BDes in Visual Communication Design | (4 Years)

Programme Specifications

Degree awarded: Bachelor of Design (BDes)
Duration: 4 Years (8 Semesters)
Eligibility: 10+2 or equivalent from any Recognized Board/University
Degree awarded by: Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (Institution of National Importance by Act of Parliament No.35/2012)
Entrance Process: General Aptitude Test, Creative Ability Test, Statement of Purpose & Personal Interview

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVE

The objective of the 4-year, 8-semester, Bachelor of Design (BDes) programme in Visual Communication Design is to nurture and create quality visual communication design professionals, to meet the rapidly growing, complex communication design needs, nationally and globally. The programme emphasizes on students undergoing fundamental design foundation inputs in the first year, followed by intensive project-based semesters that culminate in a major design project, undertaken under standard industry conditions, in semester eight. Apart from the core of Graphic Design/Visual Design, the BDes programme allows students to opt for electives in the areas of Motion Design, Interaction Design and Spatial/Environmental Design. Inputs in Professional Practices, Design Research and Strategies + Management also go towards making the students industry ready. Having future ready design thinkers and doers also means having the BDes students undergo inputs in universal design, deep ecology and environmental perception, while giving them the opportunity to propose radical new ideas via the colloquium paper. Founded on an ethos of ‘Learning by Doing’ students are expected to be hands on, minds on, while engaging proactively and productively with all individual and group learning activities. Frequent workshops and masterclasses by professional visual communication designers from India and abroad, round out the learning.

Course Structure

The foundation year (first year) is geared to introduce students to the fundamentals of design, and build the core skills (drawing, observation, visualization, colour, form, composition, representation, geometry, material, digital tools) and attitudes and values (empathy, critical thinking, ‘sharedness’, team-spirit, adaptability). In the second and third year, the students will undergo progressive, intensive design learning modules in print, motion and interactivity, encompassing the core areas of visual communication design. The BDes programme culminates in the eighth semester when students undertake a semester long professional project, understand industry conditions. Throughout the four years of the programme, students will go through intense communication design projects – applying their foundational skills and knowledge to build a substantial portfolio along the way. Along with core courses, students also take classes in ‘General Education’. These subjects will help students understand the context of their core subjects better and create competent visual communication designers.

The programme will also allow students to choose Electives in the areas of Motion, Interaction Design and Spatial Design. Inputs in Professional Practices, Design Research and Design Strategies and Management also go towards making the students industry ready.

Types of Courses:  Over their Programme of study students will have the following types of courses, some mandated while others can be chosen by students:

1. General Education Courses: These courses offer an appropriate backdrop to students learning, enabling them to understand broader socio-cultural as well historical contexts in areas of study relevant to design, such as Semiotics, Cultural Studies, Art and Aesthetics and so on. There are 32 credits overall during the 4-year programme.
2. Core Courses: These courses are mandated by the Programme Head of a course and all students in the Programme have to take them.
3. Electives: In the fourth and fifth semesters students choose Electives from the areas of Motion, Interaction Design and Spatial Design.

Semester-wise distribution of Credits 

Syllabus for BDes in Visual Communication Design

Academic qualification: 10+2, IBDP or equivalent from any recognised Board.

*All the content of this website are subject to change at the discretion of the management.

Admission Policy – 2023 Intake

(Programme offered under an agreement with Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development- an Institute of National Importance)

Programmes Offered & Seats:

The Programmes offered & Available Seats are mentioned in the table below:

Application Process:

Candidates to apply through the ONLINE Application process only. Click here to apply and follow the self-explanatory process. Application Fee of Rs. 3000 to be paid through the Online Payment Gateway only.

Selection Criteria:

The Selection Criteria is as given in the table below:

GAT: General Aptitude Test

CAT: Creative Ability Test

SOP: Personal Statement of Purpose

P.I: Personal Interview

Points to note:

• Due to the unprecedented times, as per the rules and guidelines suggested by the Government of Maharashtra, all the entrance exams will be conducted online, until further notice.

For each admission round, there will be certain dates to remember which will be updated on a regular basis on the Whistling Woods International website www.whistlingwoods.net:

FORMALITIES TO BE COMPLETED ON SELECTION:
Will be mentioned in the Selection Intimation Emails sent to Selected Candidates.

ADMISSION HELPDESK CONTACTS:
Mob. Nos.: +91 8451803851 / +91 8451803852 / 022-62716070 (Mon to Sat: 10.30 am – 6.30 pm).
Email: admissions@whistlingwoods.net

RESERVATIONS:
As per Government of India norms, 15%, 7.5% and 27% reservation is available to Scheduled Caste, Schedule Tribe and Other Backward Classes (non-creamy layer) respectively, for each of the programs. In addition, supernumerary seats are allocated to Persons With Disabilities (PWD) {3%}, Kashmiri migrants {1%} and children of the Armed Forces Employees {5%}

MERIT LIST PREPARATION:

• Merit Lists will be prepared for each Program according to the Aggregate Scores of all the three Components of the Selection Criteria, according to the Reservation Policy of the Institute.
• Individual Selection Intimation Letters along with the Scores Obtained in each of the Components of the Selection Criteria will be sent by Email to all Selected Candidates.
• Waiting List Candidates will not be sent any intimation, they can check their status with their respective Admission Advisors. In an event that they are upgraded to Selected List, only then they will be sent individual Selection Letters.

ADMISSION RULES:

1. Canvassing in any matter for securing admission shall render a candidate disqualified
2. Eligibility rules as specified for each course shall be strictly followed and shall not be relaxed under any circumstances. Candidate should satisfy himself / herself that he / she fulfil the eligibility requirements prescribed for the admission to the concerned course of the study.
3. Candidates awaiting result of qualifying examination may also apply for admission with the clear understanding that their selection will be entitled to admission only if they fulfil all eligibility requirements of concerned course of study at the time of admission.
4. Changes, if any, made in the admission rules and / or in the eligibility criteria from time to time shall be applicable to candidates seeking admission in the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development even after notification.
5. Application form shall not be transferred from one course of study to another under any circumstances.
6. A candidate whose qualifying examination is not Recognised by this university shall not be eligible for admission. All such Application Forms / admissions shall be rejected / cancelled.
7. Application forms may be rejected if in case of the following
   • Incomplete Application
   • Received without requisite fee
   • Received after the Last date
   • Received with Invalid documents. And no correspondence shall be entertained in this regard. No relaxation in the last date shall be granted.
8. Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development assumes no responsibility what so ever in the event of failure to report on the due date and time by the candidate for appearing in the Admission Test.
9. The medium of all Test Shall be English only. Visually challenged candidates appearing for test must bring their writers along with them.
10. PWD candidates must submit a written request for the same at least seven days before the scheduled date of the Test in the Office where they submitted their Application Form.
11. PWD candidates who have been provided with a writer may be given an additional time of 30 minutes of the Test duration.
12. Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development-WWI reserves the right to make changes in the notified Admission Test Schedule.
13. In case, any candidate who does not meet the eligibility criteria prescribed for the concerned course of the study appears in the Admission Test, he / she shall be doing so at his / her own risk and cost, and if at any stages, it is found that the candidate do not fulfil the eligibility requirements, the admission, if granted, shall be cancelled.
14. No separate intimation letters will be sent to the candidates wait-listed.
15. No correspondence shall be made to candidate not selected for admission. Similarly, the Application fee shall not be refunded.
16. Selected candidate shall be allotted course / Branch / Main Subject / Specialization on merit as per their preference indicated in the application Form.
17. All admission shall be provisional.
18. Selected Candidates shall not be allowed to complete admission formalities in absentia.
19. Candidates not reporting for admission on the stipulated date and time, shall forfeit his / her claim for admission. The offer of admission shall stand cancelled and no correspondence in this regard shall be entertained.
20. No candidate shall be admitted unless he / she has completed all the eligibility requirements at the time of admission. Candidates awaiting results of their Supplementary / Improvement examination shall not be considered for admission.
21. Candidate is required to produce the original Mark sheets / Certificates, including the statement of the marks qualifying examinations with the requisite percentage of marks at the time of reporting for admission, failing which he / she shall not be allowed to complete the admission, and the offer of admission shall stand cancelled and no further correspondence in the matter shall be entertained.
22. Mark sheet / Grade sheets / certificates downloaded from the Internet shall not be accepted at the time of admission.
23. The candidate selected for admission shall have to deposit the attested photo copy of qualifying examination in the Office at the time of Admission.
24. No candidate shall be eligible to peruse a full time course of study if he / she is already admitted to any full – time course of study in Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development.
25. Candidates perusing any full time course of study is required to get his/ her name removed from the rolls of the University / College / Institution where already admitted, and submit a certificate to this effect from the concerned authority at the time of reporting for admission to the course (including evening Courses and Professional Courses under Centre for Professional courses) for which he / she may have been provisionally selected.
26. Candidates enjoying employed status and selected for admission to any full – time course of study in the university, are required to produce leave sanction / relieving order at the of admission from their employer for the duration of the course permitting them to peruse their studies at Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, failing which the offer of admission shall stand withdrawn.
27. The candidate selected for admission shall have to submit the Original Migration Certificate from the Head of the Institution / University last attended at the time of admission. Candidate who is not in the position to submit the Migration certificate at the time of admission, shall give anundertaking on prescribed Proforma to submit the same within six months from the date of admission, failing which the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development reserves the right to cancel his / her admission.
28. The university reserves the right to get any student medically examined and if found medically unfit, the admission of such students will be cancelled.
29. If any error / omission in the processing / verification of certificates / documents of a candidate is detected after the candidate is admitted to a course in the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development has the right to cancel such admission at any stage at which error / omission is deducted.
30. If it is found, at the stage, that a candidates,
    • does not fulfil the eligibility requirements
    • has used fraudulent means to secure admission
    • has made false or incorrect statements in the application form.
    • has not singed / marked thumb impression on the application form or somebody else has done so on his / her behalf.He / She shall not be allowed to complete the admission formalities, or in case already admitted, his / her admission shall be cancelled, ipso, fact
31. In case, of cancellation of admission by a candidate, after the closing date of admissions, the Application fee paid by him/ her will not be refunded.
32. Answer sheets and other relevant material pertaining to the Admission Test of all candidates and Application Forms of all the non – admitted candidates will be weeded out after 3 months of the Closing Date of Admissions. Therefore, in case of any dispute regarding admission, the matter must be filed within 3 months of the closing date of admission after which the relevant records may not be made available.
33. The closing date for all admission in the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, except those courses / categories for which separate notification will be made. Any vacancy arising after the date of enrolment of the candidate in any course shall not be filled.

Tuition Fees & Security Deposit

* GST as applicable (currently 18%) would be additional and is not reflected in the above-mentioned amounts.

Payment Installments**

** Security Deposit & Taxes (subject to changes based on Taxation norms) are included in the above installment amounts.

Notes:

• All Graduate & Post-graduate Degrees and Diplomas are awarded by the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), which is an Institution of National Importance by Act of Parliament No.35/2012
• All amounts are payable to are payable through the WWI online payment portal. The link to the same will be mentioned in each invoice that the student receives. Students can pay by NEFT / RTGS / online electronic transfer. Details for online transfer of funds are available with the Accounts Office.
• Examination Fees, payable on an annual or semi-annual basis, are additional. You will be intimated of the same.
• GST has not been levied on any of the Programs based on prevalent taxation rules / guidelines for educational institutions. However, these are subject to change. Any taxes levied by the government / taxation authorities would be additional & intimated to students with appropriate notice
• All amounts are listed & payable in Indian Rupees, for both Indian and International students.
• All payments made by Indian nationals must be accompanied by the Permanent Account Number (PAN) of the payee, without which fees will not be accepted.
• All fees are as mentioned are for the program as a whole, and are being collected over installments to reduce the burden of paying large amounts on the student. The semester-wise payments are not reflective of the value of the program completed till then or the value charged specifically for that semester.
• The Semester 1 installment includes a security deposit. This is non-interest bearing and refundable on program completion or withdrawal, subject to deductions.
• The ‘Acceptance’ payment is payable within two weeks of being accepted into a program. If a student is accepted within two weeks of program commencement, then it is payable on registration day.
• The ‘Acceptance’ payment is non-refundable, although it can be carried forward for a maximum of 2 intakes, subject to management approval. The Fee policy applicable to students who push forward their admission will be the one that is active when the student does join the program. WWI refunds the ‘Acceptance’ installment to students only in case they withdraw under exceptional circumstances 45 days before program commencement. An amount of Rs 75,000/- (+ taxes as applicable) will be retained by WWI as Application processing & Admission Costs.
• Semester 1 fees are payable on Registration day, which may be a few days prior to program commencement. All other installments are payable 1 week before the commencement of each Semester, except for the final Semester. All payments listed under the Final Semester of each program have to be paid before the penultimate semester is completed.
• Once a Semester has commenced, all fees paid / payable upto the end of that semester are non-refundable. Should a student leave his/her program mid-semester, all fees paid / payable are non-refundable but any fees paid in advance for future semesters will be refunded, with the security deposit, subject to deductions.
• Transfer of fees across / between programs is subject to management approval, on a case-by-case basis, and will involve a re-calculation of fees based on the existing fees in the new program & the amount already paid by the student and where in the program (which semester) the student chooses to transfer:
• If a student changes specialisation mid-program from a program with a lower fee to a program with a higher fee, the fee difference, on a retrospective basis (for the semesters already completed), is to be paid by the student before commencement of the next Semester.
• If a student changes specialisation mid-program from a program with a higher fee to a program with a lower fee, no refunds will be made retrospectively for fee differences, if any in the Semesters already completed, and, irrespective of such differences, fees payable for future Semesters have to be paid as per the fee policy.
• If a student wishes to withdraw from the program between 2 semesters, he / she has to convey the same in writing to the Dean and the Administration Manager atleast 2 weeks prior to Semester commencement. After such date, entire fees payable for that semester will be applicable.
• The institute undertakes all refunds of fees & security deposits only twice a year – in the months of September and March. So all refund requests processed during the year are disbursed only in these months.
• In case of refunds or claims sought, the student will hold Whistling Woods International alone responsible for the same as it is the institution that is delivering the education as the implementation partner of RGNIYD. Whistling Woods International has indemnified RGNIYD of the same.
• Any scholarship / fee waiver / fee adjustment extended to a student will be used to reduce the fees payable for the ultimate (final) Semester of his/her program. If scholarship / fee waiver amounts are higher than those payable for the final semester, then the balance over & above that will be used to reduce the amount payable for the penultimate semester, and so on.
• A delay in Fee Payment will attract a penalty of Rs 5,000/- per week. Each act of cheque bouncing / dishonour of cheque will attract a penalty of Rs 5,000/-.
• Health Insurance is mandatory for all students. Whistling Woods International provides a group health insurance policy, the cost of which is already built into the fees. There is no additional payment needed for the same.
• Program Fees do not include any additional study tour costs. While such additional costs are rare, they will need to be borne additionally as and when required. Due notice will be given to students for the same.
• Students of specific programs would need to acquire some hardware / software / supplies, as under:
  • All students being accepted into the Animation & Gaming programs need to acquire a high-end windows laptop of specifications – 8-core 2.5Ghz i9 processor, a high-end graphic card on par with NVIDIA RTX 3080 and a minimum of 32gb DDR4 RAM). This is needed to be acquired before their 2nd year commences. Exact specifications will be given to students in their 2nd semester based on the prevailing requirements base on the software that they will need to deploy.
  • Students being accepted into the Direction & Producing specialisations of MA Filmmaking need to acquire a MacBook Pro laptop [MacBook Pro i7 Processor (m1 chip recommended) & 8 Gb RAM (16Gb recommended)] & a good quality headphone. WWI will provide exact specifications to the students in April 2022, based on new models being launched. WWI also has student discounted pricing details of which will be made available to the student.
  • All students being accepted into the Producing specialisation of Filmmaking need to acquire Movie Magic Budgeting & Movie Magic Scheduling software, which will be made available to them at a reduced cost (currently the amount is 149US$ each, but may change going forward).
  • All students of the Music Production & Composition programs will need to acquire MacBook Pro laptop with minimum specifications: MacBook Pro i7 or i9 Processor (m1 recommended), 32GB RAM, a good quality headphone, a MIDI controller keyboard, a license of ProTools software, Sibelius software and a license of the Apple Logic Pro X sequencing software. Changes to the same, if any, will be intimated at the time of admission.
  • All students being accepted to the Fashion Design program will need to acquire an Art Material Kit, a Sewing Kit, a Trend Forecasting WGSN subscription and some fashion reference books. The cost of the WGSN subscription is Rs 10,000/- + GST per year as of now. However, it is subject to change each year. Additional details will be provided on admission.
  • Students other than the above-mentioned programs need not acquire their own laptops and can use the computing assets available on campus, but it is recommended that they acquire one after their 1st year.
  • All students would need to acquire good quality headphones. Given health concerns, we do not recommend sharing of headphones between students.
  • All students will need to subscribe to the Adobe Creative Cloud software annual subscription. They will be allotted an Adobe CC subscription license which they can use both on & off campus. The same will be made available at a heavily discounted rate of Rs 6,500/- per yr. This will reflect separately in the invoice for Sem 1, 3, 5 & 7, as applicable.
• University norms mandate that a student needs to complete his / her undergraduate degree within 5 years of program commencement, irrespective of breaks taken for medical matters or term repeat requirements. If multiple breaks cause the students to cross the 5-year threshold, they will need to re-register as a new student. The same is also applicable in case of credit transfers from other universities, or for students who have taken a break and are looking at re-commencing their education at WWI.
• Whistling Woods is facing litigation with respect to its campus in Filmcity, Mumbai. WWI has secured relief through interim orders passed by both the Hon. Supreme Court of India on September 22, 2014 and the Hon. Bombay High Court on July 30, 2014, on WWI’s Review Petition challenging the Hon. Bombay High Court’s February 2012 decision on the matter. In its order of July 30, 2014, the Hon. Bombay High Court has allowed WWI to continue its educational activities unhindered until the Review Petition is finally disposed off and in its order of September 22, 2014, the Hon. Supreme Court of India has reaffirmed that decision. The Maharashtra State government, through its Cabinet has taken a decision, in late 2018, to allot the land on which the campus is situated to WWI on a long-term lease subject to High Court clearance. The Cabinet Note for the same is available in the Maharashtra government public documents section. The lease agreement finalisation currently underway and will be presented before the High Court soon. In case there is any update on this matter, adequate intimation / notice will be given.
• Fee Policies as above are subject to change at Management’s discretion. Appropriate notification of the same will be given to all students. Excessively delayed fee payments may be cause for cancellation of enrollment of student.

*All the content of this website are subject to change at the discretion of the management.