Design Studies

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Foreign:$ 46.4 k / Year(s) Deadline: Apr 1, 2025
184 place StudyQA ranking:4754 Duration:4 years

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The BA in design studies is a four-year, nonstudio program of study in design that focuses on the design disciplines offered in the ASU Herberger Institute:

  • architectural studies
  • graphic design
  • industrial design
  • interior design
  • landscape architecture

It is a highly flexible program of study, much like a liberal arts degree, in which students select design and design-related courses offered in the institute and throughout the university. Students acquire a breadth of design knowledge via courses taken from three categories:

  • communication for design
  • design history
  • general design

It provides a design education, general and specific, to students who seek opportunities in the broader design sector or in graduate education.

Students may undertake the program in one of two specific concentrations: design studies, which allows students to discover the myriad possibilities of design as a subject area as well as the flexibility that it provides for further exploration; or design management, which offers a selection of courses in management and human communication that complement design.

  • HDA 101: ASU & Herberger Institute Experience
  • Humanities, Arts and Design (HU) AND Global Awareness (G)
  • Lower Division Design History
  • Social-Behavioral Sciences (SB)
  • Lower Division Communication for Design
  • Literacy and Critical Inquiry (L)
  • Natural Science - Quantitative (SQ)
  • Social-Behavioral Sciences (SB) AND Cultural Diversity in the U.S. (C)
  • Design Elective
  • Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Applications (CS)
  • Humanities, Arts and Design (HU) AND Historical Awareness (H)
  • Natural Science - Quantitative (SQ) OR
  • Natural Science - General (SG)
  • Upper Division Design History
  • Upper Division Communication for Design
  • Upper Division General Design
  • Upper Division Literacy and Critical Inquiry (L)

Lower Division Design History: Select 1 course; 3 credits

  • ALA 100: Introduction to Environmental Design (HU & H & G)
  • DSC 101: Design Awareness (HU & G)
  • GRA 111: Graphic Design History I (HU)
  • GRA 112: Graphic Design History II
  • INT 111: Interior Design Issues and Theories (HU)

Lower Division Communication for Design: Select 1 course; 3 credits

  • COM 100: Introduction to Human Communication (SB)
  • COM 110: Elements of Interpersonal Communication (SB)
  • COM 225: Public Speaking (L)
  • COM 230: Small Group Communication (SB)
  • COM 250: Introduction to Organizational Communication (SB)
  • COM 259: Communication in Business and the Professions
  • COM 263: Elements of Intercultural Communication (SB & C & G)
  • HDA 210: Creativity and Innovation in Design and the Arts
  • HDA 252: Foundations of Arts Entrepreneurship

Lower Division General Design: Select 1 course; 3 credits

  • ALA 102: Landscapes and Sustainability (HU & G)
  • EDS 223: Design Thinking
  • GRA 101: Designing Life
  • GRA 225: Communication/Interaction Design Theory
  • GRA 294: Special Topics
  • IND 242: Materials and Design
  • IND 243: Design for Ecology and Social Equity
  • INT 121: Introduction to Computer Modeling for Interior Design (CS)
  • INT 123: Introduction to Computer-Aided Design and Building Information Modeling
  • INT 131: Design and Human Behavior (SB)
  • LAP 254: Plant Materials
  • PUP 190: Sustainable Cities ((HU or SB) 

Upper Division Design History: Select 4 courses; 12 credits

  • APH 300: World Architecture I/Western Cultures (HU & H & G) or APH 313: History of Architecture I ((L or HU) & G & H)
  • APH 314: History of Architecture II ((L or HU) & G & H)
  • APH 405: Contemporary Architecture and Urbanism 1970 to the Present (HU & H)
  • IND 316: 20th-Century Design I (HU & H)
  • IND 317: 20th-Century Design II (HU & H)
  • INT 310: History of Interior Design I (HU & H)
  • INT 311: History of Interior Design II (HU & H)
  • INT 415: Latin American Design
  • LPH 310: History of Landscape Architecture (HU & H)
  • LPH 311: 20th-Century Landscape Architecture (HU)
  • PUP 363: History of Planning

Upper Division Communication for Design: Select 4 courses; 12 credits

  • ARA 396: Professional Practices for Design and the Arts
  • ARA 489: Writing Art and Design Criticism
  • COM 312: Communication, Conflict, and Negotiation
  • DSC 394: Design Entrepreneurship & Society
  • ENG 301: Writing for the Professions (L)
  • HDA 420: Design and the Arts Business Administration
  • MKT 390: Essentials of Marketing
  • MKT 391: Essentials of Selling
  • MKT 395: Essentials of Advertising and Marketing Communication
  • THP 351: Arts Management
  • THP 452: Arts Entrepreneurship Seminar
  • TWC 301: Fundamentals of Writing for Digital Media (L)
  • TWC 347: Written Communication for Managers (L)

Upper Division General Design: Select 4 courses; 12 credits

  • ARA 309: Photography Now
  • ARA 460: Gallery Exhibitions
  • APH 494: Culture of Place in the Built Environment
  • ATE 361: Architectural Technology I
  • ATE 362: Architectural Technology II
  • ATE 451: Building Systems I
  • ATE 452: Architectural Technology III
  • DSC 394: Design Entrepreneurship & Society
  • DSC 394: Special Topics
  • DSC 494: Practice Management
  • DSC 494: Special Topics
  • GRA 345: Design Rhetoric (L)
  • GRA 401: Creative Environment
  • GRA 440: Finding Purpose
  • HDA 484: Internship
  • IND 344: Human Factors in Design
  • IND 354: Principles of Product Design
  • INT 394: Special Topics
  • INT 471: Facilities Management
  • LAP 352: Ecosystems and Sustainable Design
  • LAP 485: International Field Studies
  • LDE 494: Applied Landscape Architecture
  • LNP 494: Urban Horticulture
  • PUP 301: Introduction to Urban Planning (L)
  • PUP 420: Theory of Urban Design (HU)
  • Freshmen must have a 3.00 grade point average (GPA) (a "B" or better where "A"=4.00) from a secondary school.
  • Transfer students must have a minimum 2.50 GPA (a "C+" or better where "A"=4.00) from a college or university. Some ASU programs require a minimum transfer GPA of 3.00, including the W. P. Carey School of Business and Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.
  • Some ASU  programs may have higher admission requirements and may require a minimum ACT or SAT score.
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
  • All international students on F-1 or J-1 visas must provide a Financial Guarantee to show evidence of sufficient funds available for their students before their SEVIS Form I-20 can be issued. 

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

  • ✔️ Flexible study schedule
  • ✔️ Experienced teachers
  • ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Scholarships

ASU offers a limited number of merit-based scholarships for highly qualified international freshman students who are non-immigrant, nonresident and degree seeking. To be considered for this competitive scholarship, you must submit your application for admission by April 1, 2017. There is no separate scholarship application to complete. 

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