DCCCD
VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS
(Associate of Applied Science 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 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.
| CREDIT HOURS |
FIRST YEAR
SEMESTER I
| ARTC 1302 | Digital Imaging I | 3 |
| ARTC 1309 | Basic Illustration | 3 |
| ARTC 1353 | Computer Illustration | 3 |
| ARTC 1305 | Basic Graphic Design | 3 |
| ENGL 1301 | Composition I | 3 |
| 15 |
SEMESTER II
| ARTC 1313 | Digital Publishing I | 3 |
| ARTC 1317 | Design Communication I | 3 |
| ARTS 1304 | Art History II OR | 3 |
| ARTC 2311 | History of Communication Graphics | (3) |
| MATH 1332 | Contemporary Mathematics (Quantitative Reasoning) OR | 3 |
| MATH 1314 | College Algebra | (3) |
| +Elective | Humanities/Fine Arts | 3 |
| 15 |
SECOND YEAR
SEMESTER III
| BUSI 1301 | Business Principles | 3 |
| ARTC 1359 | Visual Design for New Media OR | 3 |
| ARTC 1392 | Special Topics in Design and Visual Communications | (3) |
| Track (A, B, or C) Course 1 | 3 | |
| Track (A, B, or C) Course 2 | 3 | |
| ++Elective | Social/Behavioral Science | 3 |
| 15 |
SEMESTER IV
| Track (A, B, or C) Course 3 | 3 | |
| Track (A, B, or C) Course 4 | 3 | |
| Track (A, B, or C) Course 5 | 3 | |
| ARTC 2335 | Portfolio Development for Graphic Design OR | 3 |
| ARTC 2380 | Cooperative Education-Commercial and Advertising Art | (3) |
| SPCH 1311 | Introduction to Speech Communication OR | 3 |
| SPCH 1315 | Public Speaking | (3) |
| 15 |
| Minimum Hours Required | 60 |
+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.
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)
| 1 ARTC 2313 | Digital Publishing II | 3 |
| 2 ARTC 2317 | Typographic Design | 3 |
| 3 ARTC 2347 | Design Communication II | 3 |
| 4 ARTC 2305 | Digital Imaging II | 3 |
| 5 MRKG 2349 | Advertising and Sales Promotion OR | 3 |
| 5 ARTC 2340 | Computer Illustration II | (3) |
Track B - Interactive Media (Degree Plan Code: AAS.VC.INTER.MED.17)
| 1 IMED 1301 | Introduction to Digital Media | 3 | 2 IMED 1345 | Interactive Digital Media I | 3 |
| 3 ARTV 1351 | Digital Video | 3 |
| 4 ARTC 2305 | Digital Imaging II | 3 |
| 5 ARTV 2341 | Advanced Digital Video OR | 3 |
| 5 ARTV 1343 | Digital Sound | (3) |
Track C - Web Design (Degree Plan Code: AAS.VC.WEB.DESIGN)
| 1 IMED 1316 | Web Design I | 3 |
| 2 IMED 1345 | Interactive Digital Media I | 3 |
| 3 ARTC 2317 | Typographic Design | 3 |
| 4 IMED 2315 | Web Design II | 3 |
| 5 ITSE 1301 | Web Design Tools OR | 3 |
| 5 ARTC 2305 | Digital Imaging II | (3) |
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.
VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS
(Level I Certificate)
Brookhaven only
(Block Scheduling available on Brookhaven Campus)
- 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 | Design I 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 1316 | Web Design I | 3 |
| 15 |
| Minimum Hours Required | 30 |
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.
The Visual Communications AAS is a requirement prior to or concurrent with this Enhanced Skills Certificate.
VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS
Brookhaven only
(Block Scheduling available on Brookhaven Campus)
- 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 1303 | Basic Animation | 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:
| ARTV 1303 | Basic Animation | 3 |
| 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 |
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 1303 | Basic Animation | 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
(Level II Certificate)
Brookhaven only
(Block Scheduling available on Brookhaven Campus)
- 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 | Design I 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.
VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS - WEB DESIGN AND GRAPHICS
(Level I Certificate)
Brookhaven only
(Block Scheduling available on Brookhaven Campus)
- 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 | Design I 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.
