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Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication (B.F.A.)

With an ever growing presence of the visual in contemporary life, from on-line activity to the exploding phenomenon of social media, visual communication is a field relevant to all professions

Duration
4 years (full-time)
APPLY NOW! Download Brochure

Program Overview

With an ever growing presence of the visual in contemporary life, from on-line activity to the exploding phenomenon of social media, visual communication is a field relevant to all professions.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication (B.F.A.) program at AUD will equip students with the artistic skill sets needed for successful careers in the advertising, design and creative industries.

Offering majors in Advertising, Digital Media, Graphic Design and Studio Art, the program endeavors to develop awareness and critical perception of the historical, cultural and theoretical foundations for art and design. The curriculum encourages the amalgamation of aesthetics, technique, concept development, critical thinking and digital technology.

The primary goal of the Department of Visual Communication and its programs is to deliver an educational experience based on the best practice and standards of quality institutions of art and design. We provide an academic curriculum, professional instruction, and world-class facilities and technologies, culminating is a creative and dynamic learning environment.

Upon completion of the degree program, students will be able to:

  • Effectively articulate the conceptual foundations of visual communication works;
  • Demonstrate the design process for developing new, creative visual communication projects;
  • Execute the production and presentation of new works of art and visual design;
  • Evaluate and critique contemporary art and design works;
  • Recognize and integrate the ethical, and sociocultural ideals of the target audience in each work of visual communication.

Program Details

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication at AUD is a 120 credit-hour, four year program.

The curriculum focuses on a combination of aesthetics, technique, concept development, critical thinking and digital technology. The program offers a multi-lingual typography and multi-cultural art. AUD were the first in the Arab world to offer an Arabic type design course, calligraphy workshops and cultural events, producing several awards, exhibitions and features in various design periodicals, regionally and internationally.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication is split into the following majors:

ADVERTISING
Involving sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, event marketing and new media, Advertising focuses on the following professional specializations:

  • Print advertising (magazines and newspapers)
  • Point of sale display (in retail)
  • Cinema advertising
  • TV advertising
  • Non-traditional advertising (music, sponsorship)
  • Outdoor and online advertising

DIGITAL MEDIA
Designed to nurture creativity and equip students with practical and critical skills to adapt to constantly evolving technology, the Digital Media major prepares students for the following professions:

  • Web design
  • Animation
  • Video
  • Interactive media
  • Game design
  • Sound design
  • Non-traditional advertising & design (ambient music, sponsorship of events, campaigns in unexpected places and ways)
  • New media art

GRAPHIC DESIGN
The art of creating, choosing and arranging images and text to create visual solutions that will inform, promote, amuse or persuade, the Graphic Design major can lead graduates into the following professions:

  • Publication design (brochures, magazines and newspapers)
  • Book design
  • Poster design
  • Packaging design
  • Corporate identity (logos and branding)
  • Information design (maps, charts, diagrams and interface design)
  • Web design and multimedia
  • Motion graphics (movie titles and TV graphics)
  • Environmental design (signage systems and environmental graphics)
  • Exhibition design

STUDIO ART
Studio Art is the study of painting, photography, sculpture and printmaking, entailing a final-year self-directed studio project and written thesis. Graduates of the Studio Art major can pursue the following professions:

  • Fine Artist
  • Gallery Owner/Employee
  • Curator
  • Creative Director
  • Illustrator
  • Corporate Art Consultant

For the full course details and sequencing view the e-brochure.

Facilities

  • Well-equipped and advanced studios and lecture rooms.
  • Fully equipped 3-D studio
  • Laptop classroom with multimedia presentation equipment, surround sound system, 27inch Apple monitors, and a large HD TV with the ability to stream to/from Apple computers and devices;
  • Fully equipped print making studio;
  • VC Studio for painting and freehand drawing courses;
  • Darkroom lab;
  • Hybrid media studio;
  • Computer lab with 20 Apple 27inch iMac, fully equipped with the latest design and animation software such as Adobe CC, Maxon Cinema 4D, etc.; 
  • Rotunda Gallery - fully equipped exhibition space;
  • State-of-the-art multipurpose editing suites, equipped with the latest top of the range Apple MacPro Computers with dual displays, Thunderbolt 2 external raid storage, Pro Audio, Video, Interactive and Animation software and hardware;
  • Extensive printing facilities containing A3 color printers, A3 mini plotter and A0 format color printer;
  • Resource Center, stocked with the latest 4K digital cameras, sound and lighting equipment;
  • Commercial print shop located in the Student Center building.

ADMISSIONS ENTRY

All applying students must have:

  • A high school/secondary school certificate or equivalent from an institution accredited by the Ministry of Education in the U.A.E. or by the relevant national or regional institutional accrediting body;
  • International TOEFL®or Academic IELTSTM or the equivalent score on another internationally-recognized English exam. PBT is accepted from specific centers in the UAE;
  • The University administers the ACCUPLACERTM Exam (Math) to place students at the appropriate mathematics level. Students may substitute the SAT for this, depending on the score.

 Students should consult with the Admissions Office for further details at admissions@aud.edu.

FACULTY

Chair of the Department of Visual Communication and Professor of Studio Art
Michael Rice
Biography
Outreach Coordinator - Visual Communication and Professor of Advertising (Creative)
Dina Faour
Biography
Assistant Professor of Digital Media
Serena Abou Daher
Biography
Assistant Professor of Digital Media
Huda Al-Aithan
Biography
Assistant Professor of Visual Communication
Darrel Lloyd Perkins
Biography
Assistant Professor of Visual Communication (Foundations/Game Design)
Iyad Alsabouni
Biography
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design
Juhri Selamet
Biography
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design
Petra Merhy
Biography

STAFF

Administrative Assistant - Visual Communication department
Carolita Abella Parreñas
Biography
Administrative Assistant, School of Architecture, Art and Design
Leila Darwiche
Biography
Workshop and Lab Technician - School of Architecture, Art, and Design
Joel Oliveros
Biography
Digital Media Specialist
Anil Mathew James
Biography
Senior IT Support Specialist
Fakruddin Ali Ahmed
Biography
Senior Academic IT Services Specialist
Nikhil Rao
Biography
Class_of_Alumni_Thumbnail
Mitra Gholami, B.F.A. in Interior Design
B.F.A. in Interior Design Owner of Deleap Interior Design, San Francisco

All I know today, I learned from AUD. I love my university because it has a great culture and a strong connection with students

Class_of_Alumni_Thumbnail
Sareh Ameri
B.F.A. in Interior Design, Managing partner at Resysta - a start-up company that promotes the use of a unique, sustainable building materials

I worked hard as a student and tried to learn as much as I could from my professors

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