http://fitnyc.edu/illustration
School of Art and Design
Applications accepted for fall only. NYSED: 00763 HEGIS 5012
The major in Illustration offers qualified students the opportunity to prepare for staff positions and a freelance career as illustrators in graphic design firms, ad agencies, and publishing houses. Curriculum below is for the entering class of Fall 2018.
| Semester 1 | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| MAJOR AREA | IL 153 - Drawing Foundation I | 3 |
| IL 161 - Illustration Process I | 3 | |
| RELATED AREA | FA 119 - 2D Design for Illustrators | 1.5 |
| PH 104 - Basic Digital Photography for Visual Design Communication | 2 | |
| ART HISTORY | choice - see Requirements* | 3 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION | choice - see Requirements* | 3 |
| Semester 2 | ||
| MAJOR AREA | IL 105 - Painting Process I: Color Theory and Applications | 3 |
| IL 125 - Introduction to Adobe Photoshop for the Illustrator | 2 | |
| IL 154 - Drawing Foundation II | 3 | |
| IL 162 - Illustration Process II | 3 | |
| GENERAL EDUCATION | choice - see Requirements* | 3 |
| choice - see Requirements* | 3 | |
| Semester 3 | ||
| MAJOR AREA | IL 262 - Pictorial Problem Solving | 3 |
| IL 264 - Visual Interpretation | 3 | |
| IL 272 - Illustration Rendering Techniques | 1.5 | |
| RELATED AREA | CD 201 - Computer Typesetting and Design | 2 |
| ART HISTORY | choice - see Requirements* | 3 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION | choice - see Requirements* | 3 |
| Semester 4 | ||
| MAJOR AREA | IL 201 - Painting Process III: Figure as Visual Communication | 3 |
| IL 263 - Advanced Pictorial Problem Solving or 265 - Advanced Visual Interpretation | 3 | |
| RELATED AREA | choice - see Related Area Electives** | 1.5 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION | choice - see Requirements* | 6 |
| ELECTIVE(S) | choice - General Elective(s) | 1.5 |
| TOTAL CREDIT REQUIREMENTS | ||
| ART HISTORY | 6 | |
| GENERAL EDUCATION | 18 | |
| ELECTIVE(S) | 1.5 | |
| MAJOR AREA | 30.5 | |
| RELATED AREA | 7 | |
| Total Credits: | 63 | |
*Fall 2018 Requirements: see below
FIT's General Education and Art History Requirements for Art and Design Associate Degree Programs:
- Three (3) credits from each required area, totaling 9 credits: G1, G2 and G3
- Six (6) credits from two (2) different areas in non-HA liberal arts courses in G4-G10
- Three (3) credits of any 200- or 300-level English literature or speech course
- Six (6) credits from Art and Design History courses: HA 112 (3 credits, required for all Art and Design majors), plus another 3-credit HA course.
FIT's Gen Ed courses are organized into the following categories: G1 Basic Communication; G2 Mathematics; G3 Natural Sciences; G4 Social Sciences; G5 Western Civilization; G6 The Arts; G7 Humanities; G8 Foreign Language; G9 Other World Civilizations; G10 American History.
See list of Gen Ed approved courses under FIT's General Education Requirements and Courses. An FIT Gen Ed course cannot be used to meet more than one General Education area.
**Related Area Electives: 1.5 credits
CHOICE of any elective course for which prerequisites have been met in Accessories Design (LD), Advertising Design (AD), Communication Design (CD), Computer Animation and Interactive Media (CG), Creative Technologies (CT), Entrepreneurship (EP), Fabric Styling (FS), Fashion Design (FD), FI 261, Fine Arts (FA), Graphic Design (GD), Interior Design (ID), Jewelry Design (JD), Menswear (MW), Packaging Design (PK), Photography (PH), Textile/Surface Design (TD), Toy Design (TY), Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design (VP).
Upper Division Alternatives:
Graduates of this program are eligible to apply for admission to the Bachelor of Fine Arts programs in Computer Animation and Interactive Media, Illustration, Textile/Surface Design, and Toy Design.
If you are a high school student
High school students should apply to the two-year Associate in Applied Science (AAS) program. You may not apply directly to the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program. On completing the AAS, most students choose to apply to the two-year BFA program. Applicants to the AAS program are expected to provide a competitive portfolio.
If you have an AAS in Illustration from FIT
You may apply to the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program. High school students may not apply directly to the bachelor's degree program. You should apply to the two-year AAS program, and after completing that degree apply to the two-year BFA program. Applicants to the BFA program are expected to provide a portfolio only if their GPA is below 3.0.
If you have credits or a degree from another college
You may apply to the two-year Illustration BFA program as a transfer student if you meet one of the following criteria by the time you enroll at FIT:
- you will have an associates or bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college in a program that is equivalent to the FIT Illustration AAS program
- you will have earned at least 60 credits toward a bachelor's degree in an equivalent program at a regionally accredited college.
A college program is equivalent if it contains the same major area and liberal arts distribution as the FIT Illustration AAS program. Applicants from college programs that are not equivalent must apply to the AAS program.
Please note that FIT AAS students receive priority admissions consideration.
Applicants must submit a competitive portfolio.