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Visual Designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a visual designer. Visual designers usually study graphic design, fine arts, or design and visual communication. 75% of visual designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,929 real visual designer resumes to see exactly what visual designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for visual designers are the Academy of Art University and the Academy of Art University.
There are also many online visual designer courses to help get the education required to be a visual designer.
There are certain visual designer certifications that you should consider. These visual designer certifications include Master Certified Web Professional - Designer (CWP) and Certified Usability Analyst.
What education do you need to become a visual designer?
What degree do you need to be a visual designer?
- Bachelor's, 75%
- Associate, 12%
- Master's, 9%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a visual designer?
- Graphic Design, 42%
- Fine Arts, 11%
- Other Majors, 32%
Most common colleges for visual designers
| Visual Designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Academy of Art University | 16.93% |
| San Jose State University | 9.26% |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 8.20% |
| School of Visual Arts | 6.61% |
| San Francisco State University | 5.82% |
Best majors for visual designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 42.4% |
| 2 | Fine Arts | 11.2% |
| 3 | Design And Visual Communication | 10.6% |
| 4 | Computer Applications | 4.1% |
| 5 | Communication | 4.1% |
Best colleges for visual designers
The best colleges for visual designers are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.
A visual designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for visual designers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become visual designers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
6. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
20 best online courses for visual designers
Advertising disclosure
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4. Product Design
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5. Visual Elements of User Interface Design
This design-centric course examines the broad question of what an interface is and what role a designer plays in creating a user interface. Learning how to design and articulate meaning using color, type, and imagery is essential to making interfaces function clearly and seamlessly. Through a series of lectures and visual exercises, you will focus on the many individual elements and components that make up the skillset of an interface designer. By the end of this course, you will be able to...
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8. Visual Design (Part Time)
Gain the vocabulary and tools to tackle diverse design challenges on the job. Kickstart your portfolio and create beautiful, responsive designs for the web. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
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10. The Complete User Interface Design Bootcamp - Sketch UI/UX
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11. Learn Figma for Web Design, User Interface, UI UX in an hour
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13. UI UX Design Hybrid from Figma to HTML CSS and JavaScript
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14. Complete Web & Mobile Designer in 2023: UI/UX, Figma, +more
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15. UI UX Design & Prototyping using Adobe XD
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16. Adobe XD Masterclass: Learn Web Design UI & UX Design
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17. Graphic Design Mastery: The FULL Branding & Design Process
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18. Master Web Design in Photoshop: Complete UI/UX Masterclass
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19. Graphic Design Mastery- AI, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign
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20. Become a UI/UX Designer Everything You need to know
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Top 10 most affordable universities for visual designers
The most affordable schools for visual designers are University of Florida, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and fashion institute of technology.
If the best universities for visual designers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for visual designers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
3. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
6. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
8. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for visual designers
The hardest universities for visual designers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for visual designers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for visual designers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for visual designers
The easiest schools for visual designers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, mount saint mary's university, and wayland baptist university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a visual designer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for visual designers.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
4. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
7. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
8. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
9. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
10. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
Average visual designer salary by education level
| Visual Designer education level | Visual Designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $110,959 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $97,536 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $83,155 |
Visual Designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025