The Department of Art offers an undergraduate credit certificate program in Fashion, Fiber, and Materials that prepares individuals for career positions in the fashion industry. The program includes technical methods, theory, and creative concepts. A total of 18 units is required for completion of the certificate program, as outlined below. Refer to the Undergraduate Studies: General Information chapter of this catalog for general regulations governing all certificate programs.

The Department of Marketing and the Department of Art jointly offer an undergraduate credit certificate in Fashion Retailing designed to provide the skills required for executive positions in the fashion retail industry and to prepare individuals to become successful entrepreneurs in their own fashion retail business. A total of18 unit is required. Refer to Undergraduate Studies: General Information for general regulations governing all certificate programs.

Develop essential tools for working as a cinematographer. This program will provide a thorough understanding of current cinematography and camera techniques.

This program is perfect for:

- Aspiring Cinematographers/Directors of Photography

- Entertainment professionals looking to expand their filmmaking expertise

- Individuals pursuing careers as camera operators

- Learners interested in delving into the technical craft involved in shooting films

What you can learn:

- Fundamental principles of cinematography

- Understanding digital camera formats and selecting the right one for your project

- Utilizing lighting, composition, camera movement, and other tools to effectively tell a visual story

- Adapting to different film genres and developing a personal aesthetic and visual style

Visual Storytelling

The Cinematography Certificate is designed for those who want to become cinematographers or camera operators. After taking a series of foundation courses, students build skills in-camera techniques and digital technologies while developing an individual aesthetic and artistic point of view. Through this certificate, students gain a strong foundation in the practical theory and tools of cinematography and have many opportunities for hands-on experience.

Courses are taught by industry experts who combine real-world experience with the latest techniques and technology.

The Film and TV Development Certificate program provides the knowledge and skills necessary to develop and sell film and television ideas.

This program is perfect for:

- Individuals seeking creative producer jobs in film and television

- Professionals pursuing careers as entertainment acquisition executives

- Learners interested in entertainment development positions

- Entertainment industry insiders looking to expand their expertise in the development

What you can learn:

- The development cycle and how it affects the production of content

- How to write coverage

- How to develop compelling stories

- How to make a project attractive to potential buyers

Prepare for a career in development for film and TV

The Film and TV Development Certificate is ideal for those interested in becoming development or acquisitions executives and creative producers in the Film and TV industry.

Throughout this certificate, you will learn specific skills that can prepare you for entry-level positions in the industry. You will gain an understanding of how to write coverage, develop compelling stories, and make a project attractive to potential buyers.

Master the art of filmmaking. This program will teach the craft of directing through producing an original short film.

This program is perfect for:

- Aspiring directors looking for a hands-on education to learn the art of making movies

- Entertainment professionals looking for a career transition into directing

- Self-taught filmmakers who want to build upon their skills with formal training and mentorship

- Individuals passionate about storytelling and independent filmmaking

What you can learn:

- A comprehensive understanding of the filmmaking process, including image composition and lighting, camera movements, editing, sound, budgeting, and scheduling

- How to work with actors, and the directorial skills required for a successful artistic collaboration

- How to prepare a film for shooting, such as script analysis, casting, camera blocking, planning the shot list, photographing the subtext, film grammar, visual composition, the role of music, and sound effects

- Responsibilities of the director in relation to pre-production, production, and post-production

- How to combine key elements to communicate the themes, conflict, and story arcs that create a compelling narrative for a visual medium

About this program.

With a focus on independent filmmaking, the Directing Certificate teaches the essential principles of the art and craft of directing. Our instructors mentor students in the role of story, directing actors, and the aesthetics of filmmaking, as well as the practical responsibilities of the director in relation to key positions in production. Using the student’s own equipment, directing workshops offers a comprehensive hands-on component. Beginning with simple exercises, students progress to directing an original short film that is screened for an invited audience.

This foundation-level certificate provides beginners with a fundamental education in the field of interior architecture. It is the only program in the nation leading to a Master of Interior Architecture degree that is offered on a continuing education basis.

This program is perfect for:

- Those exploring the possibility of becoming an interior designer

- Individuals seeking more knowledge in the field of interior design

- Interior designers interested in enhancing their skills

- Students with a passion for interior design

What you can learn:

- Explore the history of environmental arts, fundamentals of interior architecture in both commercial and residential interiors, color theory and more

- Develop skills for freehand drawing and drafting to communicate design concepts

- Become skilled in using AutoCAD and/or Revit, two powerful computer-aided design (CAD) programs favored by major design firms

- Cover a diverse curriculum providing essential skills for going on to advanced degree classes

About this program

The Interior Design: Foundation Level Certificate is an open enrollment program taught by instructors who are practicing professionals in the fields of interior design, architecture, or fine arts. Its flexible scheduling allows for balanced class loads and scheduling. Internship, mentorship, and job placement opportunities are available through our program advisor. Certificate graduates are eligible to sit for the NCIDQ Examination after meeting 90 quarter, units plus the required work experience.

Further, students who complete the certificate with a grade point average of 3.0 or better and have a bachelor’s degree are eligible to apply to the Master of Interior Architecture degree*. 

For graphic designers looking to take their skills to the next level. Receive master-level mentoring and instruction to create design solutions across a variety of outputs and mediums. Execute polished, portfolio-level projects that the design industry is clamoring for.

Who this is perfect for:

- Graduates of the Design Communication Arts certificate who want to further refine their design skills

- Professional graphic designers who want to dive deeper into special design topics

What you can learn:

- Develop an advanced understanding of typography through historical context and contemporary applications

- Expand and strengthen your design toolkit as you further practice solving problems with design solutions

- Learn the business side of design, explore freelance best practices, and how to position yourself in the marketplace

- Create comprehensive portfolio projects in specific areas of design of your choosing

- Practice cross-disciplinary and collaborative design approaches across analog and digital technologies

Applicable to every professional field, the User Experience (UX) Certificate provides a thorough education on how to develop compelling and strategic user experiences. Working with industry experts, students learn the latest strategies, techniques, and technologies to deploy world-class user experiences in a fast-growing digital economy. Format: Online 

This program is perfect for:

- Designers, engineers, information architects, writers, sociologists and entrepreneurs who want to learn to develop compelling user experiences

- Professionals with no previous UX background who wish to incorporate UX principles and practices into their current career

- Individuals who want to create successful, innovative products and design solutions

- Those interested in a multidisciplinary design thinking approach, used to strengthen familiar, often undervalued, skills

What you can learn:

- Discover information architecture principles, responsive design, mobile user interface design, effective user research, testing & analytics

- Learn cutting-edge UX design tools such as Figma, Adobe XD, and InVision

- Acquire job-ready skills and interface design standards that power some of the world’s top websites and applications

- Develop user personas, while applying foundational UX principles to mock prototypes to start your portfolio

Design your future

The User Experience Certificate is perfect for professionals wanting to make a career change and learn in-demand skills from UCLA-vetted expert instructors. The program lets students get hands-on with UX design tools while teaching concepts like user empathy to understand human-centered designs. From applying these principles to creating mock UX prototypes, students will learn to flex their artistic skills while examining user interaction flows and testing end-to-end usability. 

The Certificate of Achievement in Mobile Application Development provides students with a high-quality education that prepares them for a professional career in mobile application development. The curriculum prepares students to develop mobile applications for popular platforms such as Android and Apple IOS and to work successfully as a member of a Mobile Application Development team. Students will be able to pursue careers in the following areas such as software engineering, web and mobile application developer

Program Learning Outcomes

- Design and develop, implement various mobile applications for platforms such as iOS.

- Understand how to design various screens, navigation between screens, events and event handling for a mobile application.

- Deploy mobile applications to mobile app stores.

The Hospitality program at West prepares students to enter the continuously growing world of hotels, resorts, private clubs, convention centers, meeting centers, cruise ships, entertainment venues, and other commercial settings. Hospitality’s wide range of careers opens the door to a future with small or large lodging, meeting, and food service companies. The program provides both classroom and exciting on-site internships.

Program Learning Outcomes

- Students will have the basic skills to manage hospitality tasks found in conferences, conventions, and other hospitality events.

- Students will have the skills to manage restaurants, hotels and motels, and convention centers.

- Students will have the skills to identify, hire, train, and manage staff for conventions, conferences, hotels, and restaurants.

- Students will develop an awareness of various cultural customs and practices for implementation in their service to clients.