: Colleges to do graduation in graphic design in the US? I am from programming background but I want to do graduation in graphic design. I'd like to know about the colleges which provide this

@Shelley591

This is a pretty broad question. Many schools in every state will offer various types of degrees in graphic design.

In general, in the US, you could divide the degrees into two main camps. 2 year associate degrees and 4 year bachelor's degrees. For graphic design, typically the 2 year degrees aren't worth a lot in terms of getting a job in a design firm--though they may be of value for personal gain/interest.

With the 4 year degrees, you can then typically find design degrees that fit into two categories: Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts. Not a major difference between the two, but the latter will perhaps focus more on the fine arts.

The 2 year degrees tend to be provided at community colleges, are taught by designers working professionally, and will tend to focus more on practical implementation of design.

The 4 year degrees tend to be provided by larger universities, are taught by both educators and designers working professionally, and will tend to focus more on art and design theory.

As for a list of schools, that is simply too long of a list to provide here. If you are looking at a particular region, we could maybe get you a narrower list.

Vote Up Vote Down

@Smith574

Instead of going to a college I would recommend first spending some time and learning about the basics. Having a degree in design always help and shows commitment but if your portfolio is lacking you will be hard pressed to get a job if that is the intent on going to a design school.

I would suggest before you spend around fifty grand plus worth read a few books and reference a few questions we have on the topic:


Tips and resources for beginning designers
What is a good sequence of projects to learn design?
What are the correct set of principles of Design?


I'm not going to post a list of schools because it may not help someone in the future. So I will post a simple Google Search resulted in an article that is a few years old but you might find helpful: "The World's 25 Best Design Schools". Either way, a little effort in what YOU want will result in a school you want to attend. If you think that a school is going to be able to give you what you need in design that is not true. Design is something that takes practice, passion, obsession, wiliness, practice, did I say practice, creativity, and again, practice. You can learn all the terminology, principles, etc. etc. which is great but if you cant apply them they are not beneficial.

Vote Up Vote Down