International School of Art & Design

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Finlandia University’s International School of Art and Design (ISAD) balances experiences in critical thinking and creative insight with a strong foundation in liberal studies. We emphasize the convergence of technical skill and conceptual innovation.

The program prepares graduates for emerging opportunities in both professional practice and graduate studies, by providing foundations in entrepreneurship, sustainability, and business practices in art and design.

LEARNING OUTCOMES – ISAD

  1. Communication: Communicate of the Elements & Principles of Design within selected medium.
  2. Analytical and Critical Thinking/Creative Insight: Integrate knowledge of basic business practices as they relate to entrepreneurial ventures, exhibition opportunities, and professional presentation & portfolio development.
  3. Analytical and Critical Thinking/Global Perspective: Resource the relevance of history, theory, and criticism, using perspectives and scholarship drawn from the students’ major field and at least one other field.
  4. Personal Perspective/Global Perspective: Measure decisions involving social, environmental, and ethical issues concerning the production and consumption of Art & Design.
  5. Creative Insight:  Assess the possibilities and limitations of materials and processes, including the potential and current uses of existing and developing materials, technologies, and production methods.
  6. Personal Perspective:  Support an attitude of curiosity, determination, and reflection that will persist beyond graduation.

Occupational Outlook

Below is information provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Employment of arts and design occupations is projected to grow 4 percent from 2016 to 2026, slower than the average for all occupations, adding about 33,700 new jobs. More workers will be needed to meet the growing demand for animation and visual effects in video games, movies, television, and on smartphones, as well as to help create visually appealing and effective layouts of websites and other media platforms. Other arts and design workers are employed in industries that are projected to decline, however, including publishing, manufacturing, and floral shops.

The median annual wage for arts and design occupations was $45,250 in May 2017, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $37,690.

Learn more about the career out look for art and design occupations at bls.gov.






Ceramic Design
Ceramic Design
Our students experiences all aspects of ceramic design from clay body construction to over glazing techniques.

What you will learn

Our ceramic majors develop throwing and hand-built methods of working with clay. The direction each student's form takes can evolve to become sculptural, functional, or architectural. Experimentation with form and surface is encouraged from the start so our students understand how, together, these attributes produce an art object. Students can finish their objects in a variety of surface treatments and experiment with numerous firing temperatures during their pursuit of a bachelor's degree in ceramic design.

Sample Courses (CORE)

  • Ceramic Design II
  • Technical Aspects of Ceramic Design
  • Studio Practices in Ceramic Design

Career Opportunities

Ceramic Sculptor, Ceramic Glaze Technician, Clay Body Technician, Production Potter, Ceramic Artists Learn More
Graphic Design
Graphic Design
Every book, magazine, TV show, movie, product package, sign, poster, billboard, and website depends on it. It is simply the art of visualizing and communicating ideas-clearly, effectively, and if done well, memorably.

What you will learn

Graphic Design majors learn the latest industry-standard computer programs and how to use them on a professional level. But computers are only tools. A powerful concept is a designer's greatest strength, and computers don't create concepts. Generating ideas - lots of ideas - workable, effective ideas, is the foundation of good design and the backbone of the industry.

What Can I Do with a Graphic Design Degree?

Sample Courses (CORE)

  • Design Thinking
  • Emerging Design
  • Interactive Design

Career Opportunities

Advertisement Designer, Art Designer, Book and Magazine Designer, Corporate Identity Designer, Entertainment Designer, Graphic Designer, Packaging Designer, Signage Designer, Television Graphics Specialist Learn More
Integrated Design
Integrated Design
Design impacts all of us every day. Whether at work or play, connecting to others or seeking solitude, the effect of design is inescapable.

What you will learn

Finlandia University Integrated Designers use the skills and creativity of product design, interior architecture and sustainable systems to engage form and function, health and safety, and harmony with the Earth. They specialize at being non-specialists. They are adaptable, flexible and at ease crossing professional boundaries to solve real problems for real people.

Sustainable design is an exciting call for change. Many of the problems humanity faces in the 21st Century are the legacy of industrial-age thinking. Design is moving on. What we need most now are creative responses to the challenges of sustaining human life in harmony with Earth.

The bachelor's degree in integrated design program at Finlandia offers young designers a new context with revolutionary design strategies, preparing the next generations of designers to operate in a period of accelerating change and unpredictability. They will be able to cross disciplines, forge diverse collaborations.

Sample Courses (CORE)

  • Sustainable Design Systems
  • Technical Aspects of Materials
  • Human Factors and Ergonomics

Career Opportunities

Architectural Interior Design, Exhibit Display Design, Furniture and Furniture Systems Design, Green Building Consultant, Human Factors Research, Product Design, Sustainable Systems Design, Toy and Game Design, Transportation Design Learn More
Intermedia
Intermedia
The contemporary landscape of visual arts is an endless revolution. A constant adaptability is demanded of all who participate. The reach of painting and drawing is immeasurable, and unavoidable.

What you will learn

Drawing, painting, and illustration are similar in the fact they are constructed images that communicate. However, audience, venue, and purpose may vary greatly. The Studio Arts program at Finlandia University acknowledges this diversity and encourages personal exploration through an interdisciplinary lens. Exposure to a breadth of media, mediums, and cultural fodder will yield thoughtful artifact.

The Studio Arts degree curriculum stresses aesthetic research, technical proficiency, conceptual inquiry, and professional discipline. Students are introduced to precedence and tradition, as well as contemporary counterparts. Each creative is asked to continually evaluate their goals in relationship to their field and medium. In dialogue with faculty, peers and community, students develop the ability articulate their motivations and actively pursue their purpose.

Sample Courses (CORE)

  • Painting Fundamentals
  • Studio Arts 2: Self Publishing
  • Studio Arts 4: Portfolio

Career Opportunities

Animator, Art Gallery Owner/Director, Exhibits Installer, Entrepreneur, Fine Artist (Drawing, Installation, Mixed-media, Painting, Animation, Technical), Illustrator (Commercial, Editorial, Magazine, Newspaper, Web, Medical, Product), Publishing (Children’s Books, Comics, Graphic Novels, Textbooks) Learn More
Art Therapy
Art Therapy
The Finlandia University Art Therapy program is for students who want to help others and who also love to create art.

Sample Courses (CORE)

  • Color and Composition
  • Sculpture
  • Studio Practices in Ceramic Design

Career Opportunities

Art Therapist Learn More
Arts Management
Arts Management
The Arts Management concentration is for students who wish to pursue management careers in arts-related enterprises.

Sample Courses (CORE)

  • Art & Design Project Management
  • Art Business
  • E-Marketing

Career Opportunities

Art Manager, Art Director Learn More
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