video notes: MFA alumnus Rongfei Geng, originally from China and now at Google, speaks about the design community at UF.

The MxD consists of 60-credit hours of coursework, resulting in the MFA in Design & Visual Communications,
a terminal degree. 

We invite you to email us and download our materials: brochure + postcard set. The MXD builds on the 20+ year history of our graphic design graduate program, and we are committed to educating designers and design educators who will shape the future of the field, the state, and the world. We recognize design's value to the world and intend to push that in pragmatic, exploratory, and experimental ways. We also recognize the importance of being informed by many other disciplines and experiences. These insights manifest through what we learn, including the work we undertake, and by offering opportunities to cultivate your interests while at UF. 

Curriculum: Courses include seminars, studios, electives, and your MFA creative project. It is a three-year residential program. A two-year option is also available for students who do not seek UF funding.

Design-Centered: We offer a design-centered curriculum that allows you to dive deep into research, theory, and methods to design in and with communities. We emphasize culture, inclusivity, social justice, and sustainability, so we make design matter.

With Interdisciplinary Opportunities: What do you want to explore through design? We recognize the value of exploring other disciplinary knowledge, particularly at a top university. The “x” in the MxD curriculum allows you to inform your design practice by identifying and exploring other interests to inform your design trajectory, making your studies at the University of Florida even more rewarding. 

If you have any questions or application information, you can contact MXD professor Dr. Fred Van Amstel, who is the program DGS (Director of Graduate Studies). 

A review of student performance is conducted annually. Passing the this review is required to continue to the next semester of study. Admission to candidacy happens during the spring of your second year (please make committee selections with the program DGS). 

Credit Overview

60 credits, allocated as follows: 
24 credits graduate design courses (research seminars, studio, and fieldwork practice).
15 credits MFA project (self-directed & designed, supervised by a design faculty member.
18 credits electives, selected in consultation with the DGS to complement design interests. 
03 credits of Teaching Art in Higher Education. 

3-Year Program Structure (ask if you are interested in a 2-year program)

3-YEAR PROGRAM
Years 1 & 2
fall and spring (9 credits per semester)
GRA6930 Seminar (3 credits)
GRA6931C Research & Practice (3 credits)
​Elective* (3 credits)
During your second year, plan to take 6 additional credits.** 

Year 3
fall 
GRA6973 Project in Lieu of Thesis (6 credits)
​Elective* (3 credits)
spring
GRA6973 Project in Lieu of Thesis (9 credits)
public presentation of the project, oral examination, and documentation of the project is submitted during this semester.

** Sometime during your enrollment, you must take 6 additional credits not paid for by the assistantship. If you are an international student on a 9-month assistantship, you should take these credits during the 9-month semester to obtain in-state tuition rates. 

Descriptions of Required Courses

GRA6930 Seminar: Rotating Topics (3 credits; maximum 12)
Contemporary issues about design & visual communications and related areas. Discussion of literature, development of research questions, and framing methodologies.
Prerequisite: MXD student or permission of instructor. Corequisite: GRA 6931C Research & Practice

GRA6931C Research & Practice (3 credits; maximum 12)
A rotating topics course focused on the integration of research and practice to address complex problems within diverse contexts. The study and use of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methods appropriate for an expanded practice are addressed through discussions, case studies, writing, fieldwork, and presentations.
Prerequisite: MXD student or permission of instructor. Corequisite: GRA 6930 Seminar.

GRA6973 Project in Lieu of Thesis (3 credits; maximum 15)
Supervised research in an area relevant to design and visual communications that combines design exploration and academic inquiry. Includes presentation of results in a public forum and documentation of research and findings. Prerequisite: Permission of supervisory committee chair, GRA6930 Seminar (B), and GRA6931C Research & Practice (B)

Elective Opportunities (21 credits)

Elective options are intended to expand the student’s knowledge-base, skillsets, and professional aspirations. A course plan is required so they strategically support the student’s program of study. We have listed suggested electives here and encourage students to seek options across campus. 

GRA6944 Practicum (3 credits; maximum 6)
An opportunity to conduct research and practice in partnership with an approved organization. Students will work on projects for social, cultural, and economic development in partnership with the organization, community, and/or other disciplinary experts.
Prerequisite: Design and Visual Communications major student and permission of faculty supervisor.

ARE 6386: Teaching Art in Higher Education
Study of teaching art at the post- secondary level. This elective is required of all students who will teach or assist in any capacity. 

ART 6933: Area Methods: Rotating Topics
Readings, discussions, and/or studio exploration of various art issues.

ARE 6746: Methods of Research in Art Education
Study of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Review of research literature.

ARH 6938: Seminar in Museum Studies
History, purposes, and functions of museums in general, and art museums in particular.

ENT 6506: Social Entrepreneurship
Process of starting, financing, assessing, and managing succession of mission-based for-profit and not-for-profit ventures.

ENT 6616: Creativity in Entrepreneurship
Explores the fundamental tools used to make both individuals and organizations more creative and innovative.

ENT 6706: Global Entrepreneurship
Consideration of global market context in starting entrepreneurial ventures internationally.

HUM 6340: Arts Advocacy and Public Policy
An in-depth study of the principles, practice, and policy of government’s involvement with the arts sector. Students will study the historic relationships between the artist and government at all levels of society.

HUM 5357: Creativity and Health: Foundations of the Arts in Medicine
This online course explores the theoretical foundations that facilitate an understanding of the relationship of creativity to health and informs the field and practice of arts in medicine.

HUM 5595: Arts in Medicine in Practice 
Prerequisite:none - only students accepted to the Graduate Certificate program will take this course.Exploring the practice of the arts in medicine in the fields of health and human services.  The course will be providing a dynamic, interdisciplinary overview of diverse practices and methodologies in the field of arts in medicine in community and healthcare settings.