Bachelor of Science Degree
The Communication and Information Design (CID) Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree program deals with all aspects of planning, organizing, writing and designing of communication media. The program emphasizes new media digital tools such as website design and writing, video scripting and production, game design, digital photography, animation. The program studies how social media tools impact information preparation, organization, and delivery. Students develop a strong understanding of best practices and gain familiarity with techniques to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of new media in getting a message across.
Graduates from the program find employment in social media strategy, web design, technical writing and editing, video production, instructional design technologies, training and teaching, communication management, computer documentation, public relations, graphics, journalism, and document design. Students may also go on to graduate study in information design (see below), graphic design, journalism, social media, computer interface design, and media studies.
Accelerated BS/MS Program in Communication and Information Design and Information Design and Technology
At any time prior to their senior year, CID students can apply to enter the new accelerated BS/MS program. The joint BS/MS program is a well-integrated program that permits students to complete both a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Information Design, and a master’s degree in Information Design and Technology in a reduced time frame with a reduced total number of total credits. Go to http://cid.sunyit.edu for admission requirements and for further details.
BS/MS Degree Requirements
Completion of the joint BS/MS program requires a minimum of 145 credit hours, including a minimum of 33 semester hours of graduate study. All specific requirements for both the BS and the MS degrees must be met. Students in the joint program may apply up to six credits of graduate coursework to both the undergraduate and graduate degrees simultaneously. The double-counted coursework will be chosen from the Core and Elective Courses in the graduate program, and up to 6 of these credits may be applied to the undergraduate track electives. The intent of this program option is to allow well-prepared students to finish both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in a reduced time frame. The graduate program is completely online, so students can choose to leave the area after completing the CID requirements and continue taking courses for the MS degree.
Design Studios and Laboratories
SUNYIT has two 24-station digital design studios to support advanced writing, design, animation and illustration courses. The studios include dual-boot (PC and Mac operating systems) Apple Macintosh computers with 27″ displays and a full suite of software to support graphic design, digital photography, video, animation, photography, text layout and other information design projects. Software includes Adobe Creative Suite products, including Photoshop, Flash, InDesign, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver. In the fall of 2011 a media lab based around the needs of CID majors, became a cornerstone of the new Learning Commons in Cayan Library with eight Mac Pros with dual monitors loaded with Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects.
Real World Experience
The program emphasizes working with clients in professional situations. In select courses, students work with clients and complete quality deliverables. In capstone courses, students craft print and multi-media digital portfolios and present them in presentations and mock interviews with professionals in their fields. Students work under the direction of lead writers, documentation specialists or publication managers, and students are exposed to the demands and constraints of the career in organizational settings. In COM 495, students plan and complete a documentation project for a domestic or international client; students work through the entire development process and produce documentation for mass distribution. Additionally, in COM 499 students build an online and print portfolio of their work, which is later reviewed by the program’s advisory board in mock job interviews and in end-of-semester presentations. This portfolio can then be used in job interviews. Past student portfolios can be viewed from http://cid.sunyit.edu.
Degree Requirements Overview
To earn a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Communication and Information Design, a student must fulfill the following requirements (transfer credits usually fulfill half the degree requirements):
- Satisfactory completion of at least 124 semester hours of college level work distributed as follows:
- General Education Requirements 31-44 credits
- Program Requirements 44 credits
- General Electives 36-49 credits
Total 124 credits
- Satisfactory completion of at least 60 semester hours of upper division course work, at least 30 of which must be taken at SUNYIT.
- Achievement of at least 2.00 cumulative quality point average in course work taken at SUNYIT, and a “C” or better in all Communication and Information Design Core courses.
B.S. in Communication and Information Design (CID)—124 total credits
Students shall satisfy the requirements listed below.
I. SUNY General Education Requirements (30 credits)
All SUNY students must satisfy the following requirements.
No fewer than 30 credits must be attained from the SUNY approved General Education Course List with the following provisions:
- Mathematics
- Basic Communication (ENG 101 or equivalent)
At least five (5) out of the following eight (8) SUNY General Education categories:
- Natural Science
- Social Science
- American History
- Western Civilization
- Other World Civilization
- Humanities
- The Arts
- Foreign Language
NOTE: You may take more than one course in a given category to complete this 30 credit hour requirement, but you must also satisfy the appropriate number of categories.
II. Liberal Arts/Sciences Requirements (30 credits)
The New York State Education Department (SED) requires a student earning a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree to attain no fewer than 60 credits of combined SUNY General Education and Liberal Arts/Sciences courses. There may be overlap between courses meeting both the SUNY General Education Requirements and Liberal Arts/Sciences Requirements, but a student may receive course credits only once even if multiple requirements are satisfied by a single course. The total number of combined credit hours must be no fewer than 60 credits.
SUNYIT degree requirements:
- Natural Sciences : one course which may also be a General Education Natural Science course.
- Upper-Division Writing Course: may be satisfied by an appropriate course in the program core.
Liberals Arts/Sciences Electives (remainder of credits)
III. CID Program Core Coursework (28 credits)
- COM 302 Presentational Speaking
- COM 106/306 Report Writing/Technical Communication
- COM 320 Information Design
- COM 380 Communication Theory
- COM *** Professional Writing Elective
- COM 495 Senior Practicum in Communication
- COM 499 Portfolio and Professional Development
*** COM 206, 240, 311, 350, or 400.
*** COM 307 and 308 do not meet this requirement.
Career Track (16 credits)
Students can choose any four courses from ANY of the following tracks, in consultation with their adviser. Students can transfer up to four credits in this area.
Graphic Design
- ART 210 Principles of 2D Design
- COM 212 Digital Photography and Imaging
- COM 213 Digital Animation
- COM 360 Product Design and Testing
- COM 414 Advanced Digital Graphic Design
- COM 416 Advanced Digital Animation
- COM 417 Visual Identity and Branding
- COM 420 Web Site Design
- COM 460 Advanced Web Site Design
- COM 490 Special Topics in Communications
- MKT 321 Advertising Management
- PHI 310 Technology and Ethics
Professional Writing/Editing
- COM 206 Ethnographic Writing
- COM 310 Technical Editing
- COM 311 Public Relations Writing
- COM 350 Visual Thinking and Online Documentation
- COM 353 Newswriting
- COM 354 Newspaper Production
- COM 400 Computer Software Documentation
- COM 410 Communication Research Methods
- COM 415 Writing About Imagery
- COM 490 Special Topics in Communications
- PHI 310 Technology and Ethics
New Media
- COM 213 Digital Animation
- COM 240 Writing for New Media
- COM 262 Online Politics
- COM 316 Media and Communication
- COM 341 Video and Communication
- COM 342 Field and Studio Video Production
- COM 411 Communicating on Computer Networks: Issues and Implications
- COM 416 Advanced Digital Animation
- COM 490 Special Topics in Communications
- PHI 350 Technology and Ethics
- ENG 360 Reading the Film
A “C” or better is required in all core classes and a 2.00 in the major as a whole.