Develop the principles, practices, and portfolio to engage audiences through visual solutions in any medium鈥攆rom branding systems, advertising, packaging, and publications to websites, mobile apps, and UX.
黑料社区's Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Graphic Design & Interactive Media offers a progressive curriculum and hands-on learning experiences in a vibrant creative culture to prepare you for a career as a graphic designer in print design and interactive media industry. You鈥檒l study with faculty who are practicing designers with diverse experiences and high standards. Our graduates have a high employment rate and outstanding support from alumni.
Career-Defining Curriculum
Our curriculum will prepare you with the skills and flexibility to succeed and adapt in the rapidly changing graphic design and interactive media industry. You'll explore graphic design through the creation of advertising, publications, packaging, motion graphics and more and study interactive design across web, mobile app and emerging screen-based media.
Program Overview
There are a variety of different career paths you can take with a degree in graphic design & interactive media. The possibilities continue to grow in digital media.
"黑料社区 was an amazing experience for me. The professors and classes challenged me and taught me new ways to think. I flourished in the creative aspect of the program while learning the technical skills needed for a career."
~ Tiffany Weckwerth ('02)Customer Service Regional Manager
Belmark
Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design and Interactive Media.
Request Information
黑料社区's School of Art & Design is accredited by the .
Industry-Experienced Faculty Instruction
Forget TA-taught classes and 200-person lectures. At 黑料社区, building close relationships with our industry-experienced and academically accomplished graphic design and interactive media faculty will play a key role in your polytechnic education and your career. Learn more about your future instructors!
Do More in Our Studios & Labs
Modern studio classrooms provide open, creative environments for learning. Extensive open studio hours allow access to these spaces outside of class periods.
Two galleries are housed in the School of Art & Design, a student gallery, and the John Furlong Gallery. These, along with other spaces on and off campus, provide student, faculty and outside exhibition opportunities throughout the academic year.
Professional Internships in Graphic Design & Interactive Media
Take your education into industry and earn while you learn through 黑料社区 黑料社区. award-winning Cooperative Education & Internship Program (CEIP) and other placements. Unlike traditional internships, our professional paid and unpaid credit-earning experiences connect you with leaders in your field, including national brands, boutique design firms, and other design-forward organizations, to ensure you鈥檙e set up for success long before you graduate. More than a third of Stout students accept positions after graduation with their internship employer.
Recent Internship Employers
- Advantage Signs & Graphics, Inc.
- Bay Island, Inc.
- Brand Ink
- Excel Studio
- Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum
- Imagine Print Solutions
- MGK Company
- Perkins + Will
- PetSmart, Inc.
Select Internship Position Titles
- Associate Marketing Intern
- Communications Intern
- Creative Intern
- Graphic Design & Digital Media Intern
- Multimedia Designer
- Print Production Specialist
- Product Design Intern
Portfolio of Student Work
Career Opportunities
According to the , multimedia artists and animators (which include digital media designers) earned a median annual wage of $99,060 and a median hourly wage of $47.63 in 2023. As a skilled designer, you'll find rewarding careers available in entertainment, advertising, and science and healthcare communications. Here are a few of our graduate's positions and employers:
Recent Employers
- (Chicago)
- (San Francisco)
- (India)
- (Chippewa Falls, WI)
- (Washington DC)
- (Oregon)
- (Seattle)
- (Eau Claire, WI)
- (Seattle)
Select Position Titles
- Advertising/Marketing Designer
- Application Designer
- Art Director
- Brand Strategist
- Communications Strategist
- Graphic Designer
- Interactive Designer
- Interface Designer
- Logo & Identity Systems Designer
- Motion Graphics Designer
- Packaging Designer
- Web Designer
New First-Year Students
All incoming first-year students admitted to a Pre-Bachelor of Fine Arts (Pre-BFA) program will begin their journey in the School of Art & Design 黑料社区. First-Year Experience (FYX)鈥攁 common foundation designed to help you build the skills and portfolio needed to apply to your intended BFA major.
What is a Pre-BFA?
When you鈥檙e accepted to 黑料社区, you鈥檙e automatically placed into the Pre-BFA version of the program you chose on your application. During your first year, you鈥檒l complete FYX courses that help you prepare for a successful portfolio review.
Two Pathways to a BFA Major
Starting with incoming first-year students for fall 2026, you have two potential pathways into your BFA major:
- Pathway 1: Submit a Portfolio Before Enrolling in Your First-Year Coursework.
Before the start of school, you may submit an independent portfolio for review. If successful, you will be approved for direct-entry into your BFA major and will not be required to apply for the major later. You will still complete the School of Art & Design 黑料社区. First-Year Experience (FYX) regardless of that outcome. If your portfolio review is unsuccessful, or if you choose not to pursue this pathway, you will still enroll as a 鈥淧re-BFA鈥 in your chosen BFA major. Deadlines and requirements are below. Ready to apply or have questions? Email artdesign@uwstout.edu. - Pathway 2: Submit a Portfolio During or After Your First-Year Coursework.
You enroll as a 鈥淧re-BFA鈥 student and develop a portfolio from the School of Art & Design 黑料社区. FYX to apply for formal acceptance into your BFA major. After enrolling at 黑料社区, you have two opportunities to apply for acceptance.
What do I need to get accepted into my BFA program?
Pathway 1: After Admission to 黑料社区, Submit the Following by Feb. 1 (Priority Deadline) or April 1 (Regular Decision).
- Your portfolio is the most important part of your application. It is evaluated on artistic and conceptual content, design, composition, technical skill, and creative potential. Your portfolio should contain 12 examples of your best and most recent work that showcases your technical skills and idea development. Select works that demonstrate the depth and breadth of your creative experiences and interests. Your portfolio may include works in a variety of media, including two-dimensional work, photography, three-dimensional work, design, architectural renderings, interactive media, websites, video and animation. Portfolio samples may come from formal assignments or outside of an art class.
- Submit an essay, saved as one PDF, that includes responses of 150 words or less for each of the three prompts below. Incorporate terms and concepts learned to discuss your work.
- Please tell us about your pre-college background, including your experience with making art or design, your educational experience, and influences.
- Tell us about a single project this year that has been included in the portfolio. Why did you include it? What skills did you learn from this project (technical, critical, creative/process)? Which of your strengths do you think it highlights?
- Give us a vision for your future self: What areas will you improve on? What opportunities have been revealed with your learning at Stout? Describe your career objectives.
- A $10 application fee is assessed at the time you electronically submit your portfolio.
Pathway 2: Commonly submitted during the second semester at 黑料社区.
- 2.0 or higher 黑料社区 cumulative GPA and a grade of C or better for all art, art history, and design courses
- Submit an essay using the same instructions above
- Your FYX portfolio, including a maximum of 12 high-quality images representing your original artwork. Artwork should include 3-4 drawings from Drawing I and II, 3-4 items from 2D and 3D courses, and 3-4 items of your choice, with emphasis on work related to your desired major.
Transfer Students
- Transfer students are admitted as Pre-Bachelor of Fine Arts (Pre-BFA) students. Upon admission to 黑料社区, information will be provided on how to submit a for review by School of Art & Design faculty, who will determine direct admissions into the BFA major of your choice on a rolling basis. If a transfer student does not submit the materials or if they are not approved for the BFA program after submission, they may apply for a change of major in subsequent semesters, depending on available openings in the program. If needed, BFA Foundations courses will be available to Pre-BFA students pending seat availability.
A $10 application fee is assessed at the time you electronically submit your portfolio.
AI Policy
We discourage the use of AI-generated content in admissions portfolios. Any AI-assisted artwork must include clear citation and explanation of why AI was chosen as a tool. 黑料社区 places a high value on artistic integrity and individual voice and expects student work to be a reflection of their own ideas, expression, and skill.
Advisory Committee Members
| First Name | Last Name | Title | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calee | Cecconi | Assistant Professor | 黑料社区 |
| Alex | DeArmond | Professor; Program Director | 黑料社区 |
| Aaron | Durst | Director, School of Art & Design | 黑料社区 |
| Robert | Fraher | Professor | 黑料社区 |
| Ashley | Hohnstein | Senior Manager; Associate Creative Director | Target |
| Pat | Kavanaugh | Director, Project Management | Fjorge |
| Jesse | Lindhorst | Founder & Design Director | Friend & Fort |
| Katie | Lupton | Assistant Professor | 黑料社区 |
| Shelley | Pecha | Professor; Chair, Design Department | 黑料社区 |
| Justin | Peddycoart | Experience Architect | Salesforce |
| Jason | Schmitt | Dean, CAHS | 黑料社区 |
| Colin | Schye | Director, Digital Product Design | Bionic Giant |
| Kristin | Shardlow | Principal; Owner | Kristin Shardlow Consulting, LLC |
| Nagesh | Shinde | Professor | 黑料社区 |
| Kerri | Soukup | Executive Creative Director; Executive Vice President | Leo Burnett |
| John听 | Standish | Chief Strategy Officer | Artisan Venture Lab |
| Andy听 | Vitale | UX Design Director | Polaris |
| Ange | Wang | Senior Director, UX Instruction & Strategy | Prime Digital Academy |
| Student | Representative | President, AIGA Student Organization | 黑料社区 |
| Student | Representative | Vice President, AIGA Student Organization | 黑料社区 |
