Design and Imaging Technology Associate in Occupational Studies Degree

Immerse in the art of design with an AOS program in Design and Imaging Technology. Create visual masterpieces.


Overview for Design and Imaging Technology AOS

People who work in the design 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 large, exciting field that requires a variety of computer-based and traditional visual skills. The design and imaging technology program provides opportunities for students to enter various careers ranging from creative to highly technical positions at various degree levels. This program is available for qualified deaf and hard of hearing students.

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Careers and Cooperative Education

Typical Job Titles

Graphic Design Technician Digital Image Specialist Specialty-Graphics Technician
Digital Photography Technician Image/Photo Retoucher Print Production Associate
Video Technician Website Designer Graphics Production Technician
Sign Design/Production Digital Printing Systems Operator

Industries

  • Design
  • Advertising, PR, and Marketing
  • Journalism, Media, and Publishing
  • Architecture and Planning
  • Government (Local, State, Federal)
  • Non-Profit
  • Other Industries

Cooperative Education

What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.

Students in the design and imaging technology program are required to complete a cooperative education work experience prior to graduation. You may schedule your co-op after completing your second-year academic requirements.

Curriculum for 2025-2026 for Design and Imaging Technology AOS

Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements

Design and Imaging Technology AOS

Digital Media Concentration 

The curriculum below outlines the typical course sequence(s) for this program.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallHours
Select one of the following: 3
Design Drawing  
Drawing I  
Digital Photography I  
NAIS-120 Principles of Design and Color 3
NAIS-130 Raster and Vector Graphics 3
NCAR-10 Freshman Seminar 0
NTID AOS Elective 1 3
 Hours12
Spring
NAIS-140 Graphic Design and Typography I 3
NAIS-150 Page Layout I 3
NAIS-160 Web Design I 3
NMTH-140 Mathematics in Society (or higher) (NTID AOS Foundation-Mathematical Processes) 2 3
NTID AOS Elective 1 3
 Hours15
Second Year
Fall
N3DG-220 Principles of 4D Design 3
NAIS-201 Employment Seminar 3
NGRD-221 History of Graphic Design 3
Concentration Elective 3
 Hours12
Spring
NAIS-292 Portfolio Workshop 3
NGRD-257 Animation 3
NGRP-220 Videography 3
NTID AOS Perspective 3 3
 Hours12
Summer
NAIS-299 Co-op: Visual Communication Studies 0
 Hours0
Third Year
Fall
NGRP-261 Interactive Digital Media 3
Concentration Elective 3
Concentration Elective 3
NTID AOS Perspective 3 3
 Hours12
 Total Hours63

Notes:

  • All students pursuing an associate’s degree are also required to complete one wellness course.
1

Students can apply any course with the NTID AOS Foundation (Career English; Mathematical Processes) or AOS Perspective (Scientific Processes; Sign Language Processes; Communication Processes; Creative Processes) designation toward the NTID AOS Elective allowance. Students who place into NENG-104 Literacies I, NENG-114 Literacies II, or NENG-115 Literacies III must take as many of these courses as necessary to complete NENG-115. NMTH-110 Prealgebra and NENG-104 Literacies I are not designated as NTID AOS Foundation or Perspectives courses and therefore cannot be applied toward the NTID AOS Elective allowance.

2

Students who place above NMTH-140 Mathematics in Society can take math or 3 SCH from any of the four perspective areas.

3

NTID AOS Perspective courses may be from any of these three Perspective course categories: Sign Language Processes, Communication Processes, and Creative Processes.

Digital Media Concentration Electives

Choose from the following list of courses, or by departmental approval:

Show course list
N3DG-100Design Drawing3
N3DG-110Basic 3D Modeling3
N3DG-115Intermediate 3D Modeling and Techniques3
N3DG-2303D Printing3
NAIS-199Independent Study-Visual Communications Studies1-3
NAIS-289Special Topics-Visual Communications Studies1-5
NGRD-111Drawing I3
NGRD-115Visual Idea Development3
NGRD-211Drawing II3
NGRD-258Cartooning3
NGRP-110Digital Photography I3
NGRP-210Digital Photography II3
NGRP-232Image Manipulation3
NGRP-260Web Design II3

Graphic Design Concentration

The curriculum below outlines the typical course sequence(s) for this program.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallHours
Select one of the following: 3
Design Drawing  
Drawing I  
NAIS-120 Principles of Design and Color 3
NAIS-130 Raster and Vector Graphics 3
NCAR-10 Freshman Seminar 0
NTID AOS Elective 1 3
 Hours12
Spring
NAIS-140 Graphic Design and Typography I 3
NAIS-150 Page Layout I 3
NAIS-160 Web Design I 3
NMTH-140 Mathematics in Society (or higher) (NTID AOS Foundation-Mathematical Processes) 2 3
NTID AOS Elective 1 3
 Hours15
Second Year
Fall
NAIS-201 Employment Seminar 3
NGRD-221 History of Graphic Design 3
NGRD-240 Graphic Design and Typography II 3
Concentration Elective 3
 Hours12
Spring
NGRD-255 Publication Design 3
NGRD-256 Identity Design 3
NAIS-292 Portfolio Workshop 3
NTID AOS Perspective 3 3
 Hours12
Summer
NAIS-299 Co-op: Visual Communication Studies 0
 Hours0
Third Year
Fall
NGRD-230 Digital Illustration 3
Concentration Elective 3
Concentration Elective 3
NTID AOS Perspective 3 3
 Hours12
 Total Hours63

Notes:

  • All students pursuing an associate's degree are also required to complete one wellness course.
1

Students can apply any course with the NTID AOS Foundation (Career English; Mathematical Processes) or AOS Perspective (Scientific Processes; Sign Language Processes; Communication Processes; Creative Processes) designation toward the NTID AOS Elective allowance. Students who place into NENG-104 Literacies INENG-114 Literacies II, or NENG-115 Literacies III must take as many of these courses as necessary to complete NENG-115. NMTH-110 Prealgebra and NENG-104 Literacies I are not designated as NTID AOS Foundation or Perspectives courses and therefore cannot be applied toward the NTID AOS Elective allowance.

2

Students who place above NMTH-140 Mathematics in Society can take math or 3 SCH from any of the four perspective areas.

3

NTID AOS Perspective courses may be from any of these three Perspective course categories: Sign Language Processes, Communication Processes, and Creative Processes.

Graphic Design Concentration Electives 

Choose from the following list of courses, or by departmental approval:

Show course list
N3DG-100Design Drawing3
N3DG-110Basic 3D Modeling3
N3DG-115Intermediate 3D Modeling and Techniques3
N3DG-220Principles of 4D Design3
NAIS-199Independent Study-Visual Communications Studies1-3
NAIS-289Special Topics-Visual Communications Studies1-5
NGRD-111Drawing I3
NGRD-115Visual Idea Development3
NGRD-211Drawing II3
NGRD-257Animation3
NGRD-258Cartooning3
NGRP-110Digital Photography I3
NGRP-210Digital Photography II3
NGRP-220Videography3
NGRP-232Image Manipulation3
NGRP-251Publication Production3
NGRP-260Web Design II3
NGRP-275Digital Printing Systems3

Graphic Production Concentration 

The curriculum below outlines the typical course sequence(s) for this program.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallHours
NAIS-130 Raster and Vector Graphics 3
NCAR-10 Freshman Seminar 0
NGRP-110 Digital Photography I 3
NGRP-120 Principles of Graphic Production 3
NTID AOS Elective 1 3
 Hours12
Spring
NAIS-140 Graphic Design and Typography I 3
NAIS-150 Page Layout I 3
NAIS-160 Web Design I 3
NMTH-140 Mathematics in Society (or higher) (NTID AOS Foundation-Mathematical Processes) 2 3
NTID AOS Elective 1 3
 Hours15
Second Year
Fall
NAIS-201 Employment Seminar 3
NGRP-231 Image Preparation 3
NGRP-245 Color Theory And Management 3
Concentration Elective 3
 Hours12
Spring
NGRP-250 Page Layout II 3
NGRP-252 PDF Production and Workflow 3
Concentration Elective 3
NTID AOS Perspective 3 3
 Hours12
Summer
NAIS-299 Co-op: Visual Communication Studies 0
 Hours0
Third Year
Fall
NAIS-291 Production Workshop 3
NGRP-270 Specialty Graphics Imaging 3
Concentration Elective 3
NTID AOS Perspective 3 3
 Hours12
 Total Hours63

Notes:

  • All students pursuing an associate's degree are also required to complete one wellness course.
1

Students can apply any course with the NTID AOS Foundation (Career English; Mathematical Processes) or AOS Perspective (Scientific Processes; Sign Language Processes; Communication Processes; Creative Processes) designation toward the NTID AOS Elective allowance. Students who place into NENG-104 Literacies INENG-114 Literacies II, or NENG-115 Literacies III must take as many of these courses as necessary to complete NENG-115. NMTH-110 Prealgebra and NENG-104 Literacies I are not designated as NTID AOS Foundation or Perspectives courses and therefore cannot be applied toward the NTID AOS Elective allowance.

2

Students who place above NMTH-140 Mathematics in Society can take math or 3 SCH from any of the four perspective areas.

3

NTID AOS Perspective courses may be from any of these three Perspective course categories: Sign Language Processes, Communication Processes, and Creative Processes.

Graphic Production Concentration Electives 

Choose from the following list of courses, or by departmental approval:

Show course list
N3DG-100Design Drawing3
N3DG-110Basic 3D Modeling3
N3DG-115Intermediate 3D Modeling and Techniques3
N3DG-2303D Printing3
NAIS-199Independent Study-Visual Communications Studies1-3
NAIS-289Special Topics-Visual Communications Studies1-5
NGRD-115Visual Idea Development3
NGRP-210Digital Photography II3
NGRP-232Image Manipulation3
NGRP-251Publication Production3
NGRP-275Digital Printing Systems3
NGRP-220Videography3

Admissions and Financial Aid

For the career-focused AOS Degree

  • 2 years of high school math preferred
  • 1 year of high school science preferred
  • English language skills as evidenced by application materials determine acceptance into the AAS or the AOS program.

Specific English, Mathematics and Science Requirements and other Recommendations

Successful completion of the Summer Vestibule Program is required. 

  • English: Placement into NENG-114 Literacies II or above.  To earn the AOS degree, students must complete all necessary NENG coursework through NENG-115 Literacies III or they must place into an English course above NENG-115 Literacies III.
  • Mathematics: Placement into the Mathematics in Society (NMTH-140) course. Typically, students entering this major will have completed at least two years of high school mathematics.
  • Science: Typically, students entering this major will have completed at least two years of high school science.
  • ACT (optional): The ACT middle 50% composite score is 14-17.

Learn How to Apply

Financial Aid and Scholarships

100% of all incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid.

RIT’s personalized and comprehensive financial aid program includes scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment programs. When all these are put to work, your actual cost may be much lower than the published estimated cost of attendance.
Learn more about financial aid and scholarships

Contact

Program Contact