Northeastern’s art + design department is changing the program from a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree to a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), partly in an effort to boost recruitment.

The art + design graduating class of 2012 will be the first to get a BFA.

Edward Andrews, chair of the art + design department, said a BFA is more appealing to incoming students.

“We think students looking for a new program like ours come to expect a BFA degree to be associated to graphic design,” Andrews said.

However, Andrews said the work the students do while attaining their degree is more important than the degree they actually get.

“Most of our majors are still in the BS,” Andrews said. “We’ve never graduated anyone with a BFA degree from our department and have very successful alumni out there with a BS degree. We think switching to a BFA will be an improvement, but it all comes down really to the quality of their work.”

A BS degree is a specific version of a Bachelor of Arts degree, emphasizing more on the subject and less on a broad liberal arts background. A BFA is different from a BA in that the program entrains more of a practical studio component rather than lecture and discussion classes.

Jessie Briesch, a middler graphic design major, said a BFA is better suited for graphic design majors.

“I believe the department changed the requirements of the degree because the new BFA is more in-depth and will better prepare students for a career in graphic design,” she said.

A BFA is more respected in the design world than a BS, said Samantha Bearse, a junior graphic design major.

A controversial factor is the BFA degree for graphic design majors has eliminated co-op for students sophomore year, based on the claim that they do not have enough experience for graphic design jobs.

“We noticed that a lot of sophomores going out on co-op were experiencing a lot of frustration because the co-ops they really wanted, they didn’t have the skills for,” Andrews said. “They had not learned these skills in classes yet.”

Since this switch has been made, upperclassmen who have already begun the five-year quest toward acquiring a BS degree were given the choice to either stick with their goal of a BS, or change to a BFA.

“No one is being forced into this BFA program. The freshmen coming in already knew about this. Any other students who are switching, it is their own choice,” Andrews said.

While the choice of whether or not to switch is the student’s own, some said they feel inclined to change it.

“Students feel pressured to change because of all the e-mails and letters about the new program,” said Luke Sideris, a sophomore graphic design major.

Yet others, like Kristin Richardson, a sophomore graphic design major, did not feel it was necessary to switch.

“I’m not switching. For a design student, it’s less about credentials and more about having a strong portfolio,” Richardson said.

Some of those who are not switching said they still believe the modifications are positive for freshmen and prospective students, as well as near graduates.

“The change does not directly affect me or my degree requirements as a current junior at NU,” Bearse said. “However, it does modernize the graphic design program and, in doing so, improves the degree’s reputation, which I will carry with me via my transcript to each of my future employers.”