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Arts and Imaging Studies AAS
Program overview
People who work in the arts and imaging field are responsible for designing, organizing, and producing print and Web-based media for business, communication, publishing, manufacturing, entertainment, and advertising markets. This is a very large, exciting field that requires a variety of computer-based and traditional visual skills. The arts and imaging studies major provides opportunities for students to enter various careers ranging from creative to highly technical positions at various degree levels.
The arts and imaging studies major include a core component of nine courses (27 credits) plus a required cooperative work experience. The core courses provide a solid foundation for continuing in advanced courses, a baccalaureate program, and employment. Several of the core courses are scheduled during the first year, and additional courses are completed during the second year.
In addition to the core courses taken in the first year, students immediately begin course work in their concentration. Students may choose a concentration in graphic design or graphic technology. Both concentrations consist of 24 credit hours.
All students entering the major will be given an aptitude assessment experience. As a result of this assessment profile, students will be counseled and placed into an initial concentration: graphic design for students with creative aptitude and interest; graphic technology for students with technical/production aptitude and interest. The assessment is not final. Based on success and demonstrated capabilities, students may request or be counseled to change their program concentration.
The program's curriculum includes nine credits of technical electives and three credits of free electives. Students may select their technical elective courses from four different professional focus areas that provide additional depth of skill and knowledge specific to a career pathway:
- graphic design
- photography
- print publishing
- Web design
Technical electives may be chosen from a concentration area, a list of technical electives or, as appropriate, courses from other related programs. Free electives can be selected from any major within RIT, depending on availability and prerequisites.
All students gain real work experience through one semester of required cooperative education employment. Upon satisfactory conclusion of the co-op, students complete a required portfolio presentation course in which they refine and complete their portfolio as needed for an application to a baccalaureate program or the search for employment.
On-the-job responsibilities
Depending on their concentration and elective course selection, graduates use computer-based methods to produce drawings, layouts, illustrations, and digital photographic images; prepare documents for print, Web, and digital distribution; produce interactive digital media; perform digital retouching and restoration of photographic images; produce composite digital images; design and produce websites; produce computer animations; plan and produce short edited videos; and operate electrophotographic digital printing and inkjet systems, simple bindery, and finishing equipment.
Places of employment
Graduates usually find employment in a variety of commercial, corporate, government, and educational settings. Examples include computer graphics firms, advertising agencies, art studios, printing or manufacturing plants, prepress companies, in-house printing or marketing departments, book and magazine publishing houses, newspaper facilities, government agencies, industrial training or media departments, educational media centers, and educational institutions.
Graduates may qualify for positions such as production graphic artist, graphic designer, digital photo artist, digital photography technician, digital prepress technician, video technician, website designer, website technician, and digital printing systems operator.
Prerequisites
Successful completion of a sampling experience offered during the Summer Vestibule Program and also during the academic year is required. The sampling activities provide opportunities for students to learn about the arts and imaging field, identify career opportunities, and evaluate their interest and aptitude for a degree program.
ACT-AAS minimum score = 18
ACT-AOS minimum score = 15
English-AAS: Placement into the Written Communication II (0502-111) course.
English-AOS: Placement into English level C or above. Students successfully completing AOS degrees typically enter with reading scores equivalent to 8.0 on the California Reading Test.
Mathematics-AAS/AOS: Placement into the Concepts of Measurement (0884-150) course. Typically, students entering this major will have completed at least two years of high school mathematics.
Science-AAS/AOS: Typically, students entering this major will have completed at least two years of high school science.
Curriculum
Arts and imaging studies, AAS degree, typical course sequence (semesters), effective fall 2013
| Course | Sem. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| NAIS-120 | Principles of Design and Color | 3 |
| NAIS-130 | Raster and Vector Graphics | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| NGRD-111 | Drawing I‡ | |
| NGRP-110 | Digital Photography I§ | |
| LAS Foundation 1: First-Year Seminar | 3 | |
| NMTH-120 | LAS Elective: Mathematics** | 3 |
| ASL/Deaf Cultural Studies† | ||
| NAIS-140 | Graphic Design and Typography I | 3 |
| NAIS-150 | Page Layout I | 3 |
| NAIS-160 | Web Design I | 3 |
| ENGL-150 | LAS Foundation 2: Writing Seminar | 3 |
| NSCI-120 | LAS Perspective 6†† | 3 |
| Wellness Education* | 0 | |
| Second Year | ||
| NAIS-201 | Employment Seminar | 3 |
| Choose two of the following: | 6 | |
| NGRD-240 | Graphic Design and Typography II‡ | |
| NGRD-221 | History of Graphic Design‡ | |
| NGRP-231 | Image Preparation§ | |
| NGRP-245 | Color Theory and Management§ | |
| Professional/Technical Elective | 3 | |
| LAS Perspective 1 | 3 | |
| Choose two of the following: | 6 | |
| NGRD-255 | Publication Design‡ | |
| NGRD-256 | Identity Design‡ | |
| NGRP-252 | PDF Production and Workflow§ | |
| NGRP-250 | Page Layout II§ | |
| NAIS-291 | Production Workshop | 3 |
| LAS Perspective 2, 3 | 6 | |
| NAIS-299 | Cooperative Education | Co-op |
| Third Year | ||
| NAIS-292 | Portfolio Workshop | 3 |
| Professional/Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| NGRD-230 | Digital Illustration‡ | |
| NGRP-270 | Specialty Graphics Imaging§ | |
| LAS Perspective 4 | 3 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 72 | |
Please see New NTID General Education Curriculum-Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) for more information.
* Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information.
† A 3-credit ASL/Deaf Cultural Studies course, to be taken at NTID or another college of RIT; will count for RIT Gen Ed credit if it is simultaneously an RIT (non-NTID) Perspective Category course.
‡ NGRD courses/Graphic Design concentration
§ NGRP courses/Graphic Production concentration
** Any mathematics course numbered NMTH-120 or higher.
†† Any science course numbered NSCI-120 or higher.
Electives
NGRD-115 Visual Idea Development
NGRD-211 Drawing II
NGRD-222 Art History
NGRD-257 Animation
NGRD-258 Cartooning
NGRP-210 Digital Photography II
NGRP-220 Videography
NGRP-232 Image Manipulation
NGRP-251 Publication Production
NGRP-260 Web Design II
NGRP-261 Interactive Digital Media
NGRP-275 Digital Printing Systems
NAIS-199 Independent Study
NAIS-289 Special Topics