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DCAD's associate degree program is offered in six disciplines: Animation, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Illustration, Photography and Interior Design. It is a concise, comprehensive and demanding program that provides the training and information necessary to compete successfully in today's art and design markets. The program serves highly motivated students who wish to pursue careers in the fields of art and design.
Through an engagement with studio activities, process and environment, students develop both their skills and resourcefulness. The liberal arts curriculum instructs students in written and verbal expression, critical thinking, history and theories of art and design, and the humanities. Students enrolled in the associate degree program receive thorough preparation for entry-level or, where appropriate, middle-management employment, as well as a solid basis upon which to further their education. Completion of requirements for the associate degree may be accomplished through two years of full-time study.
The curriculum consists of 68 credits, composed of: 44 credits in studio courses, and 24 credits in academic courses, including 12 credits in art history. The associate degree program requires a core group of Foundation courses during the first year and includes a Foundation Seminar which provides a basic introduction into each area of concentration offered. Beginning with their second year, students will take major-specific courses in addition to liberal arts courses. Students who successfully complete the curriculum can transfer directly from DCAD into the third-year curriculum at either Pratt or the Corcoran.
Foundation Program
The purpose of the Foundation experience is to develop visual literacy and provide basic studio techniques, an introduction to art history, and an understanding of the underlying concepts and principles of the visual arts. Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms in their optical, technical and symbolic natures are investigated. The Foundation Program is the same for all majors. The Foundation Program's courses are included along with each major's curriculum on the following pages.
Academic Studies
A fundamental understanding of the history of art is essential for all aspiring artists and designers in order to situate their own work within a broader context and establish professional credibility; therefore, art history is the foundation of the Academic Studies curriculum. In a three-semester survey of world art, complemented by courses that focus on corresponding literature, students analyze visual and literary works selected to emphasize formal, topical, thematic, and contextual relationships across disciplines. In the fourth semester, students focus on an in-depth study of the art associated with their area of concentration. A carefully structured writing curriculum aimed at building skills incrementally is an integral part of all Academic Studies classes.
Objectives of the Academic Studies curriculum are:
- To train well-informed professionals who are prepared to undertake further study.
- To develop critical thinking and analytical writing skills.
- To develop familiarity with the methodologies of art history as a discipline.
- To build awareness of the history of world art and literature with particular emphasis on the history of practice in students' chosen fields.
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