Graphic Design
August 2011
Faculty Our Department
Eileen Wirth Ph.D. We live in an information-rich society where those who have the knowledge and skills
Chair and Professor, Journalism (Public to discover, present, visualize and process information will lead the way. Creighton’s new
Relations) Department of Journalism, Media and Computing is a cutting-edge, forward-thinking depart-
Kristoffer Boyle, Ph.D. ment that prepares graduates for success in this information-rich world by melding programs
Assistant Professor, Journalism (News) in Journalism, Graphic Design and Computer Science. The basic courses and collaborative
Joel Davies, MFA experiences with faculty provide a strong foundation in writing, design and programming.
Associate Professor, Graphic Design Within the majors and tracks, students build on this broad understanding to specialize in
Don Doll, S.J. majors in Journalism (with tracks in Advertising, News, Public Relations, Photojournalism,
Professor, Journalism (Photojournalism) and Video and New Media), Graphic Design, Digital Design and Development, and Computer
Tim Guthrie, MFA Science.
Associate Professor, Graphic Design The Department of Journalism, Media and Computing is committed to providing students
Jeffrey Maciejewski, Ph.D. with the ethical foundation, latest tools and methodologies, collaborative learning experiences
Associate Professor, Journalism and opportunities outside the classroom to apply their knowledge and skills.
(Advertising)
Graphic Design
David Reed, Ph.D.
Graphic Design majors receive a well-rounded education in print and web design, interactive
Associate Professor, Computer Science
multimedia, video and still photography, typography and animation that prepares them for this
Mark Wierman, Ph.D.
dynamic field. Because Creighton has one of the few Apple Authorized Training Centers in the
Associate Professor, Computer Science
Midwest, students can earn Apple certification in programs such as Final Cut Pro by passing
Carol Zuegner, Ph.D.
an exam at the end of their courses rather than going through expensive post-graduate certi-
Associate Professor, Journalism (News)
fication courses. Our student-run Studio Blue does professional design work for clients in the
community. Graphic Design majors also work on our award-winning student news organiza-
tion, the Creightonian. Numerous internship and freelance opportunities help students build the
portfolios that lead to jobs in public relations and advertising agencies, graphic design firms
and businesses and nonprofits.
Opportunities and Outcomes
Because all JM&C faculty have professional as well as academic experience, they are well
connected with employers and help students and alumni find internships and jobs. The depart-
ment runs both student and alum list servs on which it publicizes job and internship oppor-
tunities. Many job and internship requests come from loyal alums who offer their assistance
in placement within their firms. While most internship opportunities are in Omaha, especially
during the school year, alums nationally assist graduates in finding jobs elsewhere. Faculty
often connect graduates with JM&C alums in the cities to which they are moving.
Omaha employers with whom the department frequently works include Union Pacific
Railroad, ConAgra, the Omaha World-Herald, Boys Town, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of
Nebraska, Yahoo, National Indemnity Insurance Company, West Corporation, the Omaha
Community Playhouse, Saddle Creek Records, numerous advertising-pr-graphics firms and
many more. There also are numerous on-campus internships in athletics promotions, public
relations and admissions. Students assist with special events such as Warren Buffett’s
Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, the College World Series and the upcoming Olympic
Swim Trials. Faculty members assist students in preparing resumes and portfolios and offer
advice on preparing for interviews.
Contact Journalism also is an excellent background for Law School and each year, some graduates
enroll in law school at Creighton and elsewhere. A significant percentage of alums eventually
Dr. Eileen Wirth
earn an advanced degree in some field and tell faculty that their writing instruction helped
Phone: (402) 280.3014
them succeed.
Email: emw@creighton.edu
Journalism, Media & Computing Core Student
Each student in the department will complete four department Core Classes in addition to the classes that
Organizations
fulfill each specific degree. These classes are:
Backpack Journalism
- CSC 121: Computers and Scientific Thinking (3) A program that travels the world
- JRN 215: Information Concepts and Practice Lab (2) exploring the concept of backpack
- JRN 220: Professional Writing (3) or JRN 219: Media Writing (3) journalism while incorporating a
- GDE 382: Web Design (3) theological perspective on the experi-
Graphic Design Course List ence. Students write, shoot and edit a
JRN 335 History of American Mass Media documentary as well as contribute to
JRN 438: Information Ethics -OR- Law of Mass Communication a multimedia blog. Esperanza, the first
JRN 325: Digital Video project, won several regional awards.
GDE 380: Graphic Design I The Creightonian and the
GDE 381: Graphic Design II Creightonian Online.
GDE 423: Interactive Multimedia Design PRSSA
GDE 424: Typography The Public Relations Student Society
GDE 425: 3-D Graphics and Animation of America group for PR majors.
GDE 599: Senior Capstone Soup Line
The advertising campaigns class that
Facilities is Jesuit-inspired and service-oriented.
In terms of network bandwidth and storage, our facilities are truly state of the art. We have over 50 Work includes pro bono advertising
student workstations, all Intel dual or 8-core computers running the latest versions of Final Cut Studio and campaigns for nonprofit organizations.
Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium. Every monitor in the department is at least 23 inches, and displays Studio Blue
over the high definition 1080 standard. The department boasts a fiber-based network storage system with Studio Blue is a student-run design
44 terabytes of space for students to work and collaborate on projects. We have 21 HD video camera and studio based at Creighton University.
tripod kits for students to check out.