- Community of interest
- Business, Cosmetology, Arts & Design
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 07264.00AS
- Department
- Studio Art/Graphic Design
- CIP code
- 50.0409: Graphic Design.
- TOP code
- 1030.00 - Graphic Art and Design*
Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP
Program Snapshot
- Community of interest
- BCAD Business, Cosmetology, Arts & Design
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 07264.00AS
- Department
- Studio Art/Graphic Design
- CIP code
- 50.0409: Graphic Design.
- TOP code
- 1030.00 - Graphic Art and Design*
Next Steps
AS Degree — expand to learn about this award
The Associate of Science is typically awarded for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. Like every Butte College associate degree, it has two parts: a general-education curriculum that gives you a broad base of knowledge, and an academic program where you specialize.
About General Education. GE is an integrated program of learning designed to foster intellectual curiosity, cultural understanding, critical thinking, creative reasoning, oral and written communication, and the capacity for ethical reasoning. By graduation, you'll have developed the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, apply quantitative reasoning, understand how the major academic disciplines ask their questions, comprehend diverse cultures and historical periods, and assess ethical problems — alongside the depth you build in your major.
Semester-by-Semester Map
Term 1
Class Schedules
course details
This course is an introduction to principles, elements, and practices of drawing, employing a wide range of subject matter and drawing media. Focus on perceptually based drawing, observational skills, technical abilities, and creative responses is placed on materials and subject matter. (C-ID ARTS 110).
course details
This course is an introduction to the general field of graphic design. Students will explore and apply professional skills in design, layout, and production. Areas of study will include advertising design and layouts, corporate identity, publication design, packaging and producing print-ready artwork.
Meets Graduation Requirement.
course details
This course introduces the fundamental concepts and skills needed to pursue a multimedia career, and is taken during the first semester of enrollment in the program. The course develops a strong foundation for more specialized course work in Graphic Design for Print and Digital Media, Digital Video and Audio, Digital Photography, Two-and Three-Dimensional Modeling and Animation, and Multimedia Authoring.
General Education: Area 1A
about Area 1A
English Composition
Baccalaureate-level academic writing — expository and argumentative. The foundation for every other course you'll write in.
General Education: Area 2
about Area 2
Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
College-level mathematics or quantitative reasoning — the toolkit behind science, business, and informed citizenship.
Term 2
Class Schedules
course details
This course is an introduction to the concepts, applications, and historical references related to two-dimensional art and composition, including the study of the basic principles and elements of line, shape, texture, value, color and spatial illusion. Students develop visual vocabulary for creative expression through lecture presentations, studio projects, problem solving, and written assignments. (C-ID ARTS 100).
course details
This is an intermediate course in graphic design. Students will apply design principles and tools of graphic design learned in ART 31 and ART 32. Concentration is on increasing skill levels for developing advanced design techniques for print and online.
course details
This course is an introduction to the processes, principles, and tools of photography. Topics include the development of technical and aesthetic skills, elements of design and composition, camera technology, materials and equipment, black and white film, darkroom skills, and contemporary trends in photography.
Meets Area 4.
course details
Survey of mass communication and the interrelationships of media with society including history, structure and trends in a digital age. Discussion of theories and effects, economics, technology, law and ethics, global media, media literacy, and social issues, including gender and cultural diversity. (C-ID JOUR 100).
General Education: Area 1B
about Area 1B
Oral Communication and Critical Thinking
Baccalaureate-level oral communication and/or critical thinking — speaking with structure to a live audience, analyzing arguments, identifying assumptions.
Term 3
Class Schedules
course details
This course is an introduction to the technical and aesthetic fundamentals of typography and their relationship to the design of effective visual communications. It also includes the study of the letterform, typefaces, copy fitting, software and specification emphasis on creative application.
course details
This course is an introduction to the study and practice of illustration art. Students will investigate both contemporary and historical illustration art. Various media and techniques used in illustration art will be explored. Students will gain an understanding of how illustration is used in client projects, and how to market their skills to clients in the print and online design industries.
course details
This course introduces students to the function of promotion in relation to business and society. It looks at promotion as a social and economic institution. Emphasis is placed on integrating marketing communications across multiple platforms including social media and other online spaces to achieve the organizations objective.
course details
This course is an introduction to the skills, techniques and tools to produce computer generated graphics. Areas of study will include: the basics of computer drawing and design, adding text to graphics, converting and exporting graphics into multiple formats for print and online, and modification and transformation techniques.
Select one: Meets Area 3
Term 4
Class Schedules
course details
This is an intermediate course in illustration that focuses on the application of traditional and digital techniques. Students design and produce real-world client projects. Students are also introduced to the business of illustration and career paths for illustrators.
course details
This course is an introduction to various aspects of operating an educationally directed art gallery including scheduling, lighting, publicity, security, budget, receptions, show themes and reviews. The Butte College Coyote Gallery will function as the class laboratory, and approximately two to three shows will be organized and installed each semester. (Annual student show in Spring semester). In addition, students will learn the business of art in order to be able to successfully compete in the professional market place.
course details
This course is an introduction to developing interactive content for the World Wide Web. Students will survey online content to gain an understanding of effective Web design principles. Students will learn how to produce interactive content using a variety of programs to create and process text, sound, graphics and video. As a final project, students will design and produce an interactive Website.
General Education: Area 5
about Area 5
Physical and Biological Sciences
The physical universe, its life forms, and its natural phenomena — astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, oceanography, physics — taught alongside the scientific method that makes them work.
General Education: Area 6
about Area 6
Ethnic Studies
The histories, experiences, and contributions of the four autonomous disciplines: Black / African American / Africana studies, Native American studies, Chicano/a/x and Latino/a/x studies, and Asian American studies.
Elective (any course numbered 1-199 or C1000-C2999)
Only necessary if the 60 units needed to graduate have not been completed. Consider taking a Cal-GETC General Education course. Visit www.assist.org to see options.
Career Connections
2-Year Degree Paths
Entry points students may pursue after associate-level study, technical preparation, or licensure pathways.
No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset point cleanly to an immediate 2-year outcome for this program.
4-Year Degree Paths
Roles that more often open up after transfer and a bachelor's degree.
Example roles: 5
- Web and Digital Interface Designers
- Special Effects Artists and Animators
- Graphic Designers
Graduate School Paths
Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.
Example roles: 1
- Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
Local Job Market
Web and Digital Interface DesignersSOC 15-12555 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- Adventist Health 3
- AECOM 1
- Butte County 1
Where the postings are
- Butte Creek, Butte County 1
- Linda, Yuba County 1
- Loma Rica, Yuba County 1
- Manzanita, Butte County 1
- Thermalito, Butte County 1
Sample current postings
Special Effects Artists and AnimatorsSOC 27-10141 nearby opening
Top employers in sample
- Butte County 1
Where the postings are
- Thermalito, Butte County 1
Sample current postings
Graphic DesignersSOC 27-10241 nearby opening
Top employers in sample
- Butte County 1
Where the postings are
- Thermalito, Butte County 1
Sample current postings
Artists and Related Workers, All OtherSOC 27-101915 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- Butte County 14
- K2 Staffing 1
Where the postings are
- Thermalito, Butte County 14
- Chico, Butte County 1
Sample current postings
Art DirectorsSOC 27-10115 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- Another Source 1
- Los Rios Community College District 1
- Sacramento State 1
- The Gap 1
- ZLINE 1
Where the postings are
- Folsom, Sacramento County 1
- Long Island, Sacramento County 1
- Rosemont, Sacramento County 1
- Sacramento, Sacramento County 1
- Sierra, Washoe County 1
Sample current postings
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-11213 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- Nevada City School of the Arts 3
Where the postings are
- Nevada City, Nevada County 3
Sample current postings
Posting counts come from Adzuna's index of US job boards, covering the last up to 90 days within up to 100 miles of ZIP 95965. Coverage and salary visibility vary by employer. Empty searches expand the radius and posting window before the section gives up.
Source Notes
Course sequencing is generated from the Acadia Program Mapper cache. Career groupings use local CIP-to-SOC mappings and BLS occupation data when available. Confirm education plans with Counseling and Advising.
Live wage data was not available from the BLS helper for the mapped occupations, so some pay fields may be blank.
Last generated 2026-07-05T16:59+00:00