Top 50 Graphic Design Schools and Colleges in the U S. 2020 Rankings

Table Of Content

• Find the right school for you
• How much does it cost to get a Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design?
• Best Colleges with Graphic Design Degrees in America
• Learn more about Graphic Design at ArtCenter
• Article sources
• Best Graphic Design colleges in the U.S.
• Featured Graphic Design Degrees
• A Guide to Graphic Design Degrees

Serving nearly 3,700 students from 78 countries, SAIC offers more than 50 areas of study from Animation and Costume Design to Visual Communication Design and Writing. Programs for aspiring graphic designers are offered through the Visual Communication Design Department. For graduate students, the Lamar Dodd School of Art at University of Georgia offers an MFA in Printmaking and Book Arts. Students in this program can take Area VI coursework, and study graphic design through electives. Other program features include private MFA studios with natural lighting and large windows, access to state-of-the-art equipment to produce print, paper and book arts media, and the multifunctional Project Space for installing, staging, critiquing, and exhibiting work.

Find the right school for you

Brian Bird lecture - Newsroom - SVSU - Saginaw Valley State University

Brian Bird lecture - Newsroom - SVSU.

Posted: Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) houses the Graphic Design Department, which offers BFA and MFA degrees in Graphic Design. Undergraduates have the opportunity to learn, collaborate, and work in dedicated studios including the Design Center Graphic Design Studios and the Graphic Design Type Shop, among others. The College of Communication and Information at Kent State University (KSU) houses the School of Visual Communication Design (VCD), home to the BA, BFA, MA, and MFA Programs in VCD. Many are paid and they provide the opportunity to work at companies and design studios in Cleveland, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. In the Professional Practice course, MFA students will work with regional and national advertising agencies, graphic design firms, and digital media studios to gain professional experience. Program alumni hold titles such as Graphic Designer, Art Director, User Experience Designer, Data Visualization Strategist, Web Designer, Interactive Designer, and Creative Director, and among others.

How much does it cost to get a Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design?

Other program benefits include independent study, seminars, and project-based studios. During year two of the UW MDs Program, students will work with design faculty to complete Thesis Prep and the Master’s Thesis. Graduates of the Design Programs at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign work in areas such as publication design, consulting, type design, advertising, interaction design, photography, art direction, environmental design, and consulting.

Best Colleges with Graphic Design Degrees in America

They hold titles such as Graphic Designer, Art Director, Creative Producer, Media Manager, Communications Coordinator, Web Designer, and User Experience Designer. Program alumni have been hired at Leo Burnett, General Motors, Quicken Loans, TechSmith Corporation, Campbell Ewald, Domino’s, and Shift Digital. Examples include Editorial Design, Packaging Systems Collaborative, Interactive Design III, Packing Systems Projects, Advertising Design, and Typography III. All BFA students will take four Graphic Design Studio courses, Design Systems I-II, Experiential Graphic Design, Interactive Design I-II, Motion Design I-II, and Professional Practices. AA students will have the foundation needed to transition into the Graphic Design BFA Program at Academy of Art University.

Through the workshop, GDMA students will have the opportunity to create and exhibit a self-directed design project and a professional portfolio. In the Boston University Graphic Design BFA Program, students have the opportunity to specialize in an area of interested through electives. Examples include Exhibition Design, Design for the Web, Editorial Design, Motion Graphics, Interactive Design, and Experience Design. Consisting of 132 credit hours, the BFA curriculum is cross-disciplinary with course options from the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, Innovate@BU, Hariri Institute for Computing, the College of Communication, and Questrom School of Business. The most advanced level of the three, this option consists of advanced courses in design systems.

Article sources

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has a Graphic Design Program that offers degrees at all levels. Graphic Design students have the option to complete a BA, BFA, MA or MFA at campuses in Savannah or Atlanta, and online. Founded in 1887, Pratt serves 4,875 students across campuses in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Utica, New York. More than 50 undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs are offered in six schools including Architecture, Art, Design, Information, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Continuing and Professional Studies. In addition to degree programs, Pratt Institute offers certificate programs in the School of Continuing Studies.

The school offers 276 degree programs across 16 colleges and schools, and an interdisciplinary Honors College. University of Houston is Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College (SACSCOC). Academy of Art University is a family-owned private university located in San Francisco—one of the world’s top cities for animation careers. Established in 1929 and serving more than 7,000 students, Academy of Art is of the nation’s largest private art and design schools. Founded in 1873 as Massachusetts Normal School, Massachusetts College of Art and Design is the nation’s first and only public college of art and design.

Featured Graphic Design Degrees

Graphic design students earn 11 Graphis New Talent awards - News Campbell University - Campbell University News

Graphic design students earn 11 Graphis New Talent awards - News Campbell University.

Posted: Fri, 05 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Founded in 1853, the school serves nearly 16,250 students enrolled in more than 300 academic programs in seven schools. The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts was founded in 2006 after the merging of the academic units of Architecture and Art, and the Washington University in St. Louis Museum. Some of the most popular choices include Advertising, Mobile and Interactive Design, Advertising Copywriting, Mobile and Interactive Design, Advertising and Branding, and User Experience Design. ArtCenter College of Design offers 11 undergraduate programs, seven graduate degree program leading to an MFA or MS, a joint MS/MBA program, and undergraduate minors in Business, Creative Writing, Material Science, Research, and Social Innovation. All California Institute of the Arts students have the opportunity to complete an internship, study abroad experience, and a portfolio of their best work. The Yale SoA Graphic Design Program consists of lectures, presentations, workshops, and exhibitions, along with immersive studio work group thesis meetings, and one-on-one sessions with editing and writing tutors.

A Guide to Graphic Design Degrees

In Professional Practice Seminars, students will develop skills such as portfolio development, CV creation, interviewing, searching for jobs and internships, and public speaking. Graduates of the CMU BDes Program have worked on a number of major projects including the title sequence of the Spiderman movie, the Starbucks logo, the Pinterest interface design, and typefaces for The Guardian. Graduates of the Graphic Design BFA Program at California College of the Arts are successful freelancers, entrepreneurs, and salaried professionals. They work for companies and studios such as Google, IDEO, MacFadden & Thorpe, frog design, California Academy of Sciences, Snap Inc., Wolff Olins, Bonfire Labs, and Atlassian. The Graphic Design MFA at California Institute of the Arts has an Integrated Media (IM) Concentration, which combines IM seminars and critiques with specialized coursework and access to elective courses offered across the institute.

Graduates of the Graphic Design Programs at CCA have landed positions at innovative design firms, museums, publishing houses, technology companies, nonprofits, and more. The BA degree is offered in Atlanta, Savannah and online and the BFA, MA, MFA, and Minor programs are offered in Atlanta, Hong Kong, Savannah, and online. The University of Houston (UH) is home the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts. Within the McGovern College is the School of Art, which offers a BFA in Graphic Design and an MFA in Studio Art.

If you’ve already earned your degree in another subject area and hope to work in graphic design, a certificate program may be a good option as you refocus your career path. Amplify your creative potential in multi-disciplinary and transmedia design with ArtCenter’s graphic design degree. You’ll establish broad skills for creating story- and identity-driven solutions, apply your learning in hands-on labs and business partnerships, and distinguish yourself as a strong leader, innovator and collaborator in dynamic creative industries. The final semester of the BFA program culminates in a capstone project that students develop with a focus on either service experience or digital experience design. Tyler’s MFA program in GAID is an intensive two-year immersion in the practice of design. The 126 credit hour BFA in GAID with Entrepreneurial Studies is offered in partnership with Fox School of Business at Temple and Tyler School of Art and Architecture.