Author/Illustrator Certificate

 Author/Illustrator Undergraduate Certificate 

This certificate equips students with the skills to combine writing and illustration into market-ready books with an emphasis on industry relevance and creative control. Ideal for those aspiring to create children’s books or comics and graphic novels, the program emphasizes storytelling, design, and market analysis to enhance creative versatility and industry readiness. 

Offered in collaboration with the Creative Writing and Illustration departments, the Author/Illustrator undergraduate certificate prepare students to confidently pitch to publishers, explore self-publishing, and succeed in the competitive publishing and entertainment industries. The children’s book courses focus on crafting engaging books for young audiences, with an emphasis on market trends, storytelling, and industry standards. The comic and graphic novel courses on sequential art and visual storytelling, teaching students to create impactful comics for mainstream or independent platforms. The Publishing Strategies course focuses on marketing and distribution strategies for the final book. Students will learn to identify and target the most suitable markets for the book's release for a successful launch. 

Students who complete an Author/Illustrator Certificate will be able to: 

1. Creative Development: Demonstrate the ability to develop original concepts, combining storytelling and visual elements to create compelling and cohesive works.
2. Story Generation: Apply techniques and knowledge of story generation, execution, and revision to create original narratives.
3. Industry Research: Formulate plans for publishing a book by analyzing audience demographics and determining an appropriate pathway, such as self-publishing or pitching to professional publishers.