Institute of Graduate Studies and Research

Graphic Design (MFA)

Duration 2 Years

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About
Curriculum
Entry Requirements
Fees & Scholarships

About the Program

Graphic Design Master’s Program (M.FA.) takes the main field of design as its foundation; it is also structured as a flexible program to be help its graduates be ready to work in creative industries and be open to interdisciplinary approaches. Some of these creative industries are art, illustration, cinema, new media, animations and photography which could be accepted under the umbrella of visual culture. The aims of CIU Graphic Design M.FA. Program are to analyze the visual media through graphic design which is gaining more importance day-by-day in global communication and cultural context; and encourage student’s personal approaches and solutions. The objectives of the program cover understanding the design thinking, detecting the problems of the time, ability to work with an interdisciplinary approach, acknowledging the importance of the mission of design profession as creating a better world, understanding of the zeitgeist, and ability to improve critical comprehension. Our mission is to guide design professionals and prospective academics who have gained visual culture and aesthetic perspective, are social, student- and learning-oriented, and have gained interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary working skills.

Our vision is to be open to change and development; embrace the soul of the time; to build a positive and participative communication between the university and society; know the creative industries and lead multidisciplinary projects; as well as contributing to national and international art and culture environment. The students work on interdisciplinary projects in media, design, and communication for creative industries. The program aims to contribute to the recognition of our university and country by participating in national and international art and design events with creative artistic projects. It is also aimed to raise well-prepared students for a Ph.D. degree in art.

Education Opportunities

The students of the CIU Graphic Design Master's Program work on a research project and participate in exhibitions. Current design problems are discussed in the courses and solutions are suggested. Students are encouraged to participate in academic research, academic symposia and seminars, and to publish in academic journals.

Career Areas

The graduates of the Graphic Design Master’s Program (M.FA.) can work in all creative industries or decide to continue for a Ph.D. in art to further their academic education. Students who wish to improve their academic progress can work on design theory and practice. The program is linked to the Department of Graphic Design, which has been a member of the International Design Council (ico –D) since 2015. The program updates its curriculum according to the education manifest of ico-D.

Contact

Institute of Graduate Studies and Research
Graduate Sciences and Education Center, GE106
Tel: +90 392 671 1111 Extension: 2776
Institute E-mail: ciu-institute@ciu.edu.tr

Compulsory Courses

First Semester

GRAPHIC DESIGN I

Course code

GRDE501

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

The course covers conceptual thinking and solutions to graphics problems to organize and communicate messages. Students are expected to face their individual problems and work towards a solution under the guidance of the instructors. Students participate in international events like group exhibitions, graphics competitions and also they develop individual design projects under the guidance of the course tutor. Interdisciplinary approaches become more important at the master level, students are encouraged for interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary academic project groups. Students are freer to focus on their interest areas, tutors discover these interests and guide the student how to turn this into a master project.

ELECTIVE

Course code

GRDE5X1

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

ELECTIVE

Course code

GRDE5X2

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

ELECTIVE

Course code

GRDE5X3

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

Second Semester

GRAPHIC DESIGN II

Course code

GRDE502

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

This course is the continuation of Graphic Design I. The graduate-level students are expected to work on the graphic design problems under the guidance of the instructor. The design/art project in a certain manner will be explored by the student considering the theoretical or contextual basis related with. Students will apply the basics of a research project they learned and not only theoretically, but also practically they are expected to produce an artwork/design. Another aspect of this studio course is to consider design issues with their social role and effect. Students are free to choose the medium as they interested in, filmmaking, book design, poster design, animations or kinetic typography are available with this course.

SEMINAR

Course code

GRDE590

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

The graduate seminar gives an opportunity for independent and investigative study in various aspects of the research. Small group discussion and critique sessions with faculty advisors and thesis students are provided. Seminar encourages experimentation with fine arts media, communications media and digital media with an emphasis on dissertation subject. The aim of this seminar unit is to develop students' capability of academic research, investigate, evaluate, interpret and synthesize theoretical knowledge and/or practical works independently and unconventionally, and to discuss and present their ideas academically. Students present a seminar at the end of the semester which is criticized by a jury out of department lecturers.

ELECTIVE

Course code

GRDE5X4

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

ELECTIVE

Course code

GRDE5X5

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

Third Semester

THESIS

Course code

GRDE500

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

Supervised independent research on a topic arranged between the student and faculty member assigned as an advisor and approved by the Administrative Committee of the Institute. The dissertation must be an original contribution to the field of Graphic Design. Although each thesis is original and unique, still there are common points that every thesis student should follow: the academic frame, scientific voice, the research methodology, a responsibly written and well-argued text, case studies or analysis according to the research question. Students write the thesis book according to the guideline which is published by CIU Institute of Graduate Studies and Research.

Elective Courses

RESEARCH METHODS

Course code

GRDE509

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

In this course, students learn and apply the research methods. They understand how to use the methods such as observation, interview, survey and case analysis. Learning to write a report, an article or a thesis and how to research and learn to search literature are the gains of this course. Students are informed about research methods, and how to use the primary and secondary sources and the ethical writing rules in a content. They will find out how the result of the research will turn into a report, and how the data will turn into an academic text. It is expected that at the end of the semester, students submitted their own academic study.

COMPUTERS IN DESIGN

Course code

GRDE507

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

This course focuses on each student's personal design vision. Students explore the specific skills necessary to design posters, catalogues as a unique means of communication. The aim of this course is that introducing students and providing comprehensive knowledge with practices to Graphic Design and digital media applications. Working from concept to finished artwork, students develop to transfer the creative thinking to applications and digital Graphic Design tools, methods and strategies for producing effective graphic design solutions. This course aims to analyze and implement the basics of 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional modeling and design in graphic design by using Adobe Programs.

LIGHTING AND COLOR

Course code

GRDE504

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

The aim of the course is to teach the students general color knowledge, color harmony rules, cultural and psychological effects of color, and to provide sustainable use of color in graphic design. The use of color language in subjects such as photography, graphic design, image and meaning, cinema aesthetics is investigated. The effects of color on culture are examined, students conduct research on the relationship between color and culture, write reports and make presentations. Discusses the common and different areas of societies' understanding of color. Observation-based studies are conducted on concepts and images in the context of color and light. The findings obtained from the observations are discussed in the classroom environment and color and image interaction is tried to be defined.

SEMIOTICS OF IMAGE

Course code

GRDE503

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

This course explores the relationship between image and meaning. Students learn and use visual semiotic analysis approach. Advertisements, signs, symbols, films and everyday objects may be the subject of research. Art exhibitions and artwork are also suitable for research environments. The connection between image and meaning is examined in the context of Barthes, Panofsky and Fiske's theories. The relationship between signifier, signifier, sign, semantic definitions, semantic, syntactic and functional analysis methods are investigated and evaluated. Students write observations and semiotic analyzes and report on related topics. Visual materials such as exhibitions, works of art and films can be considered as a subject for examinations.

ERGONOMICS

Course code

INAR505

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

This course aims to develop the student's ability to critically appraise the knowledge of human factors aspects of indoor ambient environmental conditions. Students analyze the human factors, anthropometric data and their impacts on broad aspects of design development. The physiology and psychology of the client/user are one of the main factors influencing the design of the environment. This course will present design problems that explore issues of ergonomics and proxemics as they apply to interior design. Universal design, the design that creates accessibility, will be the context for the design problems. Discussions will cover the following: interaction of environment and the user’s culture, gender, stage of the life cycle, and physical capabilities.

INTRODUCTION TO EXHIBITION DESIGN

Course code

INAR511

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

TYPOGRAPHY-I

Course code

GRDE205

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

The aim of the course is to introduce students the use of typography in graphic design, look closely at the anatomy of letterforms, describe and classify type, describe various classifications of letter forms, outline the history of letter forms, use basic typographic terminology, use techniques to ensure legibility, typeset and create basic page layouts and also to have better understanding of typography principles by work with words and paragraphs, design posters and publications with relevant software. Studies the history of letterforms and typefaces and examines their uses in contemporary communications media. Emphasizes applications to specific design problems. Includes identification and specification of type and uses current technologies for copy fitting and hands-on typesetting problems.

FEMALE STEREOTYPES IN DESIGN

Course code

GRDE516

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

The scope of the Female Stereotypes in Design course focuses on the history of graphic design to understand how ingrained stereotypes of women emerged and became widespread today. In general, social changes that took place in the Western civilisation during the Industrial Revolution, World War I, the interwar period, World War II, the post-war period, and the Second Wave of Feminism and their effects on women and their image will be discussed. In this regard, similarities between the various images of women generated in the processes of social change will be compared through posters, and the repetitions in the presentation of these images will be traced during class. Besides these lectures, students will also present their research on the topic for a class discussion.

CONTEMPORARYGRAPHIC DESIGN

Course code

GRDE312

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

This course highlights significant events in graphic design through the study of major movements and designers. A survey of Graphic design’s contemporary history which provides a historical perspective of the evolution of graphic design and its contribution to culture. Students will learn how new technology influenced graphic design and its expression after the industrial revolution. This course enables students to enhance an overview of the historical styles, movements, people, and events of graphic design to help them design more creative, appropriate, and intelligent solutions to graphic design problems or issues. This course also surveys the design profession, the graphic design discipline, its many specialties as well as resources available for graphic designers.

COMPUTER AIDED GRAPHIC DESIGN-I

Course code

GRDE203

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

SCIENCE FICTION FILM AND LITERATURE

Course code

COMM531

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

This course aims to teach students to develop an advanced understanding of critical perspectives in science fiction film and literature. In this context this course focuses on critical skills in thinking about the role of science fiction within contemporary societies. From this point of view, the course examines European and American science fiction literature and film traditions with a special emphasis on cyberpunk literature and films

HISTORY OF DESIGN

Course code

GRDE311

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

HUMAN FACTORS IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Course code

ARCH526

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

Design process of a building starts with the user requirements and activities. Then the building is designed and constructed based on those of requirements and activities. To measure the performance of the occupied building whether it meets the expectations of the design team and the users Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) processes start. POEs are tools used to clarify the relationships between human behavior and the physical environment. Diversity of needs, values, behavioral norms, and social and spatial patterns that characterize different cultures are examined. The implications of this diversity for the societal roles and responsibilities of architects are also considered. POEs are useful tools to identify if the building delivers desired functional use and best value for the investment.

DIGITAL PRACTICE

Course code

GRDE108

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

FILM AESTHETICS

Course code

COMM513

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

This course aims to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for analyzing film as an art and an aesthetic category. The course focuses on film theories and film criticism and gives special attention to detailed film analyses. Within this context it examines and analyzes the film styles of “auteur” filmmakers and compares their cinematographic styles with those of mainstream filmmakers.

TYPOGRAPHY-II

Course code

GRDE206

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

COMPUTER AIDEDGRAPHIC DESIGN-II

Course code

GRDE204

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

This course outlines the common graphic tools available in layout design. The basic operations of the computer and its applications to art and design are introduced. It is imperative that they understand using design programs such as Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator is only a tool like a pen or brush. Creatively, innovatively and effectively use these tools only possible of understanding and using graphic design principles. The aim of this course is for the students to develop their ability to use InDesign effectively and create images that successfully reproduce on paper or the web. The InDesign course exposes students to the powerful vector manipulation tool used by leading designers within the industry.

MEDIA AND INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT

Course code

INRE561

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

The course examines the cultural, political and economic dimensions of media responses and media coverage of the international conflicts through assessment of different theoretical approaches. The course also provides necessary methodological skills to graduate students in order to comprehend and assess specific cases of media’s involvement in the international conflicts at different level. Topics include war and peace journalisms, politics and economy of conflict reporting and the role of media in conflict resolution. The “conset manufacturing” effect of the global mainstream media in relation to the apprehension of the global terrorism will also be monitored during the courses.

NEW COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

Course code

COMM510

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

Focusing primarily on the internet and digital cultures, this course will explore the theoretical and practical debates that have developed around the concept of ‘new media’. Topics to be studied include interactivity, social networking, media convergence, cyberculture and the emergence of ‘web 2.0’. Are these developments anticipated by pre-existing studies of communication practice, or are new theoretical models required to understand them?

GRAPHIC DESIGN-V

Course code

GRDE401

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

MESSAGE DESIGN AND MEDIA MANAGEMENT

Course code

COMM503

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

This course aimed to analyse the forming and designing the planned message and its communication techniques and media within the framework of practices in strategic communication management. Relating to this, the case studies on how the effective media management should be are examined.

TYPOGRAPHY I

Course code

GRAP205

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

ARCHITECTURE AND THE CITY IN SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES

Course code

ARCH619

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

The course scrutinizes the meaning and significance of architecture and urban space in science fiction movies and how architecture is displayed in dystopian visions of the future in movies of the modern and post-modern eras. The dystopian visions repeatedly suggest an anti-democratic future world of surveillance controlled by the international corporations and authoritarian administrations. The architecture of these worlds is variously rendered in Art Déco, Classicism, the International Style, Brutalism, High Tech / Slick Tech, an eclectic Historicism, in vernacular and “eco-” forms, and situated in (decayed) skyscraper mega-cities or within an idyllic natural environment. The course is based on the analysis of selected movies and the reading of scholarly literature on the subject.

DESIGN ETHICS AND LEGAL ISSUES

Course code

GRAP407

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

GRAPHIC DESIGNETHICS AND LEGALISSUES

Course code

GRDE407

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

Graphic design has been used to visually communicate beliefs and ideas to inform, inspire, and delight. No doubt how significant is this discipline in shaping our values and culture. In order to work with rules, standards, morals and ethics of this profession this course will deal with the important issues that graphic designers will expect to face in their careers like plagiarism, copyright issues, social responsibility, cultural influence, intellectual property rights, image usage rights, legal contracts, sustainability, and many other important subjects that students need to know about the significance of the discipline.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Course code

COMM508

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

This course is designed to examine the internal and external communication systems of business organizations. It is also examined that the uses of communication media such as internet and intranet in organizations.

LIGHTING DESIGN

Course code

INAR510

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

THEORY OF COLOUR

Course code

INAR513

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

Course code

COMM507

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

This course aims to explain and analyze the components and functions of communication systems in different societies. Starting with the authoritarian theories, the course progresses to the social responsibility theory of communication ın order to examine how theories emerge and spread within political systems.

COMPUTER VISION

Course code

ISYE537

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

Image formation. Early processing: low-level vision and feature extraction. Boundary detection. Region growing. Texture. Motion. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional representation. High-level vision: learning and matching.

ENVIRONMENTAL AESTHETICS

Course code

ARCH530

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS

Course code

COMM515

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

TİPOGRAFİ-II

Course code

GRAP206

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

VIDEOART AND MULTIMEDIA

Course code

GRAP306

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

GRAFİK TASARIM BİTİRME PROJESİ ARAŞTIRMASI

Course code

GRDE405

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY

Course code

GRDE208

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

GRAPHIC DESIGN V

Course code

GRDE401

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

ADVERTISEMENT DESIGN

Course code

GRDE307

Credit

Theoretical

Practical

Ects

TRNC
International

Students who are interested in pursuing advanced graduate studies leading to a master’s, doctoral degree, or professional doctorate degree for the Fall and Spring semesters every year. Applicants can directly apply online to our graduate programs using the application portal.

TRNC Applicants- Required documents:

Bachelor’s Degree Diploma
Bachelor’s Degree transcripts for each completed academic term/year.
Documents to prove English proficiency for English language departments,
Scanned copy of passport or identity card.

Click for detailed admission requirements information.

International Applicants- Required documents;

Bachelor’s Degree Diploma
Bachelor’s Degree transcripts for each completed academic term/year.
Evidence of English Language competence: TOEFL (65 IBT) or IELTS (5.5). Students without these documents will take the CIU English proficiency exam on campus following arrival.
Scanned copy of international passport/birth certificate
CV
Fully completed and signed CIU Rules and Regulations document (which can be downloaded during the online application)

Click for detailed admission requirements information.

Scholarships
Fees

Cyprus International University provides academic scholarships for its students as an incentive for success, with most students benefiting from 50%, 75% or 100% scholarships or discounted tuition fees. Click for more information.

Tuition Fees are determined at the beginning of each academic year. Candidate students who are entitled to enroll in CIU can learn their fees in line with the Tuition Fee Calculation system.