Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication Arts
Lugano, Switzerland
DURATION
4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2025
TUITION FEES
CHF 52,750 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* annual tuition fee for international students per year | Swiss/EU/EEA: CHF 27,550 per year | US citizens / permanent residents and Canadian citizens: $48,500 per year
Key Summary
Introduction
Take Informed Communication Beyond Language
The Visual Communication Arts Major offers an interdisciplinary course of study, encompassing the fine arts, graphic design, illustration, and photography, as well as courses from Communication and Media Studies, Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies, Film Studies, and other disciplines. It focuses on communication and creativity as fundamental elements of human expression and encourages students to think critically about creative expressions within the context of and across cultures, ethnicities, races, and genders. In this course of study, students focus on the visual arts and will be able to express themselves in a variety of media.
Admissions
Curriculum
The program prepares students for entry-level positions in careers in museums, galleries, media, consulting, and the publishing sector. Students may also choose to pursue fine art or design careers or enter graduate and specialized studies in the arts.
Required Courses (9 Credits)
- AHT 102 Introduction to Art History and Visual Culture I: Antiquity to Early Renaissance
- AHT 103 Introduction to Art History and Visual Culture II: High Renaissance to Contemporary Art
- COM 105 Introduction to Communication and Media Studies
100-Level Courses (6 Credits)
Two of the following:
- STA 105 Introduction to Sculpture
- STA 106 Introduction to Printmaking
- STA 107 Introduction to Digital Photography
- STA 111 Introduction to Drawing
- STA 112 Introductory Watercolor Techniques
- STA 114 Drawing Related Media
- STA 115 Introductory Painting
- STA 125 Basic Design
- VCA 120T Documentary and Street Photography on Location: Munich
200-Level Courses (9 Credits)
Three of the following:
- STA 200 Computer Graphics in Advertising
- STA 205 Intermediate Sculpture
- STA 206 Intermediate Printmaking
- STA 207 Intermediate Digital Photography
- STA 211 Intermediate Drawing
- STA 212 Intermediate Watercolor Techniques
- STA 214 Drawing Related Media
- STA 215 Intermediate Painting
- STA 220 Heads and Bodies: the Human Head and Proportions in Art History, Theory and Practice
- STA 235 Sustainability and the Studio
- STA 275T Studies in Ceramics: Northern and Central Italy
- STA 280T Adventures in Printmaking
Upper-Level Courses (6 Credits)
Two of the following:
- STA 300 Computer Graphics in Advertising, Advanced
- STA 305 Higher Sculpture
- STA 306 Advanced Printmaking
- STA 307 Advanced Digital Photography
- STA 311 Advanced Drawing
- STA 312 Advanced Watercolor Painting
- STA 314 Drawing Related Media
- STA 315 Higher Painting
- STA 330T Umbria: A Warm Refuge for Inspiration: Art, Music and Life in Umbria, the Heart of Italy
- STA 331T Umbria: Sustaining Art in the Heart of Italy
- VCA 200 The Arts of Independent Publication
- VCA 370 Topics in Visual Communication Arts
- STA 330T Ceramics, Mandala and Land Art, New Media
Major Electives (9 Credits)
Three of the following, with at least one at the 300-level:
- AHT XXX Any course in Art History
- BUS 285 Integrated Marketing Communications
- CLCS 110 Reading Cultures: Approaches to Cultural Studies
- CLCS 220 Inventing the Past: The Uses of Memory in a Changing World
- CLCS 230 Science / Fiction: Envisioning the Possible
- CLCS 245 Critical Approaches to the Graphic Novel: Justice in the Gutter
- CLCS 250 Ecocritical Approaches to Film
- CLCS 300 Masculinities in Literature and Film
- CLCS 340 Fashion and Visual Culture
- CLCS 350 Culture and Human Rights
- CLCS 360 Critical Race Studies in a Global Context
- CLCS 371 Law and Culture
- CLCS 372 Tales of Catastrophe
- COM 201 Fundamentals of Media Studies and Criticism
- COM 202 Fundamentals of Interpersonal Communication
- COM 225T Technologized Bodies: Mobile ICTs in the City
- COM 230T Communication, Fashion, and the Formation of Taste (Italy)
- COM 295 Media Consumption, Fashion, and Identity
- COM 301 Globalization and Media
- COM 302 Intercultural Communication: Theory, Research, and Practice
- COM 327 Producing Digital Media: Communication and Media in Practice
- COM 330 The Digital Innovation and Media Strategies for a New Consumer Culture
Senior Capstone (3 Credits)
One of the following:
- VCA 495 Senior Project in Visual Communication Arts
- VCA 497 Visual Communication Arts Internship
- VCA 499 Visual Communication Arts Thesis
Gallery
Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
Franklin University Switzerland offers merit scholarships to admitted students based on academic achievements in high school and/or transferable undergraduate work. All undergraduate applicants are considered for merit awards as part of the admissions process, which are awarded at the point of admission with priority given to students applying by the December 1 deadline. Additional need-based scholarships may be awarded on top of merit scholarships, depending on a student’s need. Merit scholarships are renewable for up to four years or eight semesters.
Undergraduate Special Awards
Our competitive scholarship programs offer the most promising students the financial support they need to pursue their studies. These scholarship opportunities are awarded during the enrollment process for incoming students.
At FUS, we are committed to ensuring that talented students are able to access the best educational opportunities so that they can reach their full potential and make a positive impact at Franklin and beyond their studies. We offer generous scholarships and awards to make sure the most promising and motivated young minds are able to achieve their goals and make a positive impact on society.
The scholarship opportunities listed below are cumulative with other types of financial aid, and would be renewed annually to student recipients provided GPA requirements and other applicable conditions per scholarship type are maintained.
- SUNY-FUS 2 + 2 Jacques Villaret International Education Award for SUNY Community College Students
- Franklin Honors Program Award
- The Ambassador Wilfried Geens Award
- The Brian Stanford Award in Creative Practices
- The Ann Gardiner Award in Sustainability
- Life-Long Learning Scholarship