The Design BFA has an entrance requirement of an overall 2.75 GPA.
Please send your unofficial transcript and a filled out Major
Declaration form to [email protected].

Yes. A personal laptop with Adobe Creative Cloud software is required for the major, as you will need it to work on your projects both at home and in courses.

For students who wish to strengthen their skills within a particular area of the Design major, we recommend a track of study through the selection of 5-8 design electives from the following list.

• Animation: DESN 157, 187, 188, 192, 207, 210, 213, 214, 215, 217, 221, 247, 249, 257, 266, 277, 278, 279, 287, 290, 296, 347, 358, 359, 370, ARTS 393.
• Communication Design: DESN 173,188, 195, 205, 207, 210, 212, 213, 243, 248, 249, 250, 257, 263, 265, 269, 270, 277, 278, 279, 286, 289, 290, 296, 370, ARTS 393.
• Illustration: DESN 157, 172, 187, 188, 192, 195, 213, 215, 247, 248, 249, 251, 257, 259, 266, 279, 287, 290, 296, 347, 359, 370, ARTS 393, ARTS 151.
• Interaction Design: DESN 157, 172, 188, 195, 205, 207, 210, 212, 213, 214, 217, 221, 243, 249, 250, 257, 263, 265, 269, 270, 277, 278, 279, 286, 290, 314, 370, ARTS 393

Tracks of study are optional, and most students use their design electives as a means to discover the range of activities related to the field of design.

Please refer to the Design Fact Sheet for a complete list. In summary, you need 2 Art History Core Courses, 11 Required Courses, and 8 Electives (at least 4 of the 8 must be taken from the upper Division courses DESN 247 or higher).

As soon as possible! Design courses fill up quickly, so be sure to register as soon as your registration begins. Registration dates and times will be available on CUNYFirst.

All Design majors are required to submit a portfolio right after taking DESN 241 – Design I. It will be reviewed by the faculty advisors and must be passed in order to advance in the program. Submission requirements are listed on the QC Design Blog.

Topics will be announced each semester on the QC Design Blog before registration. DESN 370 can be taken up to 3 times for credit (if the topic is different).

No, it will only count for one requirement or the other. One course will go toward one requirement only.

Reach out to [email protected] to make an appointment with an advisor.

Students who declare their major in Design starting from Fall 2024 will follow the curriculum of the Design Fact Sheet that is currently posted (approved 4/26/2024).

The following changes have been made from the previous curriculum:

• DESN 214 is no longer a required course
• DESN 222 is now a required course. It was previously listed as DESN 286
• DESN 193 has a name change from Intro to Digital Animation to Motion Graphics I
• DESN 290 has a name change from Motion Graphics to Motion Graphics II

Students who declared their major in Design before Fall 2024 will continue to follow the previous curriculum.

• If you have taken DESN 193, DESN 286, or DESN 290 already, taking them again under their new names/codes will count as a repeated course and replace your previous grade and credits for the class.
• If you have taken DESN 193 – Intro to Digital Animation, you do not need to retake it as Motion Graphics I
• If you have taken DESN 290 – Motion Graphics, you do not need to retake it as Motion Graphics II
• If you have taken DESN 286 – Interaction Design, you do not need to take DESN 222 – Interaction Design.
• If you have not taken DESN 286 – Interaction Design AND you have taken DESN 214 – Web Design I, you do not need to take DESN 222 – Interaction Design. If you would like to take Interaction Design, it will count towards your Design Electives.