Foundation Studies Program

Your first year at Herron

The foundation studies program is a shared experience that prepares you to enter any of Herron’s art and design majors.

Our multidisciplinary approach combines the principles, techniques, and materials of drawing, 2-D and 3-D design, visual culture, color theory, digital technology and fabrication, and time-based media.

You will sharpen your thinking and making skills with extensive studio work, understand visual principles, and challenge preconceived ideas and attitudes as you begin your career in art and design.

Discover yourself

Foundation studies is as much an exploration of art and design as an exploration of your own historical, cultural, and personal influences on your way to developing critical thinking skills and achieving a higher understanding of yourself as an artist and designer.

Personal attention primer

You will work closely with faculty as well as visiting artists and designers, to achieve your vision and cultivate your personal aesthetic. These one-on-one relationships will continue to build and follow you through your academic career at Herron.

Plan of study

IU Indianapolis Campus Bulletin

Required course names and descriptions for the foundation studies program

When I was a freshman, I didn't really realize how much I would actually grow within these four years and it's been phenomenal.

Melissa Capriglione (B.F.A. Drawing & Illustration ‘17)

Join Indiana’s premier school of art and design

Degree programs