Many of our students in the School of Visual Communication have taken part in Study Away programs, domestically and abroad.
Visual Communication Undergraduate Majors
Use Your Visual Communication Major to Help Others Tell Their Stories
Our Visual Communication majors provide students with realistic and thorough broad-based professionally oriented training in visual communication while providing the necessary liberal arts and cultural background for a strong educational foundation.
Intensive training is offered in visual communication, across multiple disciplines and platforms.
- Publication design, data visualization, and informational graphics, with preparation for careers in the magazine, newspaper, corporate, and non-governmental organization (NGOs) communication fields
- Interactive design and UX for web and digital mobile platforms for careers in a wide range of communication settings
- Documentary photojournalism and video storytelling for newspapers, magazines, NGOs, and online venues
- Commercial photography, with preparation for careers in the fashion, product, and corporate communication and advertising fields, advertising-directed video production, plus studio management
Choose What You Want to Learn
The School of Visual Communication (VisCom) offers an interdisciplinary visual communication program in four specialized sequences.
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Photojournalism MajorThe Photojournalism major is for students who are interested in using photography to show interesting people, situations and places.
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Information Graphics & Publication Design MajorInformation Graphics/Publication Design students tell stories through design, typography and infographics to create dynamic and engaging publications that are online, in tablet form, or in print.
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Commercial Photography MajorThe Commercial Photography major focuses on advertising photography, product and still-life photography, fashion and portrait photography, architectural and interior design photography.
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Visual Communication — Multimedia MajorThe Multimedia Major combines the professional practice of interactive design, user experience, and web development. Students integrate audio, video, still images and illustrations for the web and mobile devices.
Add a Certificate or Minor
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Commercial Photography MinorThe Commercial Photography minor provides students — particularly those in communication, media, and design-related fields — with foundational skills in creating compelling images for commercial use.
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Photojournalism MinorThe Photojournalism minor equips students with the foundational knowledge and visual storytelling skills to create compelling photo, audio, and video content rooted in journalistic standards.
What Can You Do with a Visual Communications Degree?
Successful graduates find employment in the commercial photography industry or start their own businesses as freelance visual communicators.
- Students have interned at the Los Angeles Times, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Getty Images, the Nature Conservancy, Deutche Welle, and the Urban Institute.
- Career outcomes for VisCom graduates include: studio manager; art director; UX/UI designer; photo editor; visual journalist; page designer; infographic specialist.
Interested in a Career in Photography?
If you're interested in photography but not quite sure which major you might want to pursue, OHIO has several different options, each with a different career trajectory. All of our bachelor’s degrees in photography give you the foundational knowledge and hands-on experiences needed to become a successful professional communication photographer.
Explore OHIO's Photography Degrees
Post-Grad Opportunities for Visual Communication Majors
While many Visual Communication graduates head straight into exciting professional careers, some proceed to graduate school at Ohio University or elsewhere.
At OHIO, we offers two programs of study: the Visual Communication Master of Arts (M.A.) degree with a specialization in one of four visual communication tracks, as well as a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree in communication media arts.
Scripps Semester in D.C.
Learn from industry professionals working in the nation's capital.
Get Hands-On Experience with Your VisCom Major
Our visual communication program provides important experiential learning opportunities. What you learn in the class is also valuable and applicable in the field, so you’ll get the chance to participate in research projects, internships.
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Present Your Work at Student Expo
The Ohio University Student Research and Creative Activity Expo is held annually, and many Visual Communication win awards for their creative projects.
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Add an Internship to Your Resume
One approved internship is required for Visual Communication majors, but many of our students do more than one internship.
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Showcase Your Work in the VisCom Galllery
The VisCom Focus gallery exhibits work from current School of Visual Communication undergraduate and graduate students, program alumni and special guests, such as prominent visual communication industry leaders.
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Join a Student Organization or Publication
Many of our students get involved with extracurricular activities early on in their academic careers and participate in organizations that help them network, meet other students in their major and build leadership skills.
Why Choose a Visual Communication Undergraduate Major?
The School of Visual Communication has been recognized twice as a Program of Excellence by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and is a proud component of the Scripps College of Communication recognized by the state as a Center of Excellence — the only college in the state to receive that distinction.
Graduates of the program earn a Bachelor of Science degree. The visual communication program is designed to provide students with realistic and thorough broad-based professionally oriented training in visual communication while providing the necessary liberal arts and cultural background for a strong educational foundation.
Intensive training is offered in visual communication, across multiple disciplines and platforms: publication design, data visualization, and informational graphics, with preparation for careers in the magazine, newspaper, corporate, and non-governmental organization (NGOs) communication fields; interactive design and UX for web and digital mobile platforms for careers in a wide range of communication settings; documentary photojournalism and video storytelling for newspapers, magazines, NGOs, and online venues; and commercial photography, with preparation for careers in the fashion, product, and corporate communication and advertising fields, advertising-directed video production, plus studio management.
Goals of the School
Visual communication is a form of storytelling where visuals are the primary elements used to communicate. Our graduates produce the material that shapes much of what people see and understand about the world — from visual explanations, graphic and user experience design to journalistic photography and persuasive advertising images — our graduates are among the industry leaders creating what you see.
The goals of the School of Visual Communication are:
- To equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful in visual communication careers, and the background to enable them to compete for leadership roles in the field.
- To provide assistance and professional guidance in visual communication to working photographers, editors, and other personnel, newspapers, press services, magazines, industrial photographic departments, trade associations, multimedia and education media production units, and cultural and scientific visual communicators.
- To set high standards for visual integrity and communication ethics.
- To foster and promote creative activities and scholarly research.