The Fine Arts Department is expanding its digital design offerings into an undergraduate major. Formerly an emphasis program, digital design balances the discipline of design, artistic exploration, and social responsibility within the rich tradition of the liberal arts environment.

Through a focus on content-driven work, digital design students learn visual problem-solving and acquire communication skills informed by critical theory and the history of digital art and design. The curriculum includes typography, digital imaging, graphic design, and digital media for print, web, animation, video, interactive graphics, and sound.

The digital design program maintains a state-of-the-art studio and lab. The program is highly selective and competitive. Students must submit a portfolio to be admitted into the major and pass a mid-career portfolio review in order to continue into upper level course requirements.

“Students with a digital design degree have increasingly greater opportunities that extend beyond traditional graphic design,” said Fine Arts Professor Alexander Mouton. “The influence of digital design is seen everywhere--in theatre, film, music, visual art, poetry, and video games, as well as the social sciences and humanities.”

Seattle, a software and design hub, is a major international center for technical advances in digital design. Students in the major can enhance their classroom and studio coursework through hands-on internships with local organizations and design firms.

Students majoring in digital design are required to take 75 credits within the discipline, of which 15 are upper level studio electives. 

The College of Arts and Sciences, the largest college in Seattle University, offers 33 undergraduate and 7 advanced degrees. The Fine Arts Department offers undergraduate degrees in music, string performance, art history, visual art, digital design, photography, and theatre and   an MFA in Arts Leadership.