School of Visual Communication
Seigfred Hall
Larry Nighswander, Director
The College of Communication offers an interdisciplinary visual communication degree with five specialized sequences. The school has been twice recognized as a Program of Excellence in photography and visual communication by the Ohio Board of Regents. Students can earn a Bachelor of Science in Visual Communication.
The program is designed to provide students with realistic and thorough broad-based professionally oriented training in visual communication while providing the necessary liberal arts and cultural background for a strong educational foundation.
Intensive training is offered in informational graphics/publication designs, interactive multimedia, photo communication for newspapers and magazines, and photo illustration.
Goals of the School
The goals of the School of Visual Communication are:- To equip students with the necessary skills to be successful in the media, and the background and motivation to enable them to compete for leadership roles in the field.
- To provide assistance and professional guidance in visual communication to working photographers, editors, and other personnel,newspapers, press services, magazines, industrial photographic departments, trade associations, multimedia and educational media production units, and cultural and scientific visual communicators.
- To equip students with the necessary skills to be successful in the media, and the background and motivation to enable them to compete for leadership roles in the field
- To provide assistance and professional guidance in visual communication to working photographers, editors, and other personnel, newspapers, press services, magazines, industrial photographic departments, trade associations, multimedia and educational media production units, and cultural and scientific visual communicators
- To set high standards for visual integrity and communication ethics
- To foster and promote scholarly research.
Internships
In an effort to provide practical training, the school requires you to work at least one paid internship for 10 weeks during your college career. Any qualified student may compete for an internship. Many students have several internships before graduation.In recent years, Ohio University visual communication students have worked on paid internships at newspapers and magazines and in advertising, photo illustration, and audiovisual production. Internships have been available in almost all states and several international locations, including Brazil, France, Japan, and Norway.
Many Ohio University visual communication students are active members of the Ohio News Photographers Association and other state press photographer groups and are student members of the National Press Photographers Association, the Society for News Design, and the American Society of Media Photographers. Ohio University students have been successful in state and national photography competitions, and have done particularly well in the annual William Randolph Hearst Foundation photojournalism competition, which is open to any student taking photojournalism courses in any of the more than 90 participating colleges and universities.
Bachelor of Science
Admission Requirements - B.S.V.C.
The School of Visual Communication admits only the best academically and professionally qualified students who normally rank in the top quarter of their high school class or have a strong portfolio. If you have a lower class ranking, you are considered if you have outstanding SAT or ACT scores. In addition, if you demonstrate notable talent or experience or are a member of a historically under-represented group in the school, you will be given special consideration for admission. If you do not meet the minimum requirements for admission (low SAT/ACT and/or class standing), you may apply for admission based on talent. To supplement your application, you may submit a portfolio of at least 15 slides (copies of examples of original work). The deadline for all applications is December 15. For this career-oriented professional program you will need professional equipment to complete assignments and eventually compete in the job market. Ensuring every opportunity for students to excel in a very competitive field, we require use of certain basic levels of equipment.
All students are required to own a 35mm SLR camera with a 35mm f/2 lens or a 50mm f/2 lens. The camera should permit full manual control over aperture, shutter speeds, film speed settings, and focus. An automatic "point and shoot" camera will not meet the requirements of any VICO photographic class. Please contact the school for current equipment recommendations.
It is highly recommended that all students in the school have their own computer for use in completing class assignments. Students majoring in Interactive Multimedia and Informational Graphics/Publication Design are required to own a computer with appropriate software by the time they enter VICO 314. Please contact the school for current hardware and software recommendations.
Photojournalism students entering VICO 390 should own at least one professional-level 35mm SLR camera, two lenses, and necessary accessories. One lens should have a 35mm or wider focal length with an f/2.8 or faster aperture. The second lens should be in the135 to 200mm f/2.8 range. Zoom lenses are also acceptable if they meet the fixed aperture requirement of f/2.8.
Photo illustration students entering VICO 321 should own a professional-level medium-format camera with interchangeable film backs, a Polaroid back, one wide-angle lens, one telephoto lens, and an electronic flash meter.
You should expect to spend approximately $300-$500 per photography course for materials.
Transfer Students
The school sets high academic and professional standards, and enrollment is limited. The school will accept transfer students only when openings are available. Contact the school for transfer procedures. You must have earned at least 48 quarter hours (32 semester hours) with a g.p.a. of 3.0 or higher. You may receive additional consideration if you have demonstrated professional talent or experience or are a member of a historically underrepresented group.These requirements apply to students transferring from other universities, from other programs within Ohio University, or from one program to another within the College of Communication. If you transfer from elsewhere in the university, you must satisfy the School of Journalism's English Proficiency Requirement before admission to the School of Visual Communication.
You must be enrolled for one academic year (three consecutive quarters) or the final 48 hours in the school to earn a degree.
General Requirements - B.S.V.C.
School of Visual Communication majors are required to meet all General Education Requirements of Ohio University, including Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III.
The general education requirements provide a liberal arts and sciences core for all students with the following courses:
Anthropology 101 (1 qtr)
History (2 qtrs)
Philosophy 120 and 130 (2 qtrs)
Political Science (2 qtrs)
Psychology 101 (1 qtr)
Sociology 101 (1 qtr)
A thoughtful selection from the Tier II list will enable you to meet the school requirements while fulfilling many of Ohio University�s Tier II requirements.
Specialization Area Requirements
Visual Communication students must complete a minimum of 20, school-approved hours of related study in advanced courses (200 and above).No course may be counted for more than one type of school requirement. For example, a course used to meet a general requirement may not also be applied to a specialization area or sequence requirement.
Visual Communication Core Requirements
All visual communication majors complete a basic core of seven courses totaling 29 hours:
ART 116 Drawing I 4 AH 337 Photography History Survey 4 JOUR 133 Precision Language for Journalists 4 VICO 120 Intro to Visual Communication 4 VICO 221 Intro to Visual Communication Skills 4 VICO 314 Desktop Publishing 4 VICO 471 Digital Imaging 4Total core requirements 29
Standards
- You must earn a C (2.0) or better in JOUR 133 and in all professional courses (VICO, JOUR, ART, and TCOM), including professional electives, to graduate. A grade of C- does not meet this requirement.
- To qualify for admission to JOUR 231, you must achieve at least 25 words per minute on a typing examination administered on the first day of class.
- No professional course may be taken more than twice.
Visual Communication Sequence Requirements
Informational Graphics/Publication Design
Major code BS6924
Two of the following four courses: ART 250 Graphic Design Principles 4 ART 251 Typography 4 ART 254 Lettering 4 ART 113 Three Demensional Design 4 ART 117 Drawing II 4 JOUR 231 News Reporting 4 JOUR 233 Information Gathering 3 JOUR 235 Picture Editing 3 JOUR 336 Adv. Picture Editing 3 JOUR 411 Communication Law 3 VICO 311 Informational Graphics 4 VICO 323 Publication Layout and Design 4 VICO 361 Intro to Web Design 4 VICO 412 Adv. Informational Graphics 5 VICO 426 Adv. Publication Layout and Design 4Total sequence requirements 56
Interactive Multimedia
Major code BS6923
JOUR 233 Information Gathering 3 TCOM 110 Production Writing/Planning 4 TCOM 200B Audio Production 4 TCOM 200C Video Production 4 TCOM 223 Computer Animation 4 VICO 311 Informational Graphics or 5 VICO 320 Topic Seminar 4 VICO 361 Intro to Web Design 4 VICO 462 Advanced Web Design 4 VICO 473 Interactive Media 4 VICO 488 Advanced Photo Reportage III 4
Total sequence requirements 44
Photo Communication
Major code BS6922
JOUR 231 News Writing 4 JOUR 233 Information Gathering 4 JOUR 235 Picture Editing 3 JOUR 411 Communication Law 3 VICO 222 Visual Comm. Tools VICO 390 Intro to Photojournalism 4 VICO 327 Photo Illustration-Fashion 4 or VICO 328 Photo Illustration-Still Life or VICO 393 Intermediate Photojournalism III VICO 391 Intermediate Photojournalism I 4 VICO 392 Intermediate Photojournalism II 4 VICO 486 Advanced Photo Reportage I 4 VICO 487 Advanced Photo Reportage II 4 or VICO 421 Documentary/Essay or 5Total sequence requirements 41-42
Photo Illustration
Major code BS6925
JOUR 250 Advertising Principles 4 VICO 222 Visual Communication Tools 4 VICO 321 Intro to Photo Illustration 4 VICO 327 Photo Illustration-Fashion 4 VICO 328 Photo Illustration-Still Life 4 VICO 427 Adv. Photo Illustration (Business Practices) 5 VICO 428 Adv. Photo Illustration (Studio Practices) 5 VICO 429 Adv. Photo Illustration (Applications) 5Choice of 8 hours of advisor approved business law, accounting, marketing courses 8
Total sequence requirements 43
University Advancement and Computer Services revised this file (https://www.ohio.edu/catalog/00-01/colleges/viscom.htm) on November 27, 2000.
Please E-mail comments or suggestions to " ucat@www.ohiou.edu ."