School of Visual Communication
Larry Nighswander, Director
The College of Communication offers an interdisciplinary visual communication degree with four 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 degree.
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 journalism for newspapers and magazines, and photo illustration (advertising and commerical photographs).
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 highly successful in state and national competitions.
The School of Visual Communication admits a limited number of students and the selection process is very competitive. The school has an application deadline of December 15. All application materials including an application essay must be received by that deadline. After the application material has been reviewed, you will be notified if you have been selected for an admission interview, which will be scheduled in January of the year you wish to enter the school. The interview process includes a review of the applicant's portfolio.
Student applicants usually rank in the top quarter of their high school class and/or have outstanding SAT or ACT scores. In addition, students who demonstrate notable talent or experience or are members of a historically under-represented group will be given additional consideration for admission.
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, the school requires use of certain basic levels of equipment.
All students are required to have access to 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 have access to 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 have access to 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 have access to at least one 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.
Very limited transfer openings are available in each major sequence each academic year.
The School of Visual Communication will accept transfer students only when openings are available. Please call the school to determine the current status of transfer openings.
Students transferring with over 90 hours of credit will find it difficult to complete the school's curriculum in two years.
Transfer applicants from outside Ohio University must also follow the procedures for admission to the University.
You must be enrolled for one academic year (three consecutive quarters) or the final 48 hours in the school to earn a degree.
Students applying for transfer must submit to the school an application packet that includes the following material:
Transfer applications will be considered once a quarter only if openings are available. Deadline for transfer application materials: Noon on the first Friday of the quarter that you are requesting transfer.
Students with over 90 earned hours seeking an internal transfer must meet the same transfer requirements as those students seeking admission to the school.
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.
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.
All visual communication majors complete a basic core of seven courses totaling 29 hours:
ART 116 Drawing I 4
AH 237 Photo 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 4
Total core requirements 29
1 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. 2 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. 3 Failure to achieve a C in a professional course after 2 attempts will result in the student being dropped from the program.
Informational Graphics/Publication Design
Major code BS6924
Two of the following three courses:
ART 250 Graphic Design Principles 5
ART 251 Typography 5
ART 254 Lettering 5
ART 113 Three Demensional Design 4
ART 117 Drawing II 4
JOUR 231 News Writing 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 5
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 4
Total sequence requirements 56
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 5
VICO 361 Intro to Web Design 4
VICO 462 Advanced Web Design 4
VICO 473 Interactive Media 4
VICO 488 Interactive Media II 4
Total sequence requirements 40
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 4
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
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 5
Total sequence requirements 41-42
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) 5
Choice 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/02-03/colleges/viscom.htm) on December 17, 2002.
Please E-mail comments or suggestions to "ucat@www.ohiou.edu."