Graphic Design
BFA
Graphic Design
UnStill Life. Poster Design for Multi-Media Opera. Word&Image II
Purchase’s four-year BFA program in Graphic Design prepares the next generation of innovative designers.
We believe in learning from the past, embracing emerging technologies, challenging ourselves in the present, and designing the future.
Through immersive studios, complex projects, and collaboration with expert faculty, you will develop a refined design process and gain a deep understanding of how visual communication shapes our world. Our curriculum is designed to adapt to an evolving industry, providing students critical thinking with real-world experiences across a wide range of art and design practices, including web and interface design, media design, motion graphics, print and publication design, illustration, and branding.
At Purchase, with state-of-the-art facilities and resources, you will develop the technical skills and adaptability necessary to excel in a constantly evolving design field. As a public college, Purchase provides exceptional value and accessibility, delivering an education that empowers you to create with confidence.
What Makes Us Unique?
Creative Freedom: Our curriculum is designed to help you develop a distinct design voice.
Expansive Education: As a premier liberal arts college, with multiple Arts Conservatories, Purchase enhances your art education with diverse programs in sciences and humanities and experiences in variety of student-led activities.
Building a Strong Foundation: Our curriculum combines timeless design principles with cutting-edge skills, equipping students for immediate success and a lifetime of growth.
Community and Collaboration: While we value individual production, we encourage our students to collaborate, engage with their communities, and produce work that is timely and relevant.
World-Class Faculty: Learn from dedicated professors who bring extensive expertise and are committed to your success. Meet Our Faculty.
Industry Connections: Located near New York City, we offer great access to top guest speakers and internship opportunities.
Neuberger Museum of Art: The Neuberger Museum of Art is a teaching museum and students can experience exhibitions of modern, contemporary and African art and art-inspired events in our Philip Johnson-designed building
The Performing Art Center: The Performing Arts Center (The Purchase PAC) is a four-theatre complex located on the campus, and has been the hub of a creative community that brings together internationally acclaimed performance artists and rising stars, creative practitioners, civic and academic leaders, and community activists.
Career Possibilities
Students with a BFA in graphic design have found success in a wide variety of careers, including:
- Art Director
- Brand and Identity Designer
- Book Designer
- Creative Director
- Exhibition Designer
- Illustrator
- Motion Graphics Artist
- Package Designer
- Publication Designer
- Social Media Producer
- Advertising
- Marketing
- Type Designer
- UX/UI Designer
- Web and Interactive Designer
Visit the Career Development Center to learn more.
Alternatives Possibilities for Young Creative Minds
- Cultural and Arts Institutions
- Design Research and Critical Design
- Editorial and Independent Publishing
- Freelance and Collective Studios
- Nonprofit or Cooperative Organizations
- Social Impact Design
- Teaching and Mentoring
Apply Today
Do What You Love
Visual artists at Purchase cross boundaries and explore whatever media that intrigues them.
Learn Moreabout Apply Today - Do What You Love
“There wasn’t any moment of, ‘should you be making furniture even though you’re a graphic designer?’ And it’s because they understand, one, that design is a thought process, and that what the outcome is is not necessarily just a piece of typography, but it could be a chair.”
Latest Stories
Immersive *Photography Is* Festival Runs Sep 18–Nov 22
The project is a collaboration between 100+ Purchase alumni and students.
Associate Professor Hakan Topal Merges Art, Science, and Architecture
Topal brought together his diverse skill sets to design a family home in Turkey recently featured in dwell magazine.
Crossover Goals: Pollinator Garden Signage
The interpretive signs in the Purchase Native Pollinator Garden resulted from collaboration between environmental studies, arts management, and graphic design.
