Prepare for a Bright Design Career at the Highly Ranked Pratt Communications Design Program

As the real and digital world becomes more image-conscious and image-laden, the demand for design is increasing rapidly. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of graphic communications work like graphic design, illustration, advertising art direction branding are published or sold each day. The future is bright for visual communications design majors – and Pratt’s is one of the finest communications design programs in the world.

PrattMWP's Communications Design program is geared to produce illustrators, advertisers, and graphic designers who will be widely recognized, actively sought, and well paid for their command of these highly coveted skills and talents. By choosing to begin their degree in Utica, PrattMWP students get a competitive edge by spending two years on our intimate campus, working closely with full-time faculty – an experience that can be hard to come by at communication design schools.

The program leading to a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communications Design encompasses four levels of training: hands, eyes, mind, and social conscience. This comprehensive approach pays great dividends in the job market, where Pratt graduates have distinguished themselves by earning top communication design jobs – including managerial positions at creative agencies throughout the world. Many professionals with Pratt communication design degrees also credit the program’s strong liberal arts component as critical to rapid promotions in their careers.

B.F.A. in Communications Design

What is a visual communications design?

Our exceptional program leads students to one of three major creative careers: Illustration - the art of picture-making for the purpose of communicating ideas and information; Graphic Design - total information design, where pictures, as well as words, are created and designed to convey messages.

Graphic design, illustration, and advertising are professions where word and image are created specifically to move ideas and information to the minds of others. Successful careers in these areas are enjoyed by those who know how to communicate a message in their artwork, whether it is in a corporate logo, book illustration, web page, package design or television advertisement.

Unique among major American art and design schools, PrattMWP's program of study for these three creative areas are built on their relationships, not their differences. They are not isolated in separate departments. The curriculum is designed to give instruction in a broad base of skills relevant to all three areas in the sophomore year, and then to provide studio courses that are increasingly specific to each in the junior and senior years. This allows students to choose their major after exposure to the bigger picture.

Courses in creativity are interlaced with those in a technical process to form a well-balanced curriculum. In addition, students study the history of design and the fundamentals of human institutions in order to broaden their social awareness. This knowledge helps to ensure that graduates will achieve early advancement in the professional world.

View Sample ScheduleView Courses

Visit Campus | Request a Catalog | Summer PreCollege Program | Apply Online Now

Academics

PrattMWP boasts one of the greatest academic art programs and learning environments in the northeast.

Read More

First-Year Foundation

Drawing, 3-D Design, 4-D Design, Light/Color/Design, Liberal Arts

Students spend the first
two years of their Pratt art degree working closely with full-time faculty in a serious, focused art environment.

Fine Arts

Drawing, Jewelry, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture and Integrated Practices

PrattMWP students
show their work in our professional galleries to established, captive audiences.

General Education Core

Communications Design

Graphic Design, Illustration

Prepare for a Bright Design Career at the Highly Ranked
Pratt Visual Communications Design Program.

Photography

If your goal is to earn a photography degree from a top New York photography school, PrattMWP is an outstanding option.

Art & Design Education

Teacher Preparation/Certification

Art Teacher Certification Program

PreCollege Programs

Library

Academic Calendar

Student Life

The Student Life Office provides a safe and inclusive environment
to promote the holistic development of PrattMWP students,
not only as artists but as actively engaged and responsible community members.

Sophomore Award Winner Gallery 2020

Special Programs

Request Information

Visiting Campus

More than 43 languages are spoken in the city of Utica.

Apply to PrattMWP

Applying to PrattMWP College of Art and Design

Community Art

Beyond college education and studio time, PrattMWP students have even more opportunities to delve into their artistic passions through the Munson-Williams-Proctor
School of Art.