Technology - Digital art and user experience

This BFA fosters creative photography practices and enhances your visual literacy skills with image creation and purposeful critique at the core of all courses. Hands-on assignments offer opportunities to create experiences and objects in response to various themes while engaging critically with classmates and instructors. Projects may include portraits, landscapes, videos and print-to-order books. Upper-division courses build on your understanding of introductory techniques and encourage you to pursue self-defined projects.

Coursework emphasizes the relationship between technique, aesthetics and concept. Along with learning the tools and techniques of photography, you’ll focus on the meaning they create and how they function within and beyond art contexts. You’ll also develop the skills to ask critical questions, process what you see intuitively and embrace your creative potential. Graduates complete the program with a portfolio with a cohesive artist statement, a community of peers and mentors, and the ability to give and receive critical feedback.

Who’s a good fit for this photography program?

This program is compatible with a variety of backgrounds, interests and goals. It’s ideal for those passionate about creative expression and who want to refine their vision as photographers and artists. Courses provide opportunities to create and direct experiences for viewers, as well as expand on elements, objects and ideas. If you’ve always wanted to study art and photography but haven’t due to location, time and accessibility, this program is an excellent option.

You’re also a good fit if you want to begin a career or pursue graduate study in art and photography. You’ll gain the skills needed to excel in creative careers including editorial, commercial advertising photography, journalism, design, photo and art direction, museum curation, gallery direction and more. While courses don’t provide occupational training for running a photography business or entering the advertising world, graduates have used their skills to pursue these paths.

Camera and equipment requirements

As a digital photography major, you must obtain various equipment and tools to complete your assignments. We recommend you use a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera, but any quality, mirrorless camera with fully manual options and video capacity is acceptable. You’ll also need several memory cards, a portable hard drive, an external desk hard drive and cloud space to store your images in multiple locations.

Additionally, your computer should meet certain requirements including the capability to send and receive large files, conduct video conferencing and edit digital images. The software you’ll use includes Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere and other creative tools. Note: as an ASU student, you can use Adobe Creative Cloud complimentary.

UX will continue to grow more relevant as technology advances. People have increasingly close relationships with technology in their home and work lives. This means there will be an increased need for professionals with UX knowledge as the use of digital tools, services and platforms expands. Additionally, UX can apply to both physical and digital systems, and experts are needed for all types of UX design and communication.

As communication is a key factor in the UX design process, professionals must effectively share their research findings with colleagues, leaders and other stakeholders. Upon graduating from this program, you’ll be equipped to communicate successfully and develop effective design, making interactions between users and systems more positive, productive and predictable.

Who’s a good candidate for this bachelor’s program?

This technical communication degree may be a great fit if you enjoy using technology and are interested in helping people design and create communication products. UX centers on a mix of creativity and problem solving, and professionals spend time with end users testing products and imagining solutions. Ideal candidates will be comfortable with clarifying ambiguity and being creative in their roles.

The field of technical communication and UX doesn’t necessarily require a high level of technical skill or computer science knowledge. This field is open to individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences, emphasizing the creation of meaningful and positive user experiences through thoughtful design.

This bachelor’s degree can also be completed as part of an accelerated master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in as little as one extra year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Science in user experience.

How does this program compare to other UX degree concentrations?

While all of ASU Online’s UX degree concentrations include a curriculum focused on the interaction between individuals and systems, how they frame UX differs. This UX concentration focuses on the communication side of UX through gathering user information, analyzing data, designing communication products and communicating research findings to stakeholders.

Differently, the Bachelor of Science in graphic information technology with a concentration in UX hones in on the physical design process to create easy-to-use applications, desktop software, websites and other digital or physical products. If you’re interested in why users react the way that they do, the Bachelor of Science in human systems engineering with a UX concentration explores how psychology is integrated into a design approach to solve complex human-computer interaction problems.

This Accrediting Council for Collegiate Graphic Communications (ACCGC)-accredited program harnesses the principles of graphic design to communicate information and ideas. Throughout your coursework, you’ll gain a diverse skill set in design, including building websites, designing brochures, taking professional photographs and producing videography. You’ll also learn how to manage teams of people. Additional competencies you’ll gain include, but are not limited to:

• 2D and 3D motion graphics.
• Commercial photography.
• Front-end web design and development.
• Print technology.
• User experience design.
• Video production.

Who's a good candidate for this program?

The ideal candidate has a curiosity about information technology and a passion for digital creativity. Candidates may be working in the fields of graphic design, web design and development, the print industry, photography, video production or motion graphics. Professionals working in related areas of information technology, software programming, engineering or education would also be good candidates.

In addition to this program, ASU Online offers graphic information technology programs with concentrations in:

• Full-stack web development.
• User experience.

Additionally, if you’ve earned an Associate of Applied Science, ask your enrollment coach about transferring into our Bachelor of Applied Science in graphic information technology.

Earn your master’s degree while completing this bachelor’s program

This bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an accelerated master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in as little as one extra year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money, while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Science in graphic information technology.

As you progress through the Bachelor of Applied Science in internet and web development program, you’ll build foundational abilities in crucial areas like:

• Front-end development, including:
  • CSS
  • HTML
  • JavaScript
• Graphic industry business practices
• User-centered design
• Visual design

This program exposes you to valuable concepts, practices and tools that support effective design. This includes cross-media and cross-platform graphic applications, emerging web technologies, multimedia design, usability and user experience design.

Additionally, this BAS can also be completed as part of an accelerated master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one extra year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money, while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Science in graphic information technology

Web developers: In demand and well-paid

As technology continues to evolve, web developers remain in high demand. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job outlook for web developers and digital designers is expected to increase 23% from 2021 to 2031. This is significantly higher than the projected average growth rate of 5% for all occupations.

Businesses also provide substantial compensation to designers and developers. As of May 2021, the median annual pay for these roles was $78,300, according to the BLS.

How is a Bachelor of Applied Science degree different from a BA or BS degree?

Bachelor of Applied Science degrees are designed specifically for students who’ve earned an Associate of Applied Science.

• Students who’ve earned an AAS from a regionally accredited institution may transfer 60 credit hours toward their BAS.
• Students who’ve earned an AAS from a regionally accredited Arizona community college may be eligible to transfer up to 75 credits toward their BAS.

Please plan to meet with an academic advisor to ensure your courses will meet degree requirements.

If you don’t have an AAS and aren’t planning to earn one, please check out related ASU Online programs such as the Bachelor of Science in computer information systems and Bachelor of Science in information technology.