Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art with Concentration in Illustration

at California State University - East Bay USA

The Communication Department features the integration of theories and criticism with the essential skills for media production, professional engagement, and meaningful research. Graduates will be able to make a positive, professional, and important contribution in communication theory and research, Strategic Communication, Multimedia Journalism, and Communication and Media Studies. Students will study, research and analyze the perspectives that will lead to their becoming inclusive, ethical, and effective leaders and participants in global and local communities. They will acquire skills in critical analysis, speaking, writing, and visual presentations across all media. They will learn about the changing world of today’s and future media as well as the long history of the relationship between communication, self, and society and they will be prepared for a broad array of careers or graduate studies. All undergraduates must complete 32 units in 8 core courses in communication and elect one of three concentrations: Multimedia Journalism emphasizing digital journalism for social justice that converges print, audio, visual, and video; Strategic Communication that converges the study of Advertising, Public Relations and Organizational Communication; and Communication and Media Studies that is designed to give students maximum flexibility in the 21st century job market while providing ample depth for those wishing to pursue graduate study. 

The Art Department emphasizes study in our Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) Program. This is a professional degree that offers students the opportunity to develop greater expertise through comprehensive and intensive study in a specific area of art or design - a program that leads to successful careers in the visual art and design industries. Students who intend to pursue graduate studies or advanced skills for a professional career typically choose the B.F.A degree.

The B.F.A. professional concentrations require 70 units of study in the Department to complete the major.  There is no application procedure to enter the Bachelor of Fine Arts program beyond declaring as a B.F.A. student with a specific concentration.  The concentrations are listed below under major requirements.

Video & Animation Concentration
Based on a broad range of critical, conceptual, and production courses in the Video and Animation concentration, students create artworks that give expression to their ideas while engaging their audiences whether it is on monitors, theater screens, hand-held devices, or installations.  Students’ interests and films range from traditional to experimental, fictional to factual, and simply entertaining to highly conceptual. Upon graduation, students are prepared for further study in a graduate program or for entry into the work force.

The Master of Arts degree in History is designed to meet the varied needs and interests of students seeking an advanced degree in history. The program educates students in advanced skills in historical research, writing, interpretation and research, and provides opportunities for training in teaching and public history. Four areas of concentration permit students to plan their coursework to best suit their goals within the overall program requirements and the range of courses offered. The program includes graduate course offerings in historical research and historiography, a  portfolio course, reading seminars, graduate elective units, a scholarly practicum, and a culminating master’s experience. Elective units may be taken in other fields with the approval of the History Graduate Coordinator. The Master’s culminating experience may be a university thesis, examinations in major and minor fields, a public history project or a graduate teaching project, depending on the concentration chosen. Because the majority of students in the master’s program are employed full-time during the day, graduate courses are offered in the evening, usually on a one-night-a-week basis, in fall and spring semesters. This schedule allows students time to complete regular assignments, carry on research, and make regular progress toward the M.A. degree.

The Liberal Studies Major aims to provide a rich liberal art educational experience through selected courses from a wide range of academic disciplines, while at the same time allowing students to select a field for in-depth study of their own interest.  The broad-based, interdisciplinary nature of Liberal Studies provides a solid well-rounded undergraduate educational experience, integrating knowledge from arts and humanities, social science, and natural sciences, with analytical and communication skills well suited for many careers and professions.

The major consists of a common core and a choice from seven concentrations, designed to meet diverse student interests and needs not only for school teaching, but also for leadership in government, non-profit organizations, and business, and for graduate education in law, counseling, social work and services, public affairs and administration, and educational leadership.

The College of Business and Economics, which offers the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) program, is committed to providing life-changing, quality business education to prepare students from diverse backgrounds to become successful business professionals and leaders. The B.S.B.A. program imparts students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand the changing global business environment and to prepare students for success in their professional careers.

The B.S.B.A. major program is structured around a set of core courses enabling students to develop general business perspective and skills. Students are required to choose an area of specialization, i.e., concentration, corresponding to their desired career path. In addition, the program allows students flexibility to customize their specialization by choosing business elective courses. These electives may be chosen to further strengthen their preparation in their chosen concentration.

The undergraduate and the graduate programs in the College of Business and Economics are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).

The Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology is offered by the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. The objective of this degree program is the professional preparation of each student, academically and clinically, for state licensure (CA), national certification in Speech-Language Pathology by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), and the Speech-Language-Hearing Services credential to work in public school settings in California.

Speech-language pathology and Audiology are clinical professions, with goals of making effective communication a human right for all persons, and for competently serving children and adults with disorders and differences of speech, language, hearing, cognition, and swallowing.

This program has rigorous and balanced academic and clinical training. *The Master’s degree program is accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC).

The Master of Science degree provides students with advanced training in chemistry and the analytical skills needed to process and critique complex chemical information. The program requires a set of core courses encompassing the different disciplines of chemistry. Students may complete the remaining unit requirements with coursework in chemistry or may choose a biochemistry concentration, with the additional coursework in that area. The degree program mainly serves students in four categories: those seeking opportunities in the chemical industry requiring training beyond the baccalaureate level, employed chemists who wish to enhance their career potential, future teachers of high school or community college chemistry, and individuals contemplating more advanced graduate study.

Because of the rapid progress in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry, the department strives to offer a range of courses that cover not only established principles but also recent advances. Through laboratory-based coursework and research opportunities, students are prepared for new developments in experimental methods and instrumentation. They acquire experience reading and analyzing the chemical or biochemical literature in several courses, as well as through a research-based laboratory or computational project (Plan A) or by developing a written literature review (Plan B).

Human Development is an interdisciplinary program that integrates theory and methodology from disciplines such as anthropology, biology, linguistics, psychology, and sociology. The program explores the processes and mechanisms underlying developmental change and stability across the lifespan and the socio-cultural and historical contexts in which development takes place.

The Program’s curriculum aims to develop in students a basic understanding of major research findings and core concepts in human development, the ability to analyze and evaluate theoretical and practical issues in the field, and the skills to apply learning to diverse communities outside the University. The Program strives to create an optimal learning community that values and fosters collaborative learning and dialogue between and among students and faculty from diverse backgrounds.

The Art Department emphasizes study in our Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) Program. This is a professional degree that offers students the opportunity to develop greater expertise through comprehensive and intensive study in a specific area of art or design - a program that leads to successful careers in the visual art and design industries. Students who intend to pursue graduate studies or advanced skills for a professional career typically choose the B.F.A degree.

The B.F.A. professional concentrations require 70 units of study in the Department to complete the major.  There is no application procedure to enter the Bachelor of Fine Arts program beyond declaring as a B.F.A. student with a specific concentration.  The concentrations are listed below under major requirements.

Interaction & Game Design Concentration
Interaction Design focuses on the creation of meaningful experiences expressed as interactive applications and objects. Game Design applies this to entertainment, both experimental and commercial. Students analyze interactivity in art, design, and everyday life, acquire skills and develop prototypes, and work in collaborative teams to produce successful games and creatively solve real world problems.

Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes. Many psychologists work primarily with people to understand how they think, respond to stress, learn and forget, develop into unique personalities, and interact with one another. Others study the behavior and nervous systems of animals in order to find general principles that apply across species. Psychologists apply their knowledge to do therapy and counseling, to improve practices in schools, prisons, and rehabilitation centers, and to enhance performance in industrial and business settings.

The B.S. programs are designed for more specialized purposes. Students in the B.S. program must select one of the two concentrations in that program: Industrial/Organizational Psychology or Ergonomics and Human Factors. The concentration in Industrial/Organizational Psychology provides preparation for careers related to business, with an emphasis on personnel management. The concentration in Ergonomics and Human Factors provides preparation for careers in the design of work environments to take account of human limitations and strengths, for example, the design of equipment (computers, aircraft, automobiles) or the design of industrial procedures.