What Courses Will I Take for a Graphic Design Degree?

Graphic Design Courses

Graphic designers use computers and other forms of technology to create products for clients, and as a college student, you can expect to take a variety of different courses for a graphic design degree. Some of these courses prepare you for working with clients, including how to act around your clients and how to follow the deadlines and budgets they give you. Other courses focus on the programs and software that these workers use every day. Learning what to expect from these programs helps you get an idea about what your future holds.

Digital Applications

Many of the courses that you’ll take as a graphic design major include courses on digital applications. The men and women working in this field use a wide range of different software and programs every day that let them create ads that can run along the sides of blogs and on websites, create interactive sites for customers and build marketing campaigns for businesses and companies. Most programs also include at least one typography class that goes over the different types of fonts and how the way you put words and letters together can impact viewers in different ways. The following represent a few of the graphic design classes one can expect to encounter that are specifically focused on digital applications.

Digital Publishing
Students here learn how to put both creativity and utility to use in different digital publishing approaches.
Graphic Web Design
Graphic Web Design is a core focus and course in the graphic design degree that teaches all the ins and outs of graphic web design, common software and tools of the trade, tips for success, and much more.
Typography and Page Layout
Students taking part in this important course can expect to learn all about the various typography and page layout approaches that every pro relies on to manipulate printed and digital view perspectives alike.
Design Strategies and Motivation
Combining research and old-fashioned logic and deduction, students in this course become intimately familiar with today’s many design strategies and the many motivations that might be found therein.

Preparatory Courses

Even if you plan to state your own company or work from home instead of working for a graphic design firm, you still need to work with clients. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for graphic designers is $52,110 per year and this field will grow by 3 percent from 2018 to 2028. Students who do best while working in the field are those who complete a program that includes some preparatory courses. Many schools ask that you take courses on communicating with others through verbal and written communications. The following represent just a few of the top preparatory courses associated with graphic design degrees and work today.

Foreign Language
Students can typically pick from a wide variety of foreign languages to learn in this popular prep course option. Spanish, French, Latin, and German are among some of the most common choices for expanding horizons in the linguistics area.
Computer Science
Basic computer science courses are a great preparatory choice for oncoming graphic design students. Here, one will learn all the basics including how computers work, how networks work, basic security aligns, and more.
Personal Organization and Goal-setting
As its name suggests, this prep course enforces a greater proficiency in personal organization and goal-setting and goal-attaining techniques alike.

Concentration Classes

The required courses for a graphic design degree usually include core courses in the concentration that you choose as a freshman. You can pick a concentration that applies to the specific area of graphic design that you want to focus on later. Those studying web design look at how to build, edit, and renovate websites for clients, while those studying advertising focus more on creating campaigns designed for those hoping to sell products to consumers. You will usually take 12 or more credit hours of courses in your concentration in addition to any other required courses. Other concentrations available in graphic design programs include interactive design and 2D design. The following represent a few of the graphic design classes one can expect to encounter that are specifically geared to various concentration focuses on this degree.

Sustainable Design
This particular course explores the many implications that design itself ultimately has on the wider world, the environment, human culture and opinions, and more.
Game Design
In the course Game Design, students take a graphic design approach to the video game world with a deep look at this industry’s specific needs in terms of graphic aesthetics, mechanics, and overall symbolism.

General Education Courses

As much as you love and appreciate art and design, you can’t expect to end your studies with classes focused solely on those areas. Most art and design schools now ask students to take several general education courses that will make them more well rounded. Those courses can include life science, behavioral science, math, and humanities courses. You should expect to take basic courses on history, ethics, psychology, and other topics. Some private colleges may also require students to take at least one religion or philosophy class as well. The following represent a few of the classes of his degree program that are specifically considered general education in nature.

Brand Development
The successful development of a brand, or a perceived organizational persona, by today’s leading organizations is critical. Learn what it takes to develop this psychological standing in the public and customer’s eye simultaneously right here.
Design in Advertising and Marketing
The greater world of marketing has come to greatly depend on graphic designers today. This course explores that relationship as well as what it means for the current times and the future.
Algebra
This very broad area of mathematics know-how is all about finding hidden values and using symbols in math, and this is a required, math-based general education course in this degree for all students. Graphic designers use new forms of technology and new types of software to create products, including advertising campaigns and websites. When you enroll in one of these programs, you need to know what to expect. The required courses for a graphic design degree may include courses on working with clients, digital applications, general education courses, and classes in your concentration.

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