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With so many graph­ic design schools to choose from, the process of select­ing a col­lege for your bach­e­lor’s degree is dif­fi­cult to do. First and fore­most, a per­son wants to select from col­leges that offer graph­ic design majors with a proven rep­u­ta­tion. A stu­dent wants to com­plete school know­ing they’re going to have the knowl­edge and skill to make it in the com­pet­i­tive world of graph­ic design. Graph­ic design is an ever-chang­ing field. The tech­nol­o­gy con­tin­u­ous­ly grows and changes. Schools that rec­og­nize the sig­nif­i­cance of this can pro­vide the opti­mal expe­ri­ence for stu­dents. There­fore, it’s vital for a stu­dent to choose a school that offers cut­ting-edge tools and technology.

A tra­di­tion­al, on-cam­pus graph­ic design pro­gram offers not only access to the lat­est tech­nolo­gies, but to the men­tor­ship and net­work­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties that are cru­cial to pro­fes­sion­al devel­op­ment. Men­tor­ing from pro­fes­sion­als is one aspect of a graph­ic design pro­gram that the best graph­ic design schools in the world offer in their graph­ic design pro­gram. Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter wants to direct stu­dents to the pro­grams that will pro­vide all the oppor­tu­ni­ty they need to suc­ceed in graph­ic design.

Methodology: Ranking the Best Bachelor in Graphic Design Programs

To rank the best graph­ic design degrees, BDC edi­tors sought out tra­di­tion­al, on-cam­pus pro­grams from insti­tu­tions known for their qual­i­ty edu­ca­tion, strong job mar­ket rep­u­ta­tion, and excel­lence in design. From our ini­tial pool, pro­grams were ranked accord­ing to five cri­te­ria: Cost, Job Place­ment, Grad­u­a­tion Rate, Salary Poten­tial, and Stu­dent Reviews. All pro­grams are ful­ly accred­it­ed.

1. Virginia Tech

Vir­ginia Tech’s School of Visu­al Arts offers a BFA in Graph­ic Design. Vir­ginia Tech’s Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design requires degree can­di­dates to com­plete four years of study. VT/SOVA’s BFA in Graph­ic design requires stu­dents to com­plete a 130-hour intern­ship relat­ed to the con­tents of typ­i­cal graph­ic design degrees. Vir­ginia Tech’s Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram offers degree can­di­dates an oppor­tu­ni­ty to work at FOURDESIGN, and a stu­dent-run print/digital design agency.

Vir­ginia Tech was estab­lished in 1872 under the Mor­rill Land Grant Act. The school is also a space-grant and sea-grant uni­ver­si­ty. VT’s col­lege-town cam­pus cov­ers more than 2,500 acres and serves more than 33,000 stu­dents study­ing for the more than 274-degree pro­grams offered by Vir­ginia Tech.

What We Like: The Prince­ton Review’s recent col­lege rank­ings rec­og­nize Vir­ginia Tech as num­ber one in the best qual­i­ty of life on campus.

Degree: BFA in Graphic/Visual Com­mu­ni­ca­tion Design

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mel­lon Uni­ver­si­ty offers a Bach­e­lor of Design (BDes) degree pro­gram with three spe­cial­iza­tions. CMU’s BFA in Graph­ic Design allows stu­dents to opt for track in indus­tri­al design, graph­ic design, or physical/design envi­ron­ments. Stu­dents enrolled in CMU’s Bach­e­lor in Graph Design was devel­oped to pro­vide the space and oppor­tu­ni­ty to gain the skill and knowl­edge with one of the graph­ic design degrees offered. Degree can­di­dates for CMU Design’s Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design must also com­plete a twelve-unit cap­stone project.

Carnegie Tech­ni­cal School was estab­lished in 1900 by financier Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie Tech­ni­cal School was merged with Mel­lon Insti­tute in 1967. CMU oper­ates with sev­en schools/colleges and serves near­ly 15,000 stu­dents. Carnegie Mel­lon Uni­ver­si­ty has been rec­og­nized among the top 25 schools in the coun­try by the Wall Street Jour­nal and US News.

What We Like: Carnegie Mel­lon Uni­ver­si­ty is an inter­na­tion­al uni­ver­si­ty offer­ing degree pro­grams on six continents.

Degree: Bach­e­lor of Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

3. University of Southern California

The Uni­ver­si­ty of South­ern California’s Ros­ki School of Art & Design offers a BFA in Design degree pro­gram. USC’s Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design gen­er­al­ly takes four years to com­plete but pro­vides a vari­ety of career oppor­tu­ni­ties for those who hold graph­ic design degrees. Grad­u­ates of USC’s BFA in Graph­ic Design pro­gram find jobs in the fields of pub­lish­ing, fash­ion, adver­tis­ing, enter­tain­ment, film design, and adver­tis­ing, among oth­ers. Course­work for the Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design degree offered by USC includes sem­i­nars, intern­ships, work­shops, plus a senior thesis.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of South­ern Cal­i­for­nia was found­ed in 1880. USC is a pri­vate insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing that is also a sea-grant and space-grant uni­ver­si­ty. USC oper­ates two cam­pus­es (Uni­ver­si­ty Park & Health Sci­ences), which serves more than 45,000 students.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of South­ern Cal­i­for­nia is home to the most exten­sive Warn­er Broth­ers Archives across the globe.

Degree: BFA in Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

4. UCLA

The Depart­ment of Design Media Arts offers UCLA’s BA in Design Media Arts, among oth­er graph­ic design degrees. This Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design degree program’s mul­ti­dis­ci­pli­nary approach includes core course­work includes Word & Image, net­work Media, Game Design, and 3D Mod­el­ing, among oth­ers. Degree can­di­dates vying for the BFA in Graph­ic Design degree will also com­plete a cul­mi­nat­ing senior project.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Cal­i­for­nia, Los Ange­les (UCLA) was estab­lished in 1880 as the result of the Mor­rill Land Grant Act. UCLA is orga­nized into 17 colleges/schools, which serves a stu­dent pop­u­la­tion that exceeds 45,000. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Cal­i­for­nia, Los Ange­les, is rec­og­nized as the 4th old­est cam­pus with­in the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cal­i­for­nia system.

What We Like: Stu­dents enrolled in UCLA’s Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design are typ­i­cal­ly taught in stu­dios with class sizes that are no larg­er than 22 students.

Degree: BA in Design Media Arts

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

5. The Cooper Union

The Coop­er Union offers a BFA in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram that fol­lows an inte­grat­ed dis­ci­pli­nary approach. Coop­er Union’s Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design pro­gram offers stu­dents the choice of a spe­cial­ty once stu­dents have com­plet­ed the foun­da­tion pro­gram for all graph­ic design degrees. This BFA in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram requires the com­ple­tion of 130 cred­its. Course­work for this Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design degree includes Intro­duc­tion to Art His­to­ry, Mod­ern Con­test of Topics/Figures, and 2D, 3D, and 4D Design.

Coop­er Union was estab­lished in 1859 as a pri­vate insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing. Coop­er Union is a small pri­vate school locat­ed in south Mid­town near the funky East Vil­lage. Coop­er Union’s urban cam­pus is home to more than 800 stu­dents study­ing from three schools – the School of Archi­tec­ture, the School of Art, and the School of Engineering.

What We Like: Ini­tial­ly, Coop­er Union offered free course­work to admit­ted stu­dents, and remains com­mit­ted to mak­ing sure the most tal­ent­ed stu­dents can attend regard­less of income.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

6. Rutgers University

The Cam­den Col­lege of Arts and Sci­ences offers Rut­gers Uni­ver­si­ty’s BA in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram. Grad­u­ates of Rutger’s Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design pro­gram work in the fields of web design, print design, and adver­tis­ing, to name a few. Rut­ger’s BFA in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram’s course­work includes Con­tem­po­rary Art, Draw­ing, Paint­ing, and Com­put­er Ani­ma­tion, among oth­ers. Rutger’s graph­ic design degrees (includ­ing the Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design) part­ner with many pro­fes­sion­als to pro­vide valu­able intern­ships for stu­dents in New York City and Philadelphia.

Rut­gers Uni­ver­si­ty was estab­lished in 1766 and is a space-grant, land-grant, and space-grant uni­ver­si­ty. Rut­gers oper­ates with sev­er­al cam­pus­es in urban and sub­ur­ban loca­tions through­out New Jer­sey. Rut­gers is home to near­ly 69,000 students.

What We Like: Rut­gers Uni­ver­si­ty is con­sid­ered New Jer­sey’s state uni­ver­si­ty (by a leg­isla­tive act) and is one of nine colo­nial col­leges in the nation.

Degree: BA in Graph­ic Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

7. Auburn University

Auburn Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BFA in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram that is deliv­ered by one of the best schools offer­ing graph­ic design degrees. AU’s BFA in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram has received accred­i­ta­tion from NASAD (Nation­al Asso­ci­a­tion of Schools of Art & Design). Stu­dents study­ing for their Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design degree become ver­sa­tile design­ers through the inte­grat­ed cur­ricu­lum. Course­work for Auburn University’s Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design requires the com­ple­tion of 123 cred­it hours to grad­u­ate, plus a cul­mi­nat­ing senior project.

Auburn Uni­ver­si­ty was estab­lished in 1856. Auburn Uni­ver­si­ty is a land grant, sea-grant, and space-grant insti­tu­tion of high­er edu­ca­tion that was ini­tial­ly named the East Alaba­ma Male Col­lege. Auburn’s col­lege town cam­pus is home to more than 30,000 students.

What We Like: Auburn Uni­ver­si­ty was the first school to receive land-grant sta­tus (from the Mor­rill Land Act) in the state of Alabama.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic Design

8. Syracuse University

Syra­cuse University’s New­house School of Pub­lic Com­mu­ni­ca­tions offers a Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence (BS) degree pro­gram in Graph­ic Design. Syracuse’s Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design pro­gram pre­pares degree can­di­dates for careers using the tools of dig­i­tal media, motion pic­tures, print media to enhance the pro­fes­sion­al crit­i­cal visu­al skills need to suc­ceed. The Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design from SU includes course­work regard­ing immer­sive design, lay­out, brand­ing, and typog­ra­phy, to name a few. SU’s under­grad­u­ate graph­ic design degrees do not require the sub­mis­sion of a port­fo­lio to gain admis­sion. How­ev­er, stu­dents are encour­aged to include a port­fo­lio when apply­ing for SU’s BFA in Graph­ic Design.

Syra­cuse Uni­ver­si­ty was estab­lished in 1870 as a pri­vate school. SU main­tains a loose affil­i­a­tion with the Unit­ed Methodist Church. The schools’ cam­pus is atop of one of the city’s high­est hills, cov­ers more than 675 acres, and serves near­ly 23,000 stu­dents. Syra­cuse Uni­ver­si­ty oper­ates with nine schools/colleges.

What We Like: Syra­cuse Uni­ver­si­ty has offered an inter­na­tion­al study pro­gram since the ear­ly 1900s.

Degree: BS in Graph­ic Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

9. Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University’s Col­lege of Art and Design offers a BFA in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram. LSU’s graph­ic design degrees are rec­og­nized as the most com­pre­hen­sive in the gen­er­al region. Louisiana State University’s Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design pro­gram has been rec­og­nized by Ani­ma­tion Career Review. Degree can­di­dates for the LSU’s BFA in Graph­ic Design pro­gram must com­plete 120 cred­it units and a senior project to grad­u­ate. LSU’s Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design grad­u­ates have their senior projects placed on exhib­it. Course­work includes draw­ing & com­po­si­tion, fig­ure draw­ing, dig­i­tal imag­ing, and dig­i­tal pho­tog­ra­phy, among others.

Louisiana State Uni­ver­si­ty was estab­lished in 1860. LSU is the state’s flag­ship insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing with des­ig­na­tions as a space-grant, land-grant and space-grant uni­ver­si­ty. LSU’s 4,800+-acre cam­pus is home to near­ly 32,000 stu­dents study­ing from LSU’s four­teen colleges/schools.

What We Like: Louisiana State Uni­ver­si­ty is con­sid­ered the most com­pre­hen­sive uni­ver­si­ty across the state of Louisiana.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

10. Temple University

Tem­ple University’s Tyler School of Art & Archi­tec­ture offers a BFA in Graph­ic & Inter­ac­tive Design (GAID) degree pro­gram that is inter­na­tion­al­ly rec­og­nized among the best graph­ic design degrees offered. Tem­ple’s BFA in Graph­ic Design requires degree can­di­dates to com­plete at least 126 cred­it units, which includes a cul­mi­nat­ing senior project. Course­work for TU’s Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design pro­gram includes Advance Typog­ra­phy, Adver­tis­ing Design, and Inter­ac­tive design, to name a few. Stu­dents enrolled in the BFA in Graph­ic Design pro­gram have an oppor­tu­ni­ty to par­tic­i­pate in a design work­shop in Italy.

Tem­ple Uni­ver­si­ty was estab­lished in 1884. While it began as a pri­vate school, Tem­ple Uni­ver­si­ty now oper­ates as a pub­lic insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing. The school is now a pub­lic school but was ini­tial­ly a pri­vate insti­tu­tion of high­er edu­ca­tion. TU’s urban cam­pus cov­ers more than 100 acres and serves more than 40,000 students.

What We Like: Tem­ple Uni­ver­si­ty oper­ates sev­er­al satel­lite facil­i­ties through Penn­syl­va­nia, and inter­na­tion­al­ly in Japan and Italy.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic & Inter­ac­tive Design

11. Fashion Institute of Technology

The Fash­ion Insti­tute of Tech­nol­o­gy offers a BFA in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram, among oth­er graph­ic design degrees. FIT’s Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design pro­gram pre­pares stu­dents in the design areas of envi­ron­men­tal graph­ics, media design, and advanced typog­ra­phy, to name a few. The Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design pro­gram offered by FIT also pro­vides inter­na­tion­al study oppor­tu­ni­ties at one of three design col­lege in Lon­don. Stu­dents must include a port­fo­lio of their work to be reviewed by the fac­ul­ty mem­bers of the Fash­ion Insti­tute of Tech­nol­o­gy, upon admission.

The Fash­ion Insti­tute of Tech­nol­o­gy was estab­lished in 1944 and a mem­ber of the State Uni­ver­si­ty of New York sys­tem. FIT oper­ates with the School of Art & Design, the School of Business/Technology, the School of Lib­er­al Arts, and the School of Grad­u­ate Studies.

What We Like: FIT’s cam­pus cov­er about one and one-half city blocks in Mid­town South Man­hat­tan and serves more than 8,500 students.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

12. Drexel University

Drex­el Uni­ver­si­ty’s West­phal Col­lege of Media Arts & Design offers a BFA in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram. Grad­u­ates of Drex­el’s Graph­ic Design BFA pro­gram work in the design, adver­tis­ing, pub­lish­ing, and cor­po­rate design areas in busi­ness, com­merce, and pub­lic ser­vice. Drexel’s Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design pro­gram pre­pares design stu­dents using cre­ative prob­lem-solv­ing projects that enhance class­room work. The Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram pro­vid­ed by Drex­el Uni­ver­si­ty requires stu­dents to com­plete 183 cred­it units to grad­u­ate. Course­work for these graph­ic design degrees includes Screen­print, Com­put­er Imag­ing, and Draw­ing, among others.

Drex­el Uni­ver­si­ty was estab­lished in 1891. The school’s urban cam­pus serves more than 24,000 stu­dents study­ing for near­ly 175-degree pro­grams from nine­teen colleges/schools and a dis­tance learn­ing extension.

What We Like: Drex­el Uni­ver­si­ty is best known for its coop­er­a­tive edu­ca­tion phi­los­o­phy, where a stu­dent can receive up to 18 months of paid rel­e­vant work experience.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

13. Rhode Island School of Design

The Rhode Island School of Design offers a BFA in Graph­ic Design degree pro­gram. RISD’s Bach­e­lor of Arts in Graph­ic Design pro­gram is com­plet­ed in four years and includes the­o­ries, prin­ci­ples, and real-world expe­ri­ences. Course­work for the Bach­e­lor in Graph­ic Design pro­gram includes Spa­tial Dynam­ics, Art The­o­ry, Typog­ra­phy, plus a final year senior project. Port­fo­lios for admis­sion to RISD’s graph­ic design degrees should con­sist of 12 to 20 work samples.

The Rhode Island School of Design was estab­lished in 1877 as a pri­vate insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing. The school’s thir­teen-acre cam­pus is home to more than 2,400 stu­dents. The school opened the RISD Muse­um in the same year the school was founded.

What We Like: The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is locat­ed adja­cent to Brown University’s cam­pus. Both schools share resources and coursework.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

14. University of Cincinnati

The Col­lege of Design, Archi­tec­ture, Art, and Plan­ning at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cincin­nati offers a Bach­e­lor of Com­mu­ni­ca­tion Design. This bach­e­lor in graph­ic design focus­es on how design is used to edu­cate, per­suade, and inform. Stu­dents learn to us space, inter­ac­tiv­i­ty, sto­ry­telling, audio, video, draw­ing, ani­ma­tion, pho­tog­ra­phy, and typog­ra­phy to con­vey a mes­sage. The cur­ricu­lum is made of design stu­dios that allow stu­dents to prac­tice their skills and add to their portfolios.

The Col­lege of Design, Archi­tec­ture, Art, and Plan­ning is con­sis­tent­ly ranked among the top 30 design schools by Busi­ness­week mag­a­zine. The school gives stu­dents the oppor­tu­ni­ty to work with fac­ul­ty and oth­er stu­dents while com­plet­ing real-world projects pre­sent­ed by real clients. The school’s co-op pro­gram is one of the best in the nation. It pro­vides oppor­tu­ni­ties for stu­dents to gain expe­ri­ence in their fields while they work.

What We Like: Stu­dents par­tic­i­pate in co-ops that pro­vide valu­able work expe­ri­ence and allow stu­dents to prac­tice what they have learned.

Degree: BS in Design

15. Jefferson University

Stu­dents look­ing for graph­ic design degrees may be inter­est­ed in the BS in Graph­ic Design Com­mu­ni­ca­tion from Thomas Jef­fer­son Uni­ver­si­ty. This pro­gram teach­es stu­dents to think like design strate­gists. Stu­dents learn to solve com­mu­ni­ca­tion and design prob­lems by fol­low­ing the design process. Stu­dents col­lab­o­rate with stu­dents from oth­er pro­grams to com­plete real-world projects and gain expe­ri­ence that will help them after graduation.

The Kan­bar Col­lege of Design, Engi­neer­ing, and Com­merce pro­vides a mul­ti­dis­ci­pli­nary approach to edu­ca­tion that makes use of the lat­est inno­v­a­tive teach­ing meth­ods. The school encour­ages stu­dents to enhance their cre­ativ­i­ty and col­lab­o­rate with oth­ers to achieve results. Stu­dents gain real-world expe­ri­ence in their field and relat­ed fields, which pre­pares them to be more effec­tive in their future careers. Kan­bar com­bines engi­neer­ing, design, and busi­ness to push stu­dents to focus on team­work and col­lab­o­ra­tion as they apply their skills to real-world problems.

What We Like: Design stu­dents at Thomas Jef­fer­son Uni­ver­si­ty fre­quent­ly win awards at region­al, nation­al, and inter­na­tion­al design competitions.

Degree: BS in Graph­ic Design Communication

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

16. Texas State University

The BFA in Com­mu­ni­ca­tion Design from Texas State Uni­ver­si­ty is a good choice for stu­dents seek­ing a BFA in graph­ic design. The pro­gram is con­sid­ered one of the best of its kind in the South­west. The school seeks to cre­ate an envi­ron­ment where stu­dents are stim­u­lat­ed to pur­sue their own inter­ests with­in the fields of graph­ic design, inter­ac­tive media, and art direc­tion. Stu­dents fre­quent­ly par­tic­i­pate in design com­pe­ti­tions and com­plete intern­ships to gain more expe­ri­ence in the field.

The School of Art and Design at Texas State Uni­ver­si­ty encour­ages stu­dents to seek out con­nec­tions between var­i­ous dis­ci­plines. The school hosts a series of exhi­bi­tions in its Uni­ver­si­ty Gal­leries each year so that stu­dents can immerse them­selves in great art. There is an annu­al trip to Flo­rence, Italy for art stu­dents who wish to study abroad.

What We Like: Stu­dents learn in a stu­dio envi­ron­ment, and most class­es have 16 stu­dents or fewer.

Degree: BFA in Com­mu­ni­ca­tion Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

17. Virginia Commonwealth University

Vir­ginia Com­mon­wealth Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BFA in Graph­ic Design that includes cours­es in sequen­tial and motion design, pub­li­ca­tion and print design, and inter­ac­tion design. The pro­gram pre­pares stu­dents to be able to inte­grate infor­ma­tion and form to cre­ate visu­al com­mu­ni­ca­tion that clear­ly con­veys the desired mes­sage. Stu­dents learn crit­i­cal think­ing and prob­lem-solv­ing skills in addi­tion to learn­ing design skills through the core stu­dio courses.

The VCU School of the Arts is a top-rank­ing art and design school that is part of a pub­lic research uni­ver­si­ty. The school was found­ed in 1928 and now takes up 16 build­ings on the VCU cam­pus. The aver­age stu­dio class has just 17 stu­dents, so stu­dents are able to get indi­vid­u­al­ized sup­port from their teachers.

What We Like: The VCU School of the Arts ranks #1 in the coun­try among pub­lic art pro­grams and #2 for all art pro­grams, pub­lic and private.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic Design

18. Howard University

Howard Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BA or BFA in Design that is a great choice for stu­dents seek­ing a bach­e­lor of arts in graph­ic design. The pro­gram seeks to give stu­dents skills and knowl­edge in var­i­ous com­pe­ten­cies with with­in the design field, such as inter­ac­tive design, motion, dig­i­tal design, print and pub­li­ca­tion design, and three-dimen­sion­al design. Stu­dents learn prob­lem-solv­ing skills in addi­tion to gain­ing mas­tery of the art and craft of design.

The Howard Uni­ver­si­ty Depart­ment of Art is ded­i­cat­ed to grad­u­at­ing pro­fes­sion­al design­ers and arti­cles who are social­ly con­scious and able to con­vey their ideas visu­al­ly through art and design. Grad­u­ates are pre­pared to take on a vari­ety of design chal­lenges in the real world.

What We Like: The Howard Uni­ver­si­ty Depart­ment of Art offers degrees in fash­ion design and inte­ri­or design as well as gen­er­al design (graph­ic design/communications).

Degree: BFA in Design

19. Sage Colleges

The BFA in Graph­ic and Media Design from The Sage Col­leges cov­ers four types of design: image design, motion design, inter­ac­tive design, and graph­ic design. Stu­dents learn typog­ra­phy, design prin­ci­ples, cre­ative devel­op­ment, user expe­ri­ence design, ani­ma­tion, sto­ry­board­ing, video and audio pro­duc­tion, pho­tog­ra­phy, and more. They build their net­works and port­fo­lios as well as their design skills. Stu­dents often work on design projects for the Albany Sym­pho­ny Orches­tra, the Strat­ton V.A. Med­ical Cen­ter, and oth­er local organizations.

The Sage Col­leges offer mul­ti­dis­ci­pli­nary pro­grams that help stu­dents think big­ger, draw­ing on infor­ma­tion for var­i­ous dis­ci­plines to come up with fresh, new ideas. Stu­dents in every major learn lead­er­ship, crit­i­cal think­ing, team­work, and prob­lem-solv­ing skills through the school’s inno­v­a­tive think­ing mod­ules (called i.Think). All stu­dents must com­plete an intern­ship as part of their studies.

What We Like: Graph­ic and Media Design stu­dents have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to par­tic­i­pate in intern­ships around the world, and many are offered jobs as a result.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic and Media Design

20. Woodbury University

Wood­bury University’s School of Media, Cul­ture & Design offers a BFA in Graph­ic Design. Stu­dents who com­plete the pro­gram fin­ish with a strong port­fo­lio that will get noticed by employ­ers. Stu­dents can choose to focus their port­fo­lios in motion design, envi­ron­men­tal design, pub­li­ca­tions, adver­tis­ing, or enter­tain­ment. The pro­gram pro­vides skills, knowl­edge, and expe­ri­ence in both print and dig­i­tal design. Stu­dents learn about sequenc­ing, dia­grams, col­or, image, typog­ra­phy, and more.

Wood­bury Uni­ver­si­ty is a non-prof­it lib­er­al arts uni­ver­si­ty that is com­mit­ted to help­ing its stu­dents suc­ceed by enabling stu­dent-fac­ul­ty inter­ac­tion and pro­vid­ing a prac­tice-based edu­ca­tion. Woodbury’s grad­u­ates are inno­v­a­tive pro­fes­sion­als who respon­si­bly con­tribute to the glob­al econ­o­my and com­mu­ni­ty. The school focus­es on estab­lish­ing part­ner­ship that lead to stu­dent engage­ment and enrich the learn­ing expe­ri­ence for its students.

What We Like: Stu­dents from Wood­bury Uni­ver­si­ty have won more than 100 nation­al and inter­na­tion­al design awards in adver­tis­ing, brand­ing, pack­age design, poster design, logo and iden­ti­ty design, and entertainment.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

21. College for Creative Studies

The Col­lege for Cre­ative Stud­ies’ BFA in Com­mu­ni­ca­tion Design is one of the best graph­ic design degrees in Michi­gan. The pro­gram cov­ers inter­ac­tion, motion, and print design start­ing with the prin­ci­ples of graph­ic design for print media. Stu­dents first learn about col­or, typog­ra­phy, and image design, then move on to using code to cre­ate inter­ac­tive envi­ron­ments and build online media.

The Col­lege for Cre­ative Stud­ies is a world-class school that pro­vides stu­dents not only with the knowl­edge and skills to be suc­cess­ful, but also the expe­ri­ence. Stu­dents are taught by expe­ri­enced fac­ul­ty mem­bers who are experts in their field. Class sizes are kept small to encour­age stu­dent-fac­ul­ty inter­ac­tion. CCS pro­vides oppor­tu­ni­ties for net­work­ing through com­pa­ny vis­its to cam­pus, recruit­ing, and oth­er events. Through these events, stu­dents are able to prac­tice their inter­view skills and get feed­back on their portfolios.

What We Like: Grad­u­ates are qual­i­fied for jobs in graph­ic design, brand­ing, user expe­ri­ence design, motion design, edi­to­r­i­al design, web design, adver­tis­ing design, and more.

Degree: BFA in Com­mu­ni­ca­tion Design/Graphic Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

22. Pratt Institute

Stu­dents look­ing for a bach­e­lor in graph­ic design should con­sid­er the BFA in Com­mu­ni­ca­tions Design pro­gram at Pratt Insti­tute. The pro­gram teach­es stu­dents to iden­ti­fy oppor­tu­ni­ties, rede­fine prob­lems, chal­lenge per­cep­tions, and engage audi­ences through com­mu­ni­ca­tion design. The school’s loca­tion immers­es stu­dents in a vari­ety of cul­tur­al expe­ri­ences and inspires them to great­ness. Grad­u­ates work in inde­pen­dent ven­tures, brand­ing agen­cies, cul­tur­al insti­tu­tions, and design studios.

The School of Design at Pratt Insti­tute is ded­i­cat­ed to help­ing stu­dents become good com­mu­ni­ca­tors, crit­i­cal thinkers, and pro­duc­ers of cul­ture. The Pratt Insti­tute has some of the most high­ly-rat­ed pro­grams in the nation, and its fac­ul­ty includes renowned design­ers, artists, and schol­ars. The school offers inter­dis­ci­pli­nary pro­grams that help stu­dents make con­nec­tions that spark new ideas. Pratt is com­mit­ted to the suc­cess of its stu­dents and chal­lenges stu­dents to express their pas­sion in a mean­ing­ful way.

What We Like: The School of Design pro­motes resource­ful­ness and adapt­abil­i­ty through a mul­ti­dis­ci­pli­nary curriculum.

Degree: BFA in Com­mu­ni­ca­tions Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

23. Kennesaw State University

Ken­ne­saw State Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BFA with a con­cen­tra­tion in graph­ic com­mu­ni­ca­tions. This pro­gram pre­pares stu­dents for a vari­ety of careers with­in the graph­ic design field. Cours­es include motion graph­ics, inter­ac­tive media design, web design for artists, adver­tis­ing and pack­ag­ing, pre-press, pub­li­ca­tion design, typog­ra­phy, and elec­tron­ic illus­tra­tion. The pro­gram cul­mi­nates in a design practicum that allows stu­dents to show­case the skills they have learned.

The School of Art and Design at Ken­ne­saw State Uni­ver­si­ty offers many unique options for art and design stu­dents. The school is ded­i­cat­ed to devel­op­ing skilled ani­ma­tors, design and stu­dio artists, art his­to­ri­ans, and art edu­ca­tors. KSU is one of the largest pub­lic uni­ver­si­ties in the nation and is locat­ed in the Atlanta metro area.

What We Like: Graph­ic com­mu­ni­ca­tion stu­dents com­plete a port­fo­lio review dur­ing their senior year as part of their studies.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic Communications

24. Art Center College of Design

The BFA in Graph­ic Design from Art­Cen­ter Col­lege of Design pro­duces grad­u­ates who are ver­sa­tile enough to apply their skills to a vari­ety of print and dig­i­tal media. The cur­ricu­lum includes spa­tial media, trans­me­dia, visu­al inter­ac­tion design, envi­ron­men­tal graph­ic design, pack­ag­ing, brand­ing, and print design. Stu­dents learn to apply their design skills to a wide range of com­mu­ni­ca­tion appli­ca­tions. The pro­gram is suit­ed to both gen­er­al­ists and stu­dents who wish to focus on a spe­cif­ic design for­mat or medium.

Art­Cen­ter Col­lege of Design encour­ages stu­dents to excel in both tech­nique and craft as they learn the prin­ci­ples of design. The school believes design is essen­tial to soci­ety and is ded­i­cat­ed to pro­duc­ing lead­ers in the design com­mu­ni­ty. The fac­ul­ty mem­bers are pas­sion­ate and bring their own real-world expe­ri­ence into the class­room. Art­Cen­ter grad­u­ates make a pro­found dif­fer­ence on the visu­al world.

What We Like: Art­Cen­ter grad­u­ates are high­ly sought after by employ­ers in the busi­ness world.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

25. University of the Arts

The Uni­ver­si­ty of the Arts offers a BFA in Graph­ic Design that pre­pares stu­dents for careers in motion graph­ics, pub­li­ca­tion design, brand­ing, and more. Stu­dents learn to think both cre­ative­ly and crit­i­cal­ly. They learn to exper­i­ment and play with ideas to come up with elo­quent solu­tions to design prob­lems. The pro­gram is mul­ti­dis­ci­pli­nary and encour­ages stu­dents to col­lab­o­rate with oth­er depart­ments and organizations.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of the Arts has been pro­vid­ing a rig­or­ous art and design edu­ca­tion for over 140 years. The school encour­ages stu­dents to cross bound­aries by mak­ing all 30 minors open to all stu­dents, regard­less of major, so ani­ma­tors can minor in ceram­ics, indus­tri­al design­ers can study illus­tra­tion, and cre­ative writ­ers can learn to play the gui­tar. The Uni­ver­si­ty of the Arts is the largest school of its kind in the Unit­ed States.

What We Like: Stu­dents start with a core foun­da­tion in their first year, and each year increas­es in dif­fi­cul­ty and complexity.

Degree: BFA in Graph­ic Design

Learn more about the graph­ic design pro­gram here!

How Do I Choose a Graphic Design School?

Devel­op­ing the skills to per­form graph­ic design can be done in any pro­gram. Even some­one with a high school diplo­ma or two-year asso­ciate degree can learn tech­ni­cal skills and fun­da­men­tals on their own. How­ev­er, when a per­son finds a pro­gram from one of the best graph­ic design schools in the world that offers men­tor­ing from pro­fes­sion­als, he or she is gain­ing insight into the real world of graph­ic design. Pro­fes­sion­als can also teach a per­son tricks of the trade that can’t be learned from a pro­gram — only experience.

There are so many sides to graph­ic design — print­mak­ing, infor­ma­tion design, mul­ti­me­dia, human­i­ties. Design firms like grad­u­ates with range. School rank­ings like U.S. News & World Report will point you to the best col­leges, like the Savan­nah Col­lege of Art and Design (SCAD), the Mary­land Insti­tute Col­lege of Art (MICA), the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), the Par­sons School of Design, and the New School. Cities like Brook­lyn, Bal­ti­more, Prov­i­dence, Pasade­na, Chica­go, and Pitts­burgh are hubs for design. But you don’t have to go to Yale Uni­ver­si­ty to get a job as an art direc­tor. Hands-on learn­ing and the right con­nec­tions are key.

Graph­ic design stu­dents learn a great deal from work­ing along­side indi­vid­u­als in their field of inter­est. There­fore, a stu­dent should also look for a school that offers not just design cours­es, but con­nec­tions to graph­ic design intern­ships. Since the ulti­mate goal of a stu­dent is to work in the field, besides graph­ic design intern­ships, a pupil should look for col­leges that offer graph­ic design majors that have a strong rep­u­ta­tion for net­work­ing for jobs after graduation.

NASAD accred­i­ta­tion is anoth­er aspect to con­sid­er. NASAD accred­i­ta­tion is the Nation­al Asso­ci­a­tion of Schools of Art and Design, and they’ve been accred­it­ing schools since 1944.

What’s the Difference Between a BFA in Graphic Design and a BS in Graphic Design?

When a per­son is choos­ing graph­ic design as a major, a stu­dent choos­es between a BFA in graph­ic design and a BS in graph­ic design. To under­stand BA vs BFA in graph­ic design, a per­son must know that a BFA is a bach­e­lor’s in fine arts while a BS is a bach­e­lor of sci­ence in graph­ic design.

A BFA in graph­ic design focus­es on the art aspect of the major. Many of the cred­its in a BFA are relat­ed to visu­al arts. On the oth­er hand, a BS in graph­ic design focus­es on tech­nol­o­gy, math, and sci­ence. Over­all, when a per­son con­sid­ers a BA vs BFA in graph­ic design, it’s impor­tant to under­stand that a BFA pro­vides a stu­dent with a more well-round­ed edu­ca­tion, so his or her options after grad­u­a­tion aren’t as lim­it­ed. Ulti­mate­ly, the deci­sion, though, should revolve around whether a stu­dent is more inter­est­ed in art or science.

What Do You Learn in a Graphic Design Program?

Stu­dents who choose a graph­ic design major will learn about con­tem­po­rary tech­nol­o­gy. They take cours­es espe­cial­ly relat­ed to pho­to edit­ing since this is one of the require­ments of graph­ic design­er edu­ca­tion. Pupils who choose a graph­ic design major will take class­es to help them under­stand col­or and its sig­nif­i­cance. Stu­dents who choose graph­ic design will take graph­ic design degree cours­es to study video. In graph­ic design degree cours­es like these, stu­dents learn to ana­lyze a video thoroughly.

Graph­ic design­er edu­ca­tion require­ments also usu­al­ly entail a stu­dent tak­ing a course in pho­tog­ra­phy. As one of the graph­ic design degree require­ments, a stu­dent learns the basic ele­ments of pho­tog­ra­phy to cre­ate beau­ti­ful pic­tures by chang­ing light­ing and angles. Often, design degree require­ments include a stu­dent tak­ing a course in graph­ic design and how it relates to marketing.

The graph­ic design degree require­ments vary based on whether a stu­dent is in a BFA or a BS. In a BS pro­gram, the graph­ic degree require­ments make it so a stu­dent must take numer­ous cours­es in sci­ence and math while the graph­ic design major require­ments for a BFA deem it so a stu­dent takes more class­es relat­ed to art.

Despite much of the pro­gram being focused on graph­ic design, graph­ic design degree require­ments will also include gen­er­al cred­its. These are graph­ic design major require­ments because they help to cre­ate a well-round­ed individual.

What Does a Graphic Designer Do?

A graph­ic design­er job descrip­tion includes a per­son inform­ing and inspir­ing buy­ers through graph­ics and print. The graph­ic design­er job descrip­tion may include alter­ing images or using a vari­ety of medi­ums to cre­ate them. There­fore, graph­ic design­er require­ments skills may go beyond basic pho­to edit­ing duties. With the prop­er graph­ic design­er qual­i­fi­ca­tions, a per­son can help busi­ness­es meet part of their pro­mo­tion­al and com­mer­cial needs. The graph­ic design­er require­ments skills allow a per­son to cre­ate dis­plays, logos, and help with brand­ing in oth­er ways.

Although many graph­ic design­ers are self-employed, a per­son in this field can find jobs in adver­tis­ing, mar­ket­ing, and pub­lic rela­tions. It’s not as com­mon, but news­pa­pers and book pub­lish­ers may require graph­ic designers.

Self-employed graph­ic design­ers are free­lancers. So what is a free­lance graph­ic design­er? To answer what is a free­lance graph­ic design­er, a per­son must under­stand that these indi­vid­u­als find con­tract posi­tions and may work as a graph­ic design­er from their own home or stu­dio. They may need to take on sev­er­al clients to have full-time work. Often, they find work on free­lance graph­ic design­er web­sites that have job boards. On the oth­er hand, they may decide to cre­ate one of their own free­lance graph­ic design­er web­sites with a port­fo­lio to adver­tise their own work.

Relat­ed Rankings:

15 Best Online Bach­e­lor’s in Graph­ic Design

10 Fastest Online Bach­e­lor’s in Graph­ic Design

10 Most Afford­able Online Bach­e­lor’s in Graph­ic Design