Design Studies

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.