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Visual Communications
Undergraduate Certificate
The undergraduate certificate in Visual Communications introduces you to the basic fundamentals of graphic design, animation, image manipulation, image enhancement, and image storage. You’ll learn how to design, develop, and deploy moving text and graphics to create dynamic and interactive digital experiences. This online program also provides an introduction to website design and development to help you obtain a well-rounded set of visual design skills. This certificate program is intended for undergraduate students who seek to heighten their knowledge of visual communication without committing to an academic degree program.
This hands-on program covers the Site Development Associate curriculum and the Web Design curriculum of the CIW Web Foundations Associate certification. After completing this certificate, you may consider pursuing your CIW Web Design Specialist certification.
Program Courses
The curriculum for this program follows industry trends to help ensure relevancy to today's marketplace. View all courses.
Program Objectives
In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:
- Discuss the purpose and usage of smart objects, layers and vectors in editing, also differentiate between a raster image and a vector image; also detail the layer concepts of hiding, linking, and setting layer styles.
- Detail the capabilities of Adobe Photoshop as a tool for editing and restoring digital images; also describe the process for enhancing digital images by manipulating sharpness, color, contrast, hue, brightness, and resolution.
- Appraise the principles and concepts of effective design for organizing information, for performing site design, and for determining the navigation structure.
- Assess the principles for designing web pages, including the content, typography, colors, images, and page layout; also examine the use of style sheets to enhance reusability and to design consistent interfaces.
- Compare and contrast the various image file formats on the Web, including GIF, JPG, PNG, and SVG.
- Assess the utility of Adobe Flash technology in streaming animations in website design; also assess the use of tweens, anchors, guides, and onion skins to develop Web animations.
Degree at a Glance
- Number of Credits 18
- Max Transfer Credits 9
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Tuition Per Credit
$285 | $250 with military grant*
- Program Length 1 year full time
- Program Format Online | Monthly course starts
- Program Director Kevin Harris
- View all courses
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Admission Requirements
- All AMU undergraduate programs require a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent (i.e. GED).
- Please read all undergraduate admission requirements before applying to this program and be prepared to submit the required documentation.
- There is no fee to complete the AMU admission application. View steps to apply.
Need help?
Selecting the right program to meet your educational goals is a key step in ensuring a successful outcome. If you are unsure of which program to choose, or need more information, please contact an AMU admissions representative at 877-755-2787 or info@apus.edu.
Materials Cost
Software and/or lab equipment required for some courses in this program must be purchased at the student’s expense, and are not included in the undergraduate book grant. You can view the materials required for individual courses in the ecampus under your Academic Plan.
Undergraduate Tuition Rates
Per credit hour:
$285 | $250 with military grant*
*To minimize out-of-pocket costs, active-duty servicemembers, their spouse/dependents, National Guard members, and Reservists receive a tuition grant that caps undergraduate, master's degree, and graduate certificate tuition at $250/credit hour. In addition, a master's-level book grant provides no-cost textbooks and ebooks for master's-level courses to active-duty servicemembers, their spouse/dependents, National Guard members, and Reservists.
Paying for School
Because our university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), (the same as the Ohio State University, Univ. of Chicago, and U.S. Air Force Academy, to name a few), we can accept the following forms of financial aid and payments:
Ways to Save
University Book Grant
Books are provided online at no cost if you are enrolled in undergraduate courses for credit. The university book grant is estimated to save full-time students $1,200 per year.*
Transfer Credits
Accelerate your degree completion by taking full advantage of our transfer credit options, including credit for your previous college courses, military service schools, American Council on Education (ACE) and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests, and prior learning experiences.
Employer Contributions
AMU has educational partnerships with many employers and associations. Be sure to accurately enter your employer information when you complete our admissions application. Your employer might also offer a tuition reimbursement plan as one of your benefits.
*According to College Board Trends in College Pricing.
