Thank you for your interest in Graphic Design at Louisiana State University. Our programs, leading to both the BFA and the MFA degrees, are among the largest and most comprehensive in the region. With five experienced faculty members dedicated to exceptional teaching, together with several practicing professionals who offer instruction at the intermediate and advanced levels, we prepare our students to become visual communicators, critical thinkers and creative problem solvers.
The past twenty years have brought a massive expansion in the scope of opportunities for creative practice by visual artists. Wherever words and images are used to present information or attract attention—in print, on websites, at a retail store or a business office as well as in multimedia and multi-disciplinary projects—today’s graphic designers are challenged to be masters of a complex cluster of aesthetic, conceptual, technological, social, strategic and presentation skills.
The graphic design curriculum prepares students to meet this challenge through a broad range of experiences in the development of work in typography, print and editorial design, information design, digital imaging, packaging, and environmental design, identity design and branding.
Whether they choose to pursue independent professional practice or become members of a creative team in design, advertising, corporate communications, education, publishing or the non-profit sectors, our students are equipped to be creatively inspired and thoughtfully analytical in addressing issues of value and meaning in their work and their lives.
Admission to the graphic design concentration is selective, based on a very competitive portfolio review. We offer 3-year MFA and BFA degrees in Studio Art, and have approximately 120 majors in the undergraduate BFA program and up to 10 graduate students in the MFA program. After—and even before—graduation, our students have achieved recognition in design competitions at the regional, national, and international level.
We have a thriving internship program and regularly bring notable graduates and guest speakers to campus. The Graphic Design Student Association (GDSA) regularly holds extra-curricular field trips and lectures, and the Graphic Design Student Office (GDSO) is a highly successful student-managed design office. We also are associated with AIGA (The Professional Association for Design), with a student chapter and a regional association with the New Orleans AIGA.
We invite you to explore our website and to get in touch with us if we can provide additional information.