Department of Design

The Department of Design impacts the global design marketplace through top-level instruction, integrating individualized attention with design-practice perspective.

Explore the Horizons of Your Creativity with APU’s Design Studies Major or the MA in User Experience Design

The Department of Design offers degree programs featuring top-level instruction that infuses faith, imagination, and design praxis, preparing new generations of designers to make a difference in the design industry.

The design studies major prepares students for the creative professions of the present and future. The process of design incorporates skills required for the 21st century. Design is everywhere—from the Nike logo and stop signs to the menu you read at In-N-Out Burger. The influence of design includes how you decide what to wear in the morning and when you choose to use a particular toothpaste. Design is about making connections where others do not see them; it involves asking “What if?” questions that motivate creativity and encompasses the resources to solve everyday problems. If you enjoy the challenge of learning, thinking strategically, and expanding ideas using visual communication, APU’s Bachelor of Arts in Design Studies could be for you. 

The core values of beauty, story, and meaningfulness, guided by an inclusive pedagogy, help students identify the complexity of contemporary visual communication problems and apply interdisciplinary collaboration as part of human-centered design solutions. This focus emphasizes critical thinking skills, the importance of design research, the application of technology, and fine-tuning the design message through iterative feedback. Students at APU identify their social and ethical responsibilities as designers, from the Christian-based focus of a God First education. Coursework emphasizes learning design foundations that integrate artistry with technology; identifying and exercising the creative voice; and building collaborative relationships with practicing designers and alumni.

All design studies majors and minors are required to have a laptop computer with access to the Adobe Creative Cloud.

At the graduate level, the department offers a Master of Arts in User Experience Design, which prepares current and aspiring UI/UX professionals to tailor and shape human-centered interactive tools to be intuitive, useful, and pleasing. The program approaches human-centered design from an artistic perspective in which students learn to manage and lead creative and collaborative projects that communicate effectively through design across a range of art, technology, commercial, and cultural domains. 

Faculty

Interim Chair

William Catling, MFA

Professor

Terry Dobson, MFA

Adjunct Faculty

Angela Lee, MFA

Nathan Lu, BFA

Jessica Paik, MEd

Stephanie Sabo, MFA

Vance Sanders, BA

Brenda Whitehill Schlenker, MFA

Faculty Emeriti

Rebecca Roe, PhD