Post-Review Pathways for Graphic Design Sophomores

The Sophomore Portfolio Review is a milestone for all students in Graphic Design. Regardless of the outcome, there are several pathways available to you.

For students with a successful Portfolio Review, intending on getting a degree in Graphic Design:

Stay the course! We will ensure there are enough sections of DES 320 and 321 based on the number of students who pass. Please continue on with your course planning, that should be done together with a GD advisor. If you have not met with a GD Advisor yet, this is your top priority fall term, but please enroll now in DES 320 and DES 341 for fall term.

For students with a successful Portfolio Review, but are still unsure of a degree in Graphic Design:

We would encourage you to be as informed as possible about your options! During fall term, meet with a GD Advisor to talk about the degree, and consider meeting with a COTA (College of the Arts) Advisor to talk about other options beyond Graphic Design. Having both sets of information will help guide you towards a decision that works best for you. We would still encourage you to take DES 320 and DES 341 in fall, but if taking classes outside of the major opens doors for you, take those too! For instance, several Junior Cluster courses double dip for a Business Minor. Meredith James has pamphlets on the Business Minors just outside of her office.

For students who are self-selecting to not take the Portfolio Review this year:

We would encourage you to meet with a GD advisor to put a plan in place that will help you continue on in the program and make progress towards your degree. We definitely want you to continue taking design classes while you continue taking your University Studies and other degree requirements. If you are missing any 200 level design classes, register for these first. And then consider taking any of the following classes:

For students with an unsuccessful Portfolio Review, who intend on getting a degree in Graphic Design, and will take the Review again next year:

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science (BA/BS)

If you are a BA/BS student, there are a number of classes you can take next year, including finishing up your BA or BS degree requirements and University Studies courses. Also consider retaking one or two 200-level courses in your weaker areas. We would encourage you to take at least one studio class each term to develop areas that need to be developed, and stay in practice. Many students following this pathway graduate within one term of their originally expected graduation date. Please meet with a GD or COTA Advisor to keep you on track.And, consider the following courses, which are all open to you, and all of them apply towards your degree:

Keep in mind, you have already achieved a minor in Graphic Design with the courses you have taken!

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)

If you are a BFA student, keep in mind, we highly encourage you to meet with a GD Advisor as soon as possible to put a plan in place. You will likely need to complete your Junior Cluster/University Studies classes (UNST), so please do so.

The following classes are also available to you:

Keep in mind, you have already achieved a minor in Graphic Design with the courses you have taken!

For students with an unsuccessful Portfolio Review, considering a change to the Art Practices degree, with a minor in Graphic Design:

You have already achieved a minor in Graphic Design with the courses you have taken! If you would like to get a degree in Art Practices, please complete a transfer application portfolio for upper division placement, you can do this with the help of your COTA Advisor (COTA Advisors are here over the summer, most faculty are not). You have all summer to work on the application and it will be reviewed when AP faculty are back on contract in September. There will be a Google Form version of the application live by June 19th. Again, we recommend reaching out to a COTA advisor to help with the process.

You have a second option, which is to go back and take the first and second year requirements in Art Practices. Doing so means you do not need to fill out a transfer application. For students who have completed the CORE program, all of those classes transfer! But you might also need to take:

For students with an unsuccessful Portfolio Review, considering a change to the Arts & Letters degree, with a minor in Graphic Design

You have already achieved a minor in Graphic Design with the courses you have taken! The Arts and Letters degree option can be found below. It is an interdisciplinary degree, which means it offers a very flexible plan, 56 credit hours are required for the degree, where students can choose their coursework to match to their interests. Our COTA Advisors have successfully advised a number of students through this pathway, they are the people to go to about the degree in more detail and all of them are available for appointments over the summer. More information on the degree can be found on the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Arts and Letters page or in the Arts and Letters BA or BS Degree Map.

For students with an unsuccessful Portfolio Review, considering a change to a different major/degree, with a minor in Graphic Design

You have already achieved a minor in Graphic Design with the courses you have taken! Getting a degree in another field is a great option. Many students discover they would prefer to major in Business, or Engineering or one of the Social Sciences, but minor in Graphic Design. If you want to be an Art Director, a Project Manager, Account Manager, a Talent Scout, work in Production, or even interdisciplinarily within design fields (Product Design, Architecture, Urban Planning), there are so many career options that are connected to design that exist. The Business School for one, has just as many connections to industry as we do.

Please keep in mind that because PSU is a large school with thousands of classes, your GD faculty are experts in the GD curriculum, and COTA advisors are experts in multiple degrees, University Studies courses, and gen ed requirements. Make sure you’re tailoring your questions to the person best able to answer them.