Mar 29, 2025  
USC Catalogue 2024-2025 
    
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USC Catalogue 2024-2025

Design (BFA)

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Design requires a total of 128 units, including 74 units of DES and CRIT requirements.

In addition to the required courses, BFA Design students are encouraged to explore in greater depth an area of design in which they have an interest. Students should select electives based on their personal and professional goals and in consultation with academic advisers. Electives are typically clustered in a particular field, but may be spread across different areas

Required Lower-Division Courses

28 units of lower-division Roski DES courses are required as follows:

Required Upper-Division Courses

34 units of upper-division Roski DES courses are required as follows:

Required Critical Studies Courses

The following Critical Studies courses are required for the BFA major that also satisfy up to five categories of General Education requirements: 

Electives

26 units of electives are required, to be chosen from either Roski courses or non-Roski courses from across the university, allowing for a minor to complement the design course work.

General Education Requirements

The university’s general education program provides a coherent, integrated introduction to the breadth of knowledge you will need to consider yourself (and to be considered by other people) a generally well-educated person. See the General Education  page for more information.