The Visual Research Laboratory is a new Master of Fine Arts program focusing on the common ground shared by photography and graphic design. The nature and practice of these disciplines have undergone dramatic change in the last ten years with the advent of digital photography and design at the desktop computing level. This program explores the role of the artist in determining the nature, content and form of contemporarycommunication, using both new technology and traditional media in graphic design and photography. Students may choose to locate their practice in one of these areas or in areas of convergence such as multimedia/interactive computer projects, installation/public art or artists' books. Both collaborative and individually generated projects are developed in an environment which fosters visual and technical experimentation, intellectual exploration, critical and theoretical research, and engagement with contemporary social issues.