Nicole Roberts MFA Thesis Visual Component Artwork - Savannah ...
Nicole Roberts MFA Thesis Visual Component Artwork - Savannah ...
Nicole Roberts MFA Thesis Visual Component Artwork - Savannah ...
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visualizing curricular concepts<br />
Unless students have prior recommendation from a guidance counselor or<br />
attend the local design school close to their residence, many students turn to outside<br />
sources for answers. The streamlined us News and World Report is known for<br />
publishing an annual “Best Design Schools” ranking, as is Business Week’s “Top<br />
Design Schools” list, or industry resources such as aiga’s link to nasad accredited<br />
institutions. These sources seem to cater more so to popularity and status and fail to<br />
discern a comparative outlook on how the ‘top schools’ align with expectations of<br />
twenty-first century professionals. In an effort to bridge this gap, Changing Graphic<br />
Design Pedagogy serves as a visual research manual that marries expectations from<br />
top design professionals with corresponding information about the top design schools<br />
per industry standards. Initially, leading professionals were asked from which design<br />
schools their most successful new employees graduated. Many of their responses<br />
align with the ‘top schools’ ranking, but they also drew attention to a variety of<br />
astute programs students may never consider should they only rely upon the allure<br />
of undergraduate catalogs, kitschy web sites, or ‘top school’ publicity. Each school’s<br />
curriculum deemed noteworthy by the surveyed professionals was closely evaluated<br />
and compared. Several factors were considered with a goal of distinguishing what<br />
each had in common to qualify them as a ‘top design school’ per leading practitioner<br />
standards. The region, accreditation, admission policy, term structure, ratio of<br />
liberal arts credits, review requirements, professional practice policies, and senior<br />
project mandates were all evaluated.<br />
Students should have a plan<br />
when they begin as to what<br />
kind of portfolio they will<br />
need when they graduate,<br />
otherwise how can they<br />
decide on a curriculum?<br />
Cary Staples, Professor<br />
University of Tennessee<br />
Knoxville, Tennessee<br />
Yale University School of Art<br />
web site with course listing<br />
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