communication skills necessary for entry-level positions. The Visual Communication Associate of Applied Science Degree is awarded for successful completion of a minimum of 60-65 credit hours that include a common core of academic courses and a selection of technical courses based on three areas of specialization. The degree is designed to be completed in two years. Each specialized track of study is described as follows:

Communication Design prepares students to enter the fields of graphic and Web design, advertising art, desktop publishing, and print production. This track emphasizes concept development as well as technical skills.

Interactive Media develops skills and technical knowledge to create multimedia presentations, motion and 3-D graphics, and digital video. This track emphasizes storyboard concept development and technical production.

Web Design prepares students for a career in Web design, interface design, and design for applications in e-commerce. This track focuses on visual presentation of Web sites, including concept development, page design, and preparation of graphics and images as well as technical skills required in Web page construction.

FIRST YEAR

SEMESTER I

SEMESTER II

SECOND YEAR

SEMESTER III

SEMESTER IV

+Humanities/Fine Arts Elective - must be selected from the AAS Core Options for Humanities/Fine Arts.

++Social/Behavioral Science Elective - must be selected from the AAS Core Options for Social/Behavioral Science.

¹If ARTC 1305 is taken in lieu of ARTS 1311, then the +Elective course must also be taken.

Choose Specialty Track courses A, B, or C from the following corresponding tracks:

Track A - Communication Design (Degree Plan Code: AAS.VC.COMM.DES.08)

Track B - Interactive Media (Degree Plan Code: AAS.VC.INTER.MEDIA)

Track C - Web Design (Degree Plan Code: AAS.VC.WEB.DESIGN)

NOTE: Students enrolling in this program who plan to transfer to a four-year institution should consult an advisor or counselor regarding transfer requirements and the transferability of these courses to the four-year institution of their choice.

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This degree plan has been updated since it was originally published on June 9, 2014.
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VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS

Gainful Employment Information

(Level I Certificate)

Brookhaven only

• Students pursuing this certificate are waived from the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) standards, but must meet course prerequisites.
• Students must earn at least 25% of the credit hours required for graduation through instruction by the college awarding the degree.

Degree Plan Code: C1.VISUAL.COMM.08

The one-year Visual Communications certificate provides basic knowledge about the visual communications industry. The curriculum is designed to familiarize students with design concepts, skills and tools and to provide training for the creative graphics and publishing software used in visual communication fields.

CREDIT HOURS

SEMESTER I

ARTC 1302	Digital Imaging I	3
ARTC 1309	Basic Illustration	3
ARTS 1311	2-D Design OR	3
ARTC 1305	Basic Graphic Design	(3)
ARTC 1353	Computer Illustration	3
ARTC 2311	History of Communication Graphics	3
		15

SEMESTER II

ARTC 1313	Digital Publishing I	3
ARTC 1317	Design Communication I	3
ARTC 1359	Visual Design for New Media OR	3
ARTC 1392	Special Topics in Design and Visual Communications	(3)
ARTC 2305	Digital Imaging II	3
IMED 1416	Web Design I	4
		16

Minimum Hours Required

31

NOTE: Students enrolling in this program who plan to transfer to a four-year institution should consult an advisor or counselor regarding transfer requirements and the transferability of these courses to the four-year institution of their choice.

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This degree plan has been updated since it was originally published on June 9, 2014.
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The Visual Communications AAS is a requirement prior to or concurrent with this Enhanced Skills Certificate.

VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS

Gainful Employment Information

Brookhaven only

• Students pursuing this award program are required to meet Texas Success Initiative (TSI) standards and course prerequisites.
• Students must earn at least 25% of the credit hours required for graduation through instruction by the college awarding the degree.

Degree Plan Code: ES.VISUAL.COMM.O8

The Visual Communications Enhanced Skills Certificate attached to the Visual Communications Associate Degree provides high school graduates in an Articulated/Dual Technical Credit program the opportunity to acquire advanced skills required by the industry. This certificate is primarily for students who begin our program in their junior and senior years in high school through an affiliated Articulated/Dual Credit agreement.

CREDIT HOURS

SEMESTER I

ARTC 2335	Portfolio Development for Graphic Design OR	3
ARTC 2380	Cooperative Education-Commercial and Advertising Art	(3)
Track (A, B, or C) Elective		3
Track (A, B, or C) Elective		3
Track (A, B, or C) Elective		3-4
		12-13

Minimum Hours Required

12-13

A student must select one of the Specialized Tracks (Communication Design, Interactive Media, or Web Design) to be awarded the enhanced skills certificate. Choose Specialized Track courses A, B, or C from the following corresponding tracks:

Track A - Communication Design: Elective courses must be selected from the following:

ARTC 1392	Special Topics in Design and Visual Communications	3
ARTC 2333	Publication Design	3
ARTC 2340	Computer Illustration II	3
ARTV 1345	3-D Modeling and Rendering I	3
ARTV 1351	Digital Video	3
ARTV 2301	2-D Animation I	3
IMED 2313	Project Analysis and Design	3
IMED 2315	Web Design II	3

Track B - Interactive Media: Elective courses must be selected from the following:

ARTC 1392	Special Topics in Design and Visual Communications	3
ARTC 2333	Publication Design	3
ARTC 2317	Typographic Design	3
ARTC 2340	Computer Illustration II	3
ARTC 2347	Design Communication II	3
ARTV 2341	Advanced Digital Video	3
IMED 2313	Project Analysis and Design	3
IMED 2315	Web Design II	3
IMED 2345	Interactive Digital Media II	3

Track C - Web Design: Elective courses must be selected from the following:

ARTC 1392	Special Topics in Design and Visual Communications	3
ARTC 2333	Publication Design	3
ARTC 2340	Computer Illustration II	3
ARTC 2347	Design Communication II	3
ARTC 2317	Typographic Design	3
ARTV 1345	3-D Modeling and Rendering I	3
ARTV 1351	Digital Video	3
ARTV 2301	2-D Animation I	3
IMED 2313	Project Analysis and Design	3
ITSE 1406	PHP Programming	4
ITSE 2413	Web Authoring	4

NOTE: Students enrolling in this program who plan to transfer to a four-year institution should consult an advisor or counselor regarding transfer requirements and the transferability of these courses to the four-year institution of their choice.

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VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS - WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

Gainful Employment Information

(Level II Certificate)

Brookhaven only

• Students pursuing this award program are required to meet Texas Success Initiative (TSI) standards and course prerequisites.
• Students must earn at least 25% of the credit hours required for graduation through instruction by the college awarding the degree.

Degree Plan Code: C2.VC.WEB.DES.DEV.12

This curriculum is designed to provide the student with a foundation of the creative, conceptual, technical, interpersonal, and communication skills required for entry-level positions within the web production fields. The complete course of study prepares the student for creative concept development, page design and layout, the preparation of graphics and images, navigation and site architecture, and the technical development of websites. Technical skills prepare students to use (X)HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP/ASP and various graphics and web authoring software applications to develop static, interactive and dynamic web sites. Students also learn programming for web server and database systems as well as multimedia development.

CREDIT HOURS

SEMESTER I

ARTC 1302	Digital Imaging I	3
ARTS 1311	2-D Design OR	3
ARTC 1305	Basic Graphic Design1 AND	(3)
+Elective	Humanities/Fine Arts	(3)
ARTC 1353	Computer Illustration	3
IMED 1416	Web Design I	4
ENGL 1301	Composition I	3
		16-19

SEMESTER II

ITSE 1301	Web Design Tools	3
IMED 2313	Project Analysis and Design	3
IMED 2315	Web Design II	3
IMED 2449	Internet Server Management	4
ITSE 1411	Beginning Web Programming	4
		17

SEMESTER III

IMED 1345	Interactive Digital Media I OR	3
IMED 2409	Internet Commerce	(4)
INEW 2430	Comprehensive Software Project: Planning and Design	4
ITSE 1406	PHP Programming	4
ITSE 1303	Introduction to MySQL	3
		14-15

Minimum Hours Required

47-51

+Humanities/Fine Arts Elective--must be selected from the AAS Core Options for Humanities/Fine Arts.

¹If ARTC 1305 is taken in lieu of ARTS 1311, then the +Elective course must also be taken.

NOTE: Students enrolling in this program who plan to transfer to a four-year institution should consult an advisor or counselor regarding transfer requirements and the transferability of these courses to the four-year institution of their choice.

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VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS - WEB DESIGN AND GRAPHICS

Gainful Employment Information

(Level I Certificate)

Brookhaven only

• Students pursuing this certificate are waived from the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) standards, but must meet course prerequisites.
• Students must earn at least 25% of the credit hours required for graduation through instruction by the college awarding the degree.

Degree Plan Code: C1.VC.WEB.DES.GRPH

This curriculum is designed to provide the skills necessary for an entry-level position as a Web Designer. Emphasis is upon the visual presentation of websites including concept development, page and navigation design and the preparation of graphics and images as well as the technical skills and software applications required in web page construction.

CREDIT HOURS

SEMESTER I

ARTC 1302	Digital Imaging I	3
ARTS 1311	2-D Design OR	3
ARTC 1305	Basic Graphic Design	(3)
ARTC 1309	Basic Illustration	3
ARTC 1353	Computer Illustration	3
IMED 1416	Web Design I	4
		16

SEMESTER II

ARTC 1317	Design Communication I	3
ITSE 1301	Web Design Tools	3
IMED 1345	Interactive Digital Media I	3
IMED 2313	Project Analysis and Design	3
IMED 2315	Web Design II	3
		15

Minimum Hours Required

31

NOTE: Students enrolling in this program who plan to transfer to a four-year institution should consult an advisor or counselor regarding transfer requirements and the transferability of these courses to the four-year institution of their choice.

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