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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
- Tuition Per Credit $270 | $250 with military grant
- Program Length 1 year full time
- Program Format Online | Monthly course starts
- Program Director Kevin Harris
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Admission Requirements
- All APU 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 APU 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 APU 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: $270 | $250 with military grant*
*To help minimize out-of-pocket costs, APU offers a tuition grant for U.S. active-duty servicemembers, Guard, Reserve, military spouses and dependents, and veterans that caps undergraduate tuition at the military TA limit. See all military-affiliated student benefits.
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
Undergraduate Book Grant
Books are provided online at no cost if you are enrolled in undergraduate courses for credit. The undergraduate book grant is estimated to save $600 per academic semester* if you are registered as a full-time student.
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
APU 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.
School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math
This program resides in the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) where more than 57 degree and certificate programs are available for students to find their area of interest ranging from space studies to environmental studies to IT and cybersecurity. American Public University is one of the few online colleges where you can work fully online to earn science and math bachelor’s degrees. Two of our bachelor’s programs (Natural Science and BSEE) are set up with full lab kits that are mailed to you to use at home. You won’t sacrifice hands-on experience with our online science programs! In addition, many of our STEM professors work to innovate their classroom, including Danny Welsch who uses video for you to learn from his virtual field trips.
The APU STEM program directors work with industry advisory councils to ensure that our students are prepared for the real world. APU also works with industry certifying bodies to ensure that our courseware meets the requirements of agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA) Information Assurance Courseware Evaluation (IACE) and the DoD Directive 8570.1M Information Assurance Management (IAM).
At APU, we understand your need for flexibility because most of our students are working adult learners who balance school around work and other life commitments. This is why we offer 8-week or 16-week online courses that start monthly. Through an online virtual classroom, you’ll communicate with students and professors in forum communities as you work to complete your weekly written assignments on your own schedule from anywhere in the world. And with our mobile application, you can even work offline and upload your assignments when you reconnect.
We encourage you to browse the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math webpage to learn more about the school and to find a program that’s right for you.