BA, BFA Art, BFA Design Programs
Ranked #2 for Best Colleges for Design and #11 for Best Colleges for Art, the Roski School of Art and Design was recently included in a survey of over 1,000 art colleges and universities by niche.com. The rankings are based on key statistics and student reviews using data from the U.S. Department of Education that compares the top art and design schools across America.
View the USC Roski Undergraduate Brochure here.
Take a look at the USC Roski Virtual Tour here.
The Roski School offers three undergraduate degrees: the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art (BFA Art), the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design (BFA Design), and the Bachelor of Art in Art (BA Art).
The BFA degrees are intensive, pre-professional degrees that feature a full immersion in artistic or design media.
In the BFA Art, the choice of studio courses is mostly self-driven by the student, with emphases available in painting and drawing, photography and video, and sculpture and ceramics. Studio courses are complemented by a series of critical theory seminars, critique studios, a studio capstone course and a senior thesis project. Optional courses include professional internships and international art study tours led by Roski faculty. Advanced BFA Art students are assigned faculty mentors who guide their students’ progression through the BFA coursework to the final thesis.
The BFA Design is a four-year pre-professional degree leading to a variety of careers in advertising, publication, fashion, sports, entertainment and film design, among others. Design education at Roski is based on the premise that all designers are also artists and makers, so first-year foundation courses include drawing and illustration and experience with a wide array of artistic media, along with skills-based workshops in 2D and 3D design-specific media. Design coursework is complemented by a series of critical theory seminars, professional design internships, international design study tours, a senior thesis as well as a minor in business, advertising, marketing, entrepreneurship or communication.
Advanced design students who are making exceptional progress may be invited to apply for the BFA/MFA Design progressive degree in their junior year. If admitted, a student can complete the BFA degree and start taking graduate level design courses in their senior year, eliminating the need for a formal graduate application and reducing the time to the professional degree.
BFA Objectives may be found here.
For the Online Course Catalogue, click here.
The BA Art is a liberal arts degree and features more of a variety of courses from across the university. The choice of art and design courses is very much student-driven, and is ideal for students who want to combine their interests in art or design with a minor or double major in a related or complementary field, such as business, neuroscience or game design/animation. In addition to USC’s GE requirements, three semesters of a foreign language are required. Learn more about your options in the art programs at USC Roski here.
BA Outcomes may be found here.
The BA and BFA degrees prepare students for a profession in art or design, whether that includes jobs, internships or graduate school. For a list of recent job placements of Roski art and design students click here.
Both degrees require a portfolio application and supplemental materials in addition to the USC CommonApp.
BA/BFA Student Prizes and Exhibitions
USC Roski offers several student prizes and exhibition. For details and guidelines, click here.