Apply: Product & User Experience Design BFA
HIGH SCHOOL PREPARATION
While still in high school, you can do the following things to prepare for the Product & User Experience Design program at BYU:
- Take any art courses offered at your high school- AP Art, Figure Drawing, Art Foundations, CAD classes, etc. While these courses will not be counted as a pre-requisite to the Product & User Experience Design program, faculty members recommend prospective students to take advantage of any courses offered prior to high school graduation.
- Apply for a Design Dept Talent Award Scholarship in November. These applications are available 30 days prior to the deadline, Dec 1st, and are available to prospective BYU students. In addition, if you are granted a talent award, you automatically bypass the first application process. This means you would be recognized as a pre-BFA student and you would simply take DESPX 115, DESPX 220, and DESPX 260 (or DESGD 260) before applying to the BFA program in June. For more information about Talent Awards and Department Scholarships, please visit our Financial Aid page.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Admissions
Prospective BYU students wishing to be admitted into the Product & User Experience Design BFA program for Fall semester must first apply to BYU through BYU Admissions. Admission to BYU does not guarantee admission into the Department of Design degree Programs.
Faculty
Our program has excellent experienced faculty who will work personally with you as you progress through the program. Professors will be mentors, offering advice and direction. Our faculty are all award-winning, established graphic designers with years of teaching professional experience. Visit our faculty page to see individual bios, contact information, or work they have completed.
Software/Hardware
Product & User Experience Design majors are required to supply their own computer to complete the majority of their coursework. In certain courses, highly specialized technology is made available in department labs and classrooms.
Recommended Configuration: Incoming BYU design students are asked to purchase a computer for their own convenience and to maximize their academic experience. Pre-major courses can be completed with the use of university labs, however most students prefer having their own computer. Certain advanced design course workflows will require specialized software and hardware that is provided in department labs and classrooms. The Department recommends the following configurations for product & user experience design students: Apple MacBook Pro (or equivalent Windows PC) with sufficient capacity to support Adobe Creative Cloud (including Adobe and a CAD program such as Solid Works or Fusion 360). Adobe student subscriptions should also include access to Adobe Fonts (formerly known as Typekit).
Minimum recommended specifications include 16 gb RAM, and a 500 gb hard drive. The BYU Store carries a full line of discounted computers, accessories and software subscriptions. Students manage their own data storage and may use the free university storage system named BOX (http://box.byu.edu). In addition to BOX, students are encouraged to have a second automatic cloud backup for all files through Backblaze, iDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive or a similar service.
As a new student to BYU and prospective Product & User Experience Design major, you must declare your major as Pre-Product & User Experience Design. This status does not guarantee admission into the program and can be changed at any time, but gives you access to the first pre-requisite course, DESPX 115. To declare as a Pre-Product & User Experience Design student, please visit MyMAP or contact the Advisement Center at (801) 422-3777.
After declaring yourself as a Pre-Major, register for the pre-requisite, DESPX 115 fall semester (this class is only offered in the fall). Keep in mind that it takes a couple hours and sometimes days to register your Pre-Major status, so do it well in advance to the day you hope to register for courses.
During DESPX 115, your professors will give you more information on what the Pre-BFA application will require. Based upon review of the work completed in DESPX 115, students will be promoted to Pre-BFA Product & User Experience status.
If your portfolio review is successful, you will then be granted to Pre-BFA status.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Software/Hardware
Product & User Experience Design Majors should purchase a computer with sufficient capacity to support the Adobe Creative Cloud applications. The Department recommends purchasing a computer that has sufficient capacity to support Adobe Creative Cloud and CAD programs, such as Solid Works and Fusion 360. It is recommended that the computer has the minimum specifications of 16 GB RAM, and at least 500 GB solid state hard drive. The BYU store carries a full line of discounted computers, accessories, and discounted software subscriptions.
Admissions
Prospective BYU students wishing to be admitted into the Product & User Experience Design program for Fall semester must first apply to BYU through BYU Admissions. Admission to BYU does not guarantee admission into the Department of Design degree Programs.
Transfer Students
Transfer students applying for admittance to the Department of Design are asked to submit a portfolio on the department's application portal, which are reviewed year round. To find out more information, please visit our transfer student page or contact our office.
Faculty
Our program has excellent experienced faculty who will work personally with you as you progress through the program. Professors will be mentors, offering advice and direction. Our faculty are all award-winning, established animators with years of teaching professional experience. Visit our faculty page to see individual bios, contact information, or work they have completed.
IF YOU GET PROMOTED INTO HE PRE-BFA
After being promoted to Pre-BFA status, you will then have access to the next 2 pre-requisite courses: DESPX 220 (offered winter semester only) and DESPX 260 (or DESGD 260). Complete these two courses in any order prior to applying for the Product & User Experience Design BFA program.
BFA portfolio reviews and applications are reviewed once a year in June, and more information on the application process will be available as the deadline approaches. You may review the current requirements for the BFA application, but keep in mind that it is subject to change.
BFA APPLICATION
June 2025 (actually dated TBD)
BFA application requirements will be posted 30 days prior to the application deadline date.
https://designdept.slideroom.com/#/Login
Students may apply for the Product & User Experience Design BFA degree program only after first obtaining Product & User Experience Design Pre-BFA status.
BFA portfolio reviews and applications are reviewed once a year in June, and more information on the application process will be available as the deadline approaches. You may review the current requirements for the BFA application, but keep in mind that it is subject to change.
If you are not accepted into the program after your first application, you have another opportunity to submit your portfolio the next portfolio review in June. If you are unaccepted after applying a second time, faculty members will then recommend you pursue another major.
BFA PORTFOLIO INFORMATION
Students should present digital process books showcasing thinking and finished design work demonstrating mastery of principles taught in DESPX 220 and DESPX 260 (or DESGD 260).
IF YOU ARE ADMITTED TO THE BFA
During your time in the Product & User Experience program at BYU, you will have the opportunity to take courses on product design, user experience design, interaction design, web design, digital interfaces, service design, industrial design, exhibit design, and data visualization. Students in the Product & User Experience Design program are required to complete an internship in order to graduate and students are often placed in prestigious studios. For more information about the Product & User Experience Design Major Academic Plan, please visit the Product & User Experience Design Undergraduate Catalog.
APPLY FOR GRADUATION
How to apply