The Applied Art-Illustration Bachelor of Applied Science Degree is Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s twelfth bachelor degree. This degree was initially inspired by Vice President of Instruction, Mike Potter.
Video Overview: Transcript available below.
Role and Partners: I was the primary subject matter expert and partnered with Deans of Instruction Doug Emory and Sally Heilstedt, from the General Education area of the college. Dean Heilstedt and I worked on the scoping and project proposal documents, which were submitted to the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges. I worked within the shared governance structures of the college and shepherded the degree through the Curriculum Review Committee, Instructional Committee, and finally College Council.
In addition to the program proposal partnering, I wrote all of the course descriptions and outcomes for the entire degree. Faculty who teach these classes will teach to the outcomes but have academic freedom to personally design course materials and projects. I also teach several of the 300 and 400 level courses.
Project Description: The development of this degree was facilitated with the successful launch of the two-year Illustration AAS-T as a primary feeder program. Students from the Design school and the Digital Gaming and Interactive Media school are also competitive for this selective admission degree. Graduates of the degree can seek careers in visual design, graphic design, 2D and 3D illustration, and pursue managerial positions, such as an Art Director.
Process: LWTECH is a workforce college. Most degrees and certificates are directly connected to industry and preparing students for a vocation. In the scoping and project proposal phases, we researched and compiled jobs data from Washington State and King County government resources. Additional resources such as the 2014 Artsfund Economic Impact Report and 2018 Social Impact study demonstrated this degree satisfy a need for Puget Sound area creative employers.
Several scoping and proposal documents were approved by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Once the SBCTC approved our degree, we earned accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Deliverable: The resulting degree is a 90 credit third and fourth year bachelor degree. Coupled with 90 credits from the lower division, the total credits earned is 180. This degree expands transfer pathways for students with AAS degrees that may not be easily transferable. LWTECH President, Amy Morrison forged partnerships with Central Washington University and Washington State University, so that graduates from this degree would be competitive for those respective masters degree programs. That creates one of the most affordable and streamlined pathways towards a creative bachelor degree, as well as a pathway towards a terminal degree for students wishing to teach as a college professor or work as an administrator or a cultural non-profit.