The MFA Program in Design/Visual Communications prepares graduate students to assume a leadership role in a complex and expanding profession. To this end, the program develops the philosophy and personal direction of each student and focuses their resources on functional and expressive visual communications. Students concentrate on the philosophical, communicative, and aesthetic relationships of visual problem solving and the interacting skills leading to the effective articulation of concepts. The graduate program in Visual Communications is oriented toward individuals interested in conducting visual or theoretical research, and in investigating the intersection of function and expression in design problem solving. The faculty emphasizes a rigorous theoretical framework, an historical perspective, and an awareness of contemporary issues as the basis for addressing present and future communication problems.