PLACEHOLDER — insert a quote from a Graphic Design graduate about the portfolio they built, the real projects they worked on, and where the degree took them.
Bachelor of Arts
Graphic Design
Major | Minor
Design for the Real World
You’ll leave with a portfolio that proves what you can do, not just a transcript that says you studied it.
The Graphic Design major at Goshen College is a four-year bachelor’s degree, also offered as a minor, in visual communication. You build artistic and technical skill across branding, typography, motion graphics, and digital design, learning project by project.
The major is built toward a senior capstone: a professional portfolio and a public exhibit of your work. You develop it with practicing artists and designers as your professors, in small classes where you get personalized feedback every step of the way.
Real Work, Starting Early
You’ll gain real experience through internships, on-campus design jobs, freelance work, and student-run organizations. You can show your work in exhibitions, contribute to The Record student newspaper, and take part in the award-winning FiveCore Media. It’s the kind of outward-facing work that builds a personal portfolio step-by-step.
You won’t do it alone. Your professors are practicing artists and designers who know you by name. In addition, the Visual Arts Building gives you Mac lab and studio access, and the small classes mean frequent one-on-one critiques. It’s a supportive, inclusive place to take creative risks and find your voice.
What You’ll Study
The curriculum is hands-on and project-based, focused on building your portfolio. You’ll move through concept development, critical feedback, and technical skill with industry-standard tools, in courses like Foundations of Design, Digital Design, Typography, Design Processes and Methods, Branding, and Motion Graphics.
You can shape your own path by pairing graphic design with related fields such as art entrepreneurship or communication. View the complete program requirements in our catalog.
Where a Graphic Design Degree Takes You
A Graphic Design degree from Goshen prepares you for careers in:
- Branding and Identity Design
- Web and App Design
- Motion Graphics and Animation
- Art Direction
- Packaging Design
- Freelance and Studio Work
Our alumni work in design agencies, marketing departments, nonprofits, and as independent creators. Many also pursue graduate study in design and related disciplines.
GRADUATE NAME
Class Year · Current Role or Studio
Paying for Goshen
It’s worth asking about early. Nearly all full-time traditional students at Goshen receive grant aid, and graphic design students are also eligible for department-specific scholarships, including the Arthur L. and Cordelia Sprunger Scholarship and the Raymond A. Yoder Scholarship, awarded on portfolio strength, academic standing, and department involvement.
To see your own price after aid, run the net price calculator and talk with a real person in the financial aid office.
Common Questions About Graphic Design major
Yes. Graphic Design is offered as both a major and a minor, so you can pair it with another field; communication and art entrepreneurship are natural pairings. To add the minor, declare it with your academic advisor; there is no separate application beyond admission to Goshen.
You’ll work through Foundations of Design, Digital Design, Typography, Design Processes and Methods, Branding, and Motion Graphics. The emphasis is on concept development, critical feedback, and technical skill with industry-standard tools, all aimed at a portfolio you can show employers and graduate programs.
Graduates work in branding and identity design, web and app design, motion graphics and animation, art direction, packaging design, and freelance or studio work. Goshen alumni are in design agencies, marketing departments, and nonprofits, and as independent creators. Many also pursue graduate study in design and related disciplines.
A lot. You can take internships, on-campus design jobs, and freelance work, show your work in exhibitions, contribute to The Record student newspaper, and join the award-winning FiveCore Media. Your senior capstone is a professional portfolio and a public exhibit, so you graduate with real, shippable work.
Nearly all full-time traditional students at Goshen receive grant aid. Graphic design students are also eligible for department scholarships, including the Arthur L. and Cordelia Sprunger Scholarship and the Raymond A. Yoder Scholarship, awarded on portfolio strength, academic standing, and department involvement. Talk with financial aid about your situation.
Ready to get started?
Sara Method
Associate Professor of Art
Tiffany Wyse-Fisher
Associate Professor of Art
