Newman University has launched a cutting-edge digital design degree program that combines artistic creativity with technological expertise. This unique program is the first of its kind in the region and is offered in flexible course delivery formats such as on-site, online and hybrid classes.
Not only will students receive a personalized experience while learning and creating alongside expert faculty, but they will also complete capstone projects and have the chance to exhibit artwork in the university’s Steckline Gallery, located in the De Mattias Fine Arts Center.
Education in digital design prepares students for professional careers in a range of jobs, including:
- User Experience (UX) Designer
- User Interface (UI) Designer
- UX Writer, Content Strategist
- UX Researcher
- Information Architect
- Product Designer
- Web Designer
- Art Director
- Creative Director
- Multi-media Artist
- Graphic Designer
The program’s principles of design are marketable skills that employers look for, including the use of digital design tools and technology, communication skills, conceptualizing design, building on collaborative skills across disciplines and fostering a love for lifelong learning in every student.
Interdisciplinary coursework will equip students with a unique liberal arts education as they learn in courses such as typography, data design and visualization, as well as art methods of past and present.
Classes for digital design will be offered as early as August 2023.
The students’ voice — first-hand insights
“The foundations art courses have helped me to hone my skills in drawing and design concepts, which are fundamental skills that I know will be valuable whatever path of life I find myself on. Whether I pursue illustration, graphic design, marketing or any other career, these courses are helping equip me to make a difference and be successful.”
– Rebekah Strickbine (Art Major, Freshman)
“Taking art classes has made my creativity increase and my design ideas more unique. The courses have helped me to better understand the demands asked of me. The classes are fun, great and a necessary step to achieve a firm grasp of the design process I’ll be using every day. It is exciting to see the progress I have made for my career and in art in general.”
– Cole Whitmore (Art Major, Junior)
“The design courses helped prepare me for my current position with University Relations where I do some design work. I understand the terms, programs and how to use them, and how to reach the goals of my assignments.”
– Tony Ureno (Art Major, Junior)
“As an artist, I’m constantly learning how to create just by seeing the world around me, but this also must be guided by a firm grasp of basic principles of art and design. The foundational classes I have taken — drawing foundations, design foundations and 3D design foundations — give me the building blocks on which my imaginative perception of the world can be framed. The skills of working from general to specific and taking breaks from your work are applicable not only in the formal study of fine/ studio art but also in the world of graphic design, engineering, marketing, problem-solving and all places where creativity is needed in the real world.”
– Elianna Gaytan (Art Major, Freshman)
Earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in digital design
In digital design, students will explore principles of design as well as a broad range of marketable skills needed to pursue a successful career in web design, UX/UI, motion graphics and online publishing while emphasizing individual creativity.
