Often working hand-in-hand with web developers, software engineers and other IT professionals, web designers focus on the more creative aspects of a website. The visual composition of a company's website can have a remarkable effect on that company's performance; if site visitors find the website unappealing, or have trouble finding the information they are looking for, it can damage their interaction with the company as a whole. This makes web design an important field for businesses across the globe. In order to be successful, those who work in this field must possess an aptitude for creative, innovative thinking, effective communication and problem-solving.

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Best Online Colleges for Web Design in 2018-19

Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), we have created this list of the 10 best online colleges for web design.

Visit our methodologies page to learn more about how we use official data to evaluate schools.

1

Academy of Art University

Tuition & Fees
$23,412
Distance Education Participation
66%
Location
San Francisco, CA
School Type
4-year
School Website

The San Francisco-based Academy of Art University educates artistic minds of many different mediums and styles, and one of the subjects they teach is web design & new media. This for-profit university offers online web design degree programs at multiple degree levels:

  • Associate of Arts (66 units)
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts (132 units)
  • Master of Arts (36 units) or Master of Fine Arts (63 units)
  • Certificate (120 units)

The certificate program is particularly worth noting. Unlike most certificate programs, which tend to be short and highly focused on one aspect of the field, this is a four-year program that offers a comprehensive approach to web design, rounded out by courses in art history and electives. It is more akin to a traditional bachelor's degree program, but without the liberal arts coursework, making it a more concentrated experience for students.

Accreditation:

  • National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)

Location:

79 New Montgomery
San Francisco, CA 94105
2

Georgia Northwestern Technical College

Tuition & Fees
$2,798
Distance Education Participation
55%
Location
Rome, GA
School Type
2-year
School Website

As part of the Technical College System of Georgia, Georgia Northwestern Technical College focuses on creating opportunities for technical education and workforce development among students in northwest Georgia counties and beyond. Students can pursue web design online at this technical college through two different paths: the Associate of Applied Science program in web site design/ development, or the diploma program in the same.

The diploma program requires 54 minimum credit hours to complete, and the AAS program requires at least 64. Both programs give students an option of various programming electives to round out their curriculum, and the AAS program ends with a special capstone project: students may choose either a web systems project or a CIST internship.

Accreditation:

  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
 
3

Allen Community College

Tuition & Fees
$3,808
Distance Education Participation
74%
Location
Iola, KS
School Type
2-year
School Website

Established in 1923, this Kansas institution has undergone many name changes as it grew. Under the moniker of Allen Community College, the school hosts multiple online degree and certificate programs to support its distance learners, including the web design certificate program, and the Associate in Science or Associate in Applied Science programs, both with an emphasis in production media. As a college with a lot of emphasis on transfer students, ACC has articulation agreements with several other Kansas schools that can help web design students transfer after graduation, i.e. Kansas State University, Emporia State University and Fort Hays State University.

Accreditation:

  • Higher Learning Commission
 
4

DeVry University-Illinois

Tuition & Fees
$17,509
Distance Education Participation
97%
Location
Chicago, IL
School Type
4-year
School Website

With year-round sessions starting every eight weeks and flexible online learning options, DeVry University opens educational doors for those who aren't able to attend a traditional classroom. Those seeking to learn about web design may want to consider the university's online bachelor's in multimedia design and development program with a specialization in web design and development. The program requires 36 courses to complete; with the ability to apply up to 80 transfer credits, students may be able to complete the degree in as little as two years. Alternately, students looking for a quicker program may prefer the website design certificate program, which consists of 10 courses that can be completed in about one year.

Each program prepares graduates to sit for the Adobe Certified Associate exam, and potentially other exams as well.

Accreditation:

  • Higher Learning Commission
 
5

AI Miami International University of Art and Design

Tuition & Fees
$17,604
Distance Education Participation
46%
Location
Miami, FL
School Type
4-year
School Website

Students seeking a strongly targeted education in web design can turn to the nonprofit AI Miami International University of Art and Design, which hosts an online Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic and web design program. After the first year of this 180-credit hour program, students are able to branch off into a concentration in either web design or graphic design. Specializing in web design leads to a curriculum focused on screen-based visual communication, interactive design, industry software and web scripting. Electives allow for further specialization along the way.

Accreditation:

  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
 
6

Mesa Community College

Tuition & Fees
$2,070
Distance Education Participation
35%
Location
Mesa, AZ
School Type
2-year
School Website

The largest of the ten colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, MCC has been serving students since 1963. Web design students who want to take advantage of all MCC has to offer online can opt for the certificate of completion in web designer, or the certificate of completion in advanced web designer. The first option requires 19 credits taken in a particular sequence, and is intended to build a firm educational foundation for the field. The advanced option dives deeper with an additional 12 credits, addressing topics such as e-commerce, javascripting and much more. Students must earn a "C" or better in each class to advance in the program.

Accreditation:

  • Higher Learning Commission
 
7

Stark State College

Tuition & Fees
$4,070
Distance Education Participation
46%
Location
North Canton, OH
School Type
2-year
School Website

Through its online college portal, eStarkState, Stark State College offers its online students the opportunity to study web design from a distance. Through its online associate degree program in web design and development, and its online technical certificate program in the same, students can learn how to create websites using ASP.net, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, AJAX, MySQL and more. Coursework from the certificate program can be applied directly to the associate program if desired.

After completing their Stark State program, students may want to look into the Ohio Transfer Module, which can help students transfer Stark coursework to other public colleges or universities in Ohio.

Accreditation:

  • Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

Location:

6100 Frank Ave NW
North Canton, OH 44720
8

Brigham Young University-Idaho

Tuition & Fees
$4,118
Distance Education Participation
77%
Location
Rexburg, ID
School Type
4-year
School Website

Brigham Young University features an interesting approach to online learning: stackable degree programs, where programs of different degree levels are designed to work together to enhance students' learning experience. Web design students at BYU-Idaho can participate in up to three web design-based programs through this system:

  • The undergraduate certificate in web media, which is five courses long and focuses primarily on basic technology skills
  • The associate degree in web design and development, which is 60 credits (17 in foundational courses and 43 in major courses)
  • The B.S. in web design and development, which is 120 credits (40 in foundational courses, 54 in major courses, 26 in electives)

It's important to note that in order to participate in online programs at BYU, students must have at least 15 on-campus credit hours from a CES institution or complete the PathwayConnect, a special program oriented on the rigors of online learning.

Accreditation:

  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
 
9

Independence University

Tuition & Fees
$16,972
Distance Education Participation
100%
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
School Type
4-year
School Website

Online or distance education has been available through Independence University for almost 40 years, but the school itself began in 1891. That long history has led to flexible online courses in a plethora of subjects, among them web design. The online bachelor's degree program in web design and development is one such example. This fully online program takes 36 months to complete, and is expected to cover topics as web design, programming, digital illustration, database administration and more. It is further complemented by Independence University's generous offerings of career services, student advisors, tutoring at no additional cost, and educational boosts like the Fresh Start scholarship.

Accreditation:

  • Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
 
10

Cerro Coso Community College

Tuition & Fees
$1,290
Distance Education Participation
50%
Location
Ridgecrest, CA
School Type
2-year
School Website

Cerro Coso Community College is one of the few online schools for web design to be recognized as an official training resource by the World Organization of Webmasters (WOW). CCCC offers a fully online Associate of Science (AS) degree program that is specifically designed to develop both multimedia design skills and web programming skills. During the 60 credit hours of undergraduate coursework, students can learn about topics such as digital imaging, accessibility and usability, web design with Adobe Dreamweaver, and web production management.

This public community college also offers a web fundamentals certificate program and a web professional certificate program, which may be able to help aspiring web designers further enhance their technical or design skills, respectively.

Accreditation:

  • Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC)

Location:

3000 College Heights Blvd.
Ridgecrest, CA 93555-9571
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2018-19, National Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/

Degree Overview: Web Design

Web design is a creative field, giving professionals the opportunity to create the look, tone and style of a web page from scratch. However, the field requires a hardy collection of technical skills, which online colleges for web design are likely to focus on in their curriculums. The section below describes courses that students might take in various web design degree programs and the skills they may want to pay the most attention to developing.

Online Web Design Courses

Web design courses can vary wildly between the different degree levels you may pursue. It's easy to understand that a doctorate program may be quite different from an associate program, but what would those differences actually entail? Below are some details on the topics that you might find being covered in various web design programs available online.

  • At the associate degree level, students focus on the broad fundamentals, ranging from design aspects such as typography and use of space, to technical aspects like object-oriented programming.
  • Bachelor's degree programs in web design, the most prolific degree type, offer students the opportunity to build more advanced design and technical skills. These courses may introduce the uses of specific design tools and visual frameworks as well as software applications, programming languages and website architecture.
  • Students may be able to complete a graduate-level certificate if they have an undergraduate degree in a related technical field. This is not as rigorous as a master's degree, but students could be able to apply the coursework to a master's degree later, if desired.
  • Master's degree programs in web design and development integrate more rigorous coursework aimed at helping students progress in their understanding of applications, design interfaces, architectures and more. Management topics, such as best practices and user-centric design, could be discussed, and a capstone project may be required.
  • At the doctoral level, students may be better able to find art and design or technical design degrees instead of doctoral programs specific to web design. Art and design degrees at this level, in particular, may allow students to pursue web design as a focus or a concentration.

Career-Related Skills to Develop

Online education for web design requires skill sets that are an inherent part of the field. As students work on their online web design degrees, they may want to focus on building these skills.

  • Concentration: Web designers need to have their focus on one thing: whatever is in front of them. These professionals need to be able to hone in on the project at hand, focusing on their creative vision and the parameters set by their client, without getting distracted by the other projects they will surely be juggling.
  • Creativity: It would be hard to enter the web design field without at least some insight into how color, typography, use of space and visual elements blend together. For web designers, creativity is synthesized with the technical aspects of web design, rather than added on as an after-thought.
  • Listening and communication: There is hardly a field where listening is not important, and web design is no exception. These designers need to understand the specific desires of clients and supervisors, as well as the goals of organizations as a whole. Communication is important to relaying why some desired outcomes may not be possible or how projected end goals could be enhanced.
  • Technical understanding: Effective web designers understand the applications, platform development software — like Drupal and JavaScript — and architectures that are necessary to create a successful and well-designed web page.

Web Design Career Outlook

Computers are still a relatively new addition to the world, and careers in pushing them to the limits of their abilities are booming. As computers continue growing even more powerful and even more integral, the needs for workers in the following fields are likely to continue growing as well.

Multimedia Artists and Animators
Average Salary
$84,780
Projected Job Openings
8,300
Projected Job Growth
4.2
Entry-level Education
Bachelor's degree

Interested in bringing characters and images to three-dimensional life through use of color, light, texture and storytelling? Animation is important to media: just think about the gorgeous animation of "Frozen," the CGI special effects in "The Avengers" or the lush graphics of "Overwatch." And multimedia artists and animators are the people behind it all, creating impossibly complicated animation for films, video games, commercials, music videos and more using their vision, creativity and technical skills.

In fact, technology is as crucial to the field as ideas. In addition to possessing a relevant degree, artists and animators will want to know how to use computer-aided design (CAD) applications as well as programs like Ability PhotoPaint and Microsoft Visio.

Graphic Designers
Average Salary
$56,510
Projected Job Openings
30,300
Projected Job Growth
3
Entry-level Education
Bachelor's degree

When it comes to advertisements, fliers, pamphlets, websites or the interfaces of programs or games, it's vital that information is being presented in a clear, understandable, engaging manner. This responsibility falls into the hands of graphic designers. Professionals in this field know how color, font, placement, and visual elements combine together to convey strong ideas, styles and brands. People interested in graphic designer careers should be creative, but also capable of envisioning and articulating perceived ideas.

It's important for a graphic designer to be up to date on the various software they can use to do their job; it's also worth noting that graphic designers often specialize in a specific type of client or product, such as creating signage for a specific business or designing the layout of credit cards.

Computer Programmers
Average Salary
$92,610
Projected Job Openings
15,100
Projected Job Growth
-7.2
Entry-level Education
Bachelor's degree

French may be the language of love and Latin the language of science, but languages like Java, Python, SQL and Peri are the languages of computer programmers. Taking the ideas of developers and engineers and putting them into a written language that can be read by a computer is a top task of a programmer, and by doing so a programmer can create nearly anything, from a simple random number generator to the miniature universe of an entire operating system.

Computer programmers work in an office setting, but since computer code can be written from nearly anywhere, hybrid work situations or telecommuting may be available. Computer programming is needed across many industries, meaning jobs could be found in finance, insurance, manufacturing, software and other areas. A bachelor's degree is usually necessary, as is an understanding of one or several programming languages.

Application Developers
Average Salary
$111,620
Projected Job Openings
99,200
Projected Job Growth
25.6
Entry-level Education
Bachelor's degree

From MS Word to Venmo to Pokémon GO, application developers are the masterminds behind the applications on your desktop, your phone and all the other pieces of technology in your life. Responsible for brainstorming new ideas for apps and then making those ideas a reality, application developers strive to ride the rising waves of technological ability and public demand, always considering ways to make the next Pandora or Candy Crush Saga.

People interested in application developer careers are likely to be in high demand to design mobile apps. These apps are used specifically for smart phones, on platforms such as iOS or Android. Shortcuts to websites are just one type of app in need of development; other mobile applications provide access to gaming, banking, and documents stored in the cloud.

 
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