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An accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia design bach­e­lor’s pro­gram offers sev­er­al advan­tages over tra­di­tion­al degree pro­grams. One of the most notable is the fact that it can shave up to six months off of the time you spend in school. Accel­er­at­ed pro­grams pro­vide all of the course­work of a tra­di­tion­al degree pro­gram, except that more infor­ma­tion is offered in few­er lessons. The cur­ricu­lum is con­densed down into more intense, infor­ma­tion-rich lessons.

Stu­dents who choose to take an accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia design Bach­e­lor’s degree often do so because they want to spend less time in school and more time build­ing their career. With an online accel­er­at­ed degree pro­gram, stu­dents can begin work­ing in an entry-lev­el posi­tion while they are still tak­ing their class­es. This gives them a chance to sup­port them­selves and their fam­i­lies while earn­ing the degree they need to suc­ceed in such a fast-paced, grow­ing industry.

Methodology: Ranking the Best Accelerated Multimedia Degree Programs

The Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter rank­ing of the best accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia degree pro­grams focus­es on trust­ed, accred­it­ed col­leges and uni­ver­si­ties that offer a fast-track way to earn a degree. Pro­grams are ranked by alum­ni salary, cost, and stu­dent reviews, accord­ing to IPEDS and Niche data.

1. University of Florida

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Flori­da has an accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia degree that con­veys a BA in Dig­i­tal Arts and Sci­ences. The BADAS degree incor­po­rates com­mu­ni­ca­tions, art and tech­nol­o­gy. Stu­dents who want an intel­lec­tu­al chal­lenge that also lets them express their cre­ativ­i­ty major in this pro­gram. The immer­sive degree has a wide range of top­ics includ­ing ani­ma­tion, pro­gram­ming and game design. Class­es are orga­nized around project-based assign­ments that help stu­dents learn how to col­lab­o­rate in a team envi­ron­ment. This accu­rate­ly reflects many indus­try work settings.

More than 32,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents attend the Uni­ver­si­ty of Flori­da, locat­ed in Gainesville. This exclu­sive pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty accepts just 39% of stu­dents. Pop­u­lar majors include psy­chol­o­gy, biol­o­gy and lib­er­al arts. UF grad­u­ates a phe­nom­e­nal 88% of stu­dents who begin their edu­ca­tion­al jour­ney as freshmen.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of Flori­da is ranked num­ber one among all col­leges in Flori­da. It receives an A+ rat­ing from sur­veyed stu­dents for val­ue, diver­si­ty and a num­ber of oth­er criteria.

Degree: B.A. in Dig­i­tal Arts and Sciences

Uni­ver­si­ty of Flori­da B.A. in Dig­i­tal Arts and Sciences

2. National University

Nation­al University’s accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia degree gives stu­dents a way to shape media in the mod­ern world. This BA In dig­i­tal media design incor­po­rates ani­ma­tion, social net­works, games and con­tent that focus­es on cre­at­ing engag­ing user expe­ri­ences. Stu­dents receive hands-on expe­ri­ence with the lat­est tech­nolo­gies in demand in media arts. Stu­dents who grad­u­ate from this pro­gram find jobs in visu­al com­mu­ni­ca­tions, edu­ca­tion, enter­tain­ment and marketing.

Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ty is locat­ed in San Diego and has approx­i­mate­ly 3,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. This pri­vate uni­ver­si­ty accepts all stu­dents who apply and offers majors such as lib­er­al arts, busi­ness and nursing.

What We Like: Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ty accepts 100% of appli­cants, mak­ing it a great place for stu­dents who want to con­tin­ue their edu­ca­tion with­out wor­ry­ing about stan­dard­ized test scores.

Degree: BA in Dig­i­tal Media Design

Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ty BA in Dig­i­tal Media Design

3. Arizona State University

Ari­zona State Uni­ver­si­ty has an accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia degree that stu­dents can take online. This BA in mass com­mu­ni­ca­tions and media stud­ies lets stu­dents delve into the foun­da­tions of media jobs around the world. The pro­gram includes soci­etal, eco­nom­ic, legal and oth­er aspects of mass communications.

This high­ly rat­ed uni­ver­si­ty is locat­ed in Tempe, AZ. It has more than 39,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents and pop­u­lar majors include psy­chol­o­gy, busi­ness sup­port ser­vices and busi­ness. Stu­dents can fin­ish many cours­es with­in two to three years. The flex­i­ble online for­mat suits stu­dents who have full time jobs or fam­i­ly oblig­a­tions to jug­gle with their edu­ca­tion­al ambi­tion. The fast-track option allows stu­dents to do this quick­er than tra­di­tion­al class­room programs.

What We Like: Ari­zona State Uni­ver­si­ty gets A+ rat­ings on cat­e­gories such as diver­si­ty and val­ue for money.

Degree: B.A. in Mass Com­mu­ni­ca­tion and Media Studies

Ari­zona State Uni­ver­si­ty B.A. in Mass Com­mu­ni­ca­tion and Media Studies

4. Texas Tech University

The accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia degree at Texas Tech Uni­ver­si­ty results in a BA in dig­i­tal media and pro­fes­sion­al com­mu­ni­ca­tions. Stu­dents gain mar­ketable skills that trans­ferred direct­ly into media and com­mu­ni­ca­tions. As part of the course­work, stu­dents devel­op soft skills that trans­fer to dozens of oth­er indus­tries and which are crit­i­cal to media and graph­ic arts careers. Stu­dents who com­plete this pro­gram go on to com­plete mas­ters degrees or enter the work­force as mul­ti­me­dia specialist.

Texas Tech has deep roots as a research uni­ver­si­ty and a rep­u­ta­tion for inno­v­a­tive, cre­ative teach­ing. The uni­ver­si­ty gives stu­dents an oppor­tu­ni­ty to learn in a struc­tured envi­ron­ment and to become eth­i­cal lead­ers in indus­tries from high tech to lib­er­al arts. The school strives to cre­ate a cul­tur­al envi­ron­ment con­ducive to learn­ing and to pro­duce stu­dents ready to take on the chal­lenges of a com­plex job market.

What We Like: Texas Tech has a 71% accep­tance rate, so just 7 out of 10 appli­cants receive an invi­ta­tion to study at the school.

Degree: B.A. in Dig­i­tal Media and Pro­fes­sion­al Communication

Texas Tech Uni­ver­si­ty B.A. in Dig­i­tal Media and Pro­fes­sion­al Communication

5. University of Maryland Global Campus

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mary­land Glob­al Cam­pus offers an accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia degree stu­dents can take online. The cur­ricu­lum allows learn­ers to devel­op and man­age dig­i­tal media projects so they can learn about emerg­ing tech­nolo­gies in the indus­try. Stu­dents should expect to spend time research­ing projects and apply­ing busi­ness prin­ci­ples to var­i­ous exer­cis­es. The accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia design pro­gram applies prac­tices and prin­ci­ples that reflect the cur­rent mar­ket­place so that stu­dents emerge ready to take on jobs in dig­i­tal media. Stu­dents also learn how to script and pro­gram mul­ti­me­dia appli­ca­tions to meet cus­tomer requirements.

UMGC is locat­ed in the Wash­ing­ton, DC, area and this mid­sized school has near­ly 10,000 under­grad­u­ate enrollees. Near­ly every­one who applies receives an invi­ta­tion to study at the uni­ver­si­ty in majors such as lib­er­al arts and human­i­ties, busi­ness and infor­ma­tion science.

What We Like: With a 100% accep­tance rate, the Uni­ver­si­ty of Mary­land Glob­al Cam­pus offers access to high­er edu­ca­tion for every­one who applies.

Degree: B.S. in Dig­i­tal Media and Web Technology

Uni­ver­si­ty of Mary­land Glob­al Cam­pus B.S. in Dig­i­tal Media and Web Technology

6. University of North Dakota

The Uni­ver­si­ty of North Dako­ta offers an accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia degree that makes it easy for stu­dents to com­plete their bac­calau­re­ate stud­ies. 100% of cours­es are com­plet­ed online and avail­able any time of day or night. Stu­dents nev­er have to trav­el to cam­pus to com­plete their edu­ca­tion­al require­ments, but they have plen­ty of oppor­tu­ni­ties to col­lab­o­rate and net­work with fac­ul­ty mem­bers and oth­er learn­ers. Stu­dents can take self-paced cours­es or accel­er­ate their learn­ing beyond the tra­di­tion­al aca­d­e­m­ic cal­en­dar. At UND, Stu­dents have the option to cus­tomize their edu­ca­tion with a spe­cial­ty in strate­gic com­mu­ni­ca­tion, adver­tis­ing, dig­i­tal jour­nal­ism, dig­i­tal ana­lyt­ics, pub­lic rela­tions or social media strategy.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of North Dako­ta pro­vides a diverse edu­ca­tion­al expe­ri­ence for stu­dents who want to become engi­neers, teach first grade or run their own For­tune 500 com­pa­ny. The uni­ver­si­ty offers 225 majors and has North Dakota’s only law and med­ical schools. UND accepts 82% of applicants.

What We Like: UND is the #2 ranked best col­lege in North Dakota.

Degree: B.A. in Communication

Uni­ver­si­ty of North Dako­ta B.A. in Communication

7. Franklin University

The accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia degree at Franklin Uni­ver­si­ty offers a B.S. in Inter­ac­tive Media Design (IMD). Whether stu­dents wish to pro­duce web­sites or mobile apps, their stud­ies at Franklin give them the artis­tic and tech­ni­cal skills need­ed to pur­sue their pre­ferred career paths. From the first meet­ing with the cus­tomer to deploy­ment and post-pro­duc­tion sup­port, grad­u­ates mas­ter tech­ni­cal and non­tech­ni­cal skills involved in the life cycle of mul­ti­me­dia projects.

About 1,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents study at Franklin Uni­ver­si­ty, based in Colum­bus, OH. The school fea­tures ded­i­cat­ed fac­ul­ty mem­bers who are experts in their field and pop­u­lar major such as account­ing, health­care man­age­ment and business.

What We Like: A 100% accep­tance makes this an attrac­tive option for stu­dents look­ing for access to high­er edu­ca­tion opportunities.

Degree: B.S. in Inter­ac­tive Media Design

Franklin Uni­ver­si­ty B.S. in Inter­ac­tive Media Design

8. Lindenwood University

Lin­den­wood Uni­ver­si­ty has an accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia degree. This accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia design pro­gram results in a Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence and dig­i­tal mar­ket­ing. Cours­es include top­ics that will enhance stu­dents’ abil­i­ty to opti­mize social media con­tent. Grad­u­ates go on to jobs in dig­i­tal media, includ­ing dig­i­tal con­tent strate­gists and social media man­agers. The strong focus on dig­i­tal media gives Lin­den­wood grad­u­ates a leg up when it comes to sat­is­fy­ing the cri­te­ria of media mar­ket­ing agen­cies and cor­po­rate hir­ing managers.

Lin­den­wood Uni­ver­si­ty hires pro­fes­sors and staff mem­bers who work in the indus­try. They offer one-on-one com­mu­ni­ca­tion and guid­ance to stu­dents who need it. The focus of all course­work revolves around the skills need­ed to suc­ceed in the real world. Lin­den­wood opens doors to stu­dents across a pletho­ra of majors, allow­ing stu­dents to show­case their tal­ents and learn skills to achieve lucra­tive job offers when they com­plete their studies.

What We Like: The uni­ver­si­ty offers over 90 majors and has intern­ship oppor­tu­ni­ties that allow stu­dents to grad­u­ate with real-world experience.

Degree: B.S. in Dig­i­tal Marketing

Lin­den­wood Uni­ver­si­ty B.S. in Dig­i­tal Marketing

9. Granite State College

Gran­ite State College’s accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia degree com­bines tech­ni­cal and cre­ative skills to pre­pare grad­u­ates for jobs in dig­i­tal media mar­ket­ing. Stu­dents learn to pro­duce effec­tive mes­sag­ing and respond to new tech­nolo­gies that can strength­en mar­ket­ing campaigns.

This small pub­lic col­lege has under 900 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents and is locat­ed in New Hamp­shire’s Man­ches­ter area. It accepts all stu­dents who apply and offers majors in psy­chol­o­gy, busi­ness, lib­er­al arts and oth­er areas.

What We Like: With a 100% accep­tance rate and 84% of stu­dents receiv­ing finan­cial aid, this school offers acces­si­ble, afford­able edu­ca­tion options for remote learners.

Degree: B.S. in Dig­i­tal Media

Gran­ite State Col­lege B.S. in Dig­i­tal Media

10. Johnson and Wales University

John­son and Wales Uni­ver­si­ty has an accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia degree that is well-respect­ed in the con­tem­po­rary work­place. The accel­er­at­ed mul­ti­me­dia design pro­gram pro­duces grad­u­ates who can plan and com­mu­ni­cate brand mes­sag­ing using dig­i­tal plat­forms. Social media mar­ket­ing cours­es help stu­dents mas­ter the the­o­ry an appli­ca­tion of dig­i­tal mar­ket­ing. Stu­dents learn con­tent mar­ket­ing, SEO man­age­ment and the ins and outs of dig­i­tal adver­tis­ing. Projects include analy­sis of data and prob­lem-solv­ing need­ed to pro­vide effec­tive rep­re­sen­ta­tion for clients.

John­son and Wales Uni­ver­si­ty has 7,300 stu­dents at the under­grad­u­ate lev­el. Through its vibrant phys­i­cal cam­pus and online offer­ings, this well-respect­ed uni­ver­si­ty offers a high-qual­i­ty edu­ca­tion for stu­dents in a vari­ety of majors.

What We Like: John­son and Wales Uni­ver­si­ty is it well-respect­ed col­lege at the region­al and nation­al lev­els. Among oth­er acco­lades, it ranks num­ber ten among the best val­ue col­leges in its home state of Rhode Island.

Degree: B.S. in Dig­i­tal Mar­ket­ing and Social Media

John­son and Wales Uni­ver­si­ty B.S. in Dig­i­tal Mar­ket­ing and Social Media

What Are the Advantages of an Accelerated Multimedia Design Bachelor’s Program?

Anoth­er advan­tage to an accel­er­at­ed degree pro­gram is that the lessons are com­plete. For some stu­dents, it is eas­i­er to under­stand cer­tain con­cepts if they are taught togeth­er. Being able to tie cer­tain con­cepts togeth­er makes it eas­i­er to not only remem­ber but also uti­lize. It enables the stu­dent to apply what they are learn­ing as a whole instead of piece by piece. Stu­dents who learn faster with more infor­ma­tion will thrive in an accel­er­at­ed learn­ing environment.

What If I Already Have a Bachelor’s?

If you already have a Bach­e­lor’s degree, you have the option to earn an online mul­ti­me­dia design cer­tifi­cate. A cer­tifi­cate in mul­ti­me­dia design will pro­vide you with all of the basic infor­ma­tion you need to put you at the same lev­el as if you had tak­en a degree pro­gram. While you may choose to take a few addi­tion­al class­es to build on what you already know, a mul­ti­me­dia design cer­tifi­cate that you earn online will give you an advan­tage if you are look­ing for work in the mul­ti­me­dia design field.

Already hav­ing a bach­e­lor’s degree gives you a sol­id foun­da­tion to build on. By adding a mul­ti­me­dia design cer­tifi­cate online, you can add oth­er skills to your resume. This means explor­ing new oppor­tu­ni­ties and tak­ing advan­tage of new chal­lenges that may even­tu­al­ly lead to high­er pay, more respon­si­bil­i­ty, and a bet­ter ben­e­fits pack­age. Once the foun­da­tion is there, the next step in advanc­ing your career is con­tin­u­ing your edu­ca­tion. Even if you already have a degree, return­ing to school to earn a mul­ti­me­dia design cer­tifi­cate is well worth the time you will spend.

Most mul­ti­me­dia design cer­tifi­cates can be earned online. This adds to the ben­e­fits because it not only allows you to study when it is best for you, it also gives you an oppor­tu­ni­ty to go to work and start earn­ing expe­ri­ence (and a pay­check) right away! You can begin putting what you are learn­ing to good use and gain­ing valu­able insight in the process. The more you are able to do with what you are learn­ing, the eas­i­er it will be for you to remem­ber it. The more you use the knowl­edge you receive through your cer­tifi­cate pro­gram, the eas­i­er it will be to imple­ment it in dif­fer­ent situations.

What Is the Difference Between Multimedia and Graphic Design?

The pri­ma­ry dif­fer­ence between mul­ti­me­dia and graph­ic design is the types of media being used and where it will be used. Mul­ti­me­dia design uses all types of media and is instru­men­tal in the pro­duc­tion of tele­vi­sion pro­grams, movies, music videos, video games, and a vari­ety of oth­er for­mats. Mul­ti­me­dia design uses ani­ma­tion, visu­al and audio ele­ments to cre­ate pieces that can be placed on a vari­ety of plat­forms. With mul­ti­me­dia design, many types of media are used to bring togeth­er many dif­fer­ent elements.

Graph­ic design, on the oth­er hand, uses visu­al con­cepts to cre­ate a plat­form where infor­ma­tion can be eas­i­ly dis­played. Web­sites are an excel­lent exam­ple. A graph­ic design­er uses audio and visu­al ele­ments to put a web­site togeth­er. They can make it so that vis­i­tors can nav­i­gate eas­i­ly through the dif­fer­ent pages, and even inter­act with an online agent. With graph­ic design, the artist cre­ates the plat­form as a place to dis­play spe­cif­ic ele­ments that can be viewed easily.

With mul­ti­me­dia design, the con­cept is flu­id. Things are con­stant­ly in motion and the design­er can change and adjust as they go. Mul­ti­me­dia artists are able to tell sto­ries, cre­ate plots and sto­ry­lines that move from one phase to anoth­er. Instead of just show­ing cus­tomers a con­cept with graph­ic design, a mul­ti­me­dia artist can bring it to life, mak­ing it unique and interesting.

Relat­ed Rankings:

25 Best Bach­e­lor’s in Mul­ti­me­dia Design

15 Best Online Bach­e­lor’s in Mul­ti­me­dia Design

10 Most Afford­able Bach­e­lor’s in Mul­ti­me­dia Design