Department Handbook: Design

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1st Year

Planning Your Studies
Required Courses for Design Majors
Required course for all Faculty of Fine Arts Majors
Optional practicum courses
Overloading
Your General Education Requirements: A Tip
Additional Certification for Design Majors
HTML and JavaScript Preparation
Academic Advising Before Dropping Courses

 

Planning Your Studies
The academic year 2008/2009brings exciting changes to the YSDN curriculum. These changes reflect our commitment to enrich the areas of concentration within the Program identified as core strengths:

  • Communication,
  • Information,
  • Interactive Media and
  • Design Studies.

There are new courses in each of these areas in which students can develop their diverse interests and define their paths to becoming designers through our Program. 

The following degree requirements are in effect and recommended to all students who entered the York/Sheridan Program in Design 2008/2009 or after. If students have difficulties fulfilling these requirements they should consult the design office for individual advising based on the requirements when they entered the program.

Note: Not all courses in the Design curriculum may be offered each year.

 

Required Courses for Design Majors:

  • FA/YSDN 1001 3.0 Visual Language - Fall
  • FA/YSDN 1005 3.0 Typography 1 - Fall
  • FA/YSDN 1101 3.0 Critical Issues in Design - Fall
  • FA/YSDN 1002 3.0 Design & Image - Winter
  • FA/YSDN 1006 3.0 Interactivity Design One - Winter

 

Required course for all Faculty of Fine Arts Majors:

  • FA/FACS 1900 6.0 Arts and Ideas Year

This course is required of all students admitted to a first undergraduate degree program in the Faculty of Fine Arts. It can be credited as either a General Education/Humanities course, or as a Fine Arts Elective (commonly referred to as an in/out) or a Free Elective – but can be credited only once.

 

Optional practicum courses available to 1st year Design Majors:

  • FA/YSDN 2010 3.0 3DDesign (formerly 1003)
  • FA/YSDN 1004 3.0 Design & Colour
  • FA/YSDN 2011 3.0 Visualization Methods (formerly 2001A)
  • FA/YSDN 2006 3.0 Design & Perception
  • FA/YSDN 2012 3.0 Drawing for Design
  • FA/YSDN 2013 3.0 Materials & Methods
  • Optional Studies courses available to 1st year majors
  • FA/YSDN 1110 3.0 Communications in the Urban Environment*
  • FA/YSDN 2104 3.0 Design Thinking*

*can be credited only as Free Electives for Design majors

 

Beware of Overloading!
You are advised to take a maximum of three practicum courses in each of the Fall or Winter terms. Overloading of practicum courses does not allow you to produce your best work.

As a Design Major, you may take up to 36credits per year. Many students utilize the Spring and Summer Sessions to spread course-work over the full year.

 

Your General Education Requirements: A Tip
It is recommended that you complete your three General Education Requirements (one each of Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences) within your first two years of study. One way to achieve this is to take two General Education courses in your first year.

 

Additional Certification for Design Majors

  • Professional Certificate in Digital Design
  • Cross-Disciplinary Certificate in Digital Media
  • Certificate in Community Arts Practice

Concurrent with the completion of your BDes degree requirements and with careful planning of your course selection, you may meet the requirements of one of these certificates.

Full information and application forms are available from the Office of Student & Academic Services in 201 GCFA.

 

HTML and JavaScript Preparation
If you are not literate in HTML and JavaScript prior to starting the Program in Design, or if you are intending to focus your practicum coursework in Interactivity/New Media, please enroll in:

FA/FACS 1939 3.0Interactive New Media Art: An Introduction (basic HTML/JavaScript) or FA/FACS 2930 6.0 The Electronic Landscape (more advanced HTML/JavaScript). These courses also fulfill some of the requirements for the Certificates mentioned above and are credited as Fine Arts electives.

 

Always Seek Academic Advising Before Dropping Courses
Never drop a required course without consultation and academic advising from the Department of Design. There may be serious academic penalties in terms of not having the required course(s) necessary to continue to the next level of study.