Graphic Design Degrees in Georgia
When you’re ready to put your artistic talents to work for you, consider some of the following graphic design degrees in Georgia. A degree in graphic design could lead to a wide variety of career choices in print media, web design, production design, and more. A degree at any level is valuable in this particular field, and with so many choices in the state of Georgia, there is sure to be something for everyone interested in pursuing a career in some form of graphic design.
Albany Technical College
Design Technologies
Albany Technical College is a public, postsecondary institution offering Associate degrees in a variety of business and technical subject areas. It also provides training support for workforce innovation needs in Southeast Georgia. In addition to Associate degrees, Albany Technical College offers adult education programs, certificate programs, and diplomas. The Design Technologies department offers both diplomas and degrees in areas such as drafting technology, environmental horticulture, and design and media production. Each of these areas in turn includes courses in specialty areas of instruction that can also stand alone as a certificate program.
Associate of Science in Design and Media Production Technology
This particular graphic design degree prepares students for careers in various areas of media production. It involves hands on production experiences in one of the three specialty areas of Graphic Design and Prepress, Printing Operations, and Web Interface Design, areas that also stand alone as certificate programs for the student who is interested in only one in particular. The associate degree requires completion of 66 credit hours, including 15 credit hours for general education requirements, 23 credit hours in occupational courses, and up to 28 credit hours in the student’s chosen area of specialization. Each specialization involves a certain number of electives in which students may be able to branch out into one of the other specializations if they so choose. The occupational coursework involves introductory courses in computers, design and media production, vector graphics, and raster imaging.
Contact
Albany Technical College
1704 S. Slappery Blvd
Albany, GA 31701
229-430-3500
Website
Georgia Southern University
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art
Georgia Southern University is a public, research university offering degrees at levels from baccalaureate to doctoral. The hallmark of this university is a setting that encourages engagement and a blending of experience with theory. The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is the largest of the colleges on this campus, housing programs for general education requirements as well as numerous departments housing majors and degree programs. The department that houses the following degree program is the art department, which also offers programs for students seeking to become artists, art historians, and industry executives.
Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications Management
This degree is geared more toward students who wish to enter the industry as managers and leaders in areas of digital publishing, print, and multimedia publications. Students in this program learn principles of business management, industry management, interpersonal skills, communications skills, and work ethics. State of the art printing machinery and technology, as well as computer labs, allow for hands-on experiences to occur alongside classroom teachings. Students are also encouraged to network within the industry while still in school and to take advantage of internships and practicums throughout the program. In addition, Georgia Southern University offers a dual degree program in graphic communications management and graphic design, allowing students to major in one field and minor in the other. Such graduates gain a fuller scope of skills and knowledge within the industry and make themselves that much more marketable when seeking employment.
Contact
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Georgia Southern University
1332 Southern Drive
Statesboro, GA 30458
912-478-2527
class@georgiasouthern.edu
Website
ITT Technical Institute in Douglasville
School of Drafting and Design
The ITT Technical Institutes are private, technology-oriented colleges with locations in 38 states, including Georgia. There are up to seven schools of study in any given ITT Tech campus offering programs in a traditional campus setting as well as online. Coursework is a blend of the academic and the practical, with many classes taking place within lab settings. At the Atlanta Douglasville campus, there are four schools to choose from, with the School of Drafting and Design offering the Associate degree described below.
Associate of Science in Drafting and Design Technology
This two-year degree is designed to prepare students for entry level positions in areas of drafting and design. Students are given a solid foundation in computer-aided drafting (CAD) technologies and conventional drafting methods to produce working drawings, charts, forms, records, and various designs. Study takes place both in the classroom and in laboratory settings. In addition to the core courses that focus on the drafting and design technology major, students will take general education and general studies courses required for attainment of an Associate degree. The general studies courses cover subjects such as strategies for the technical professional and problem-solving theory. In addition to the CAD and introduction to drafting and design coursework, students will take class in subjects such as sustainability in design, models and process in design, and parametric modeling. Finally, students will produce a Capstone project as a culminating activity. Courses can be taken on campus, online, or a combination of both.
Contact
ITT Technical Institute
5905 Stewart Parkway
Douglasville, GA 30135
678-715-2100
Website
Lanier Technical College
Design and Media Production Technology
Lanier Technical College is a part of the Technical College System of Georgia and offers Associate degrees, certificates, and diplomas geared toward career technical education programs. Lanier serves as a workforce development resource for several counties in Georgia and provides coursework through traditional means and through distance learning. The Design and Media Production Technology area of the college provides programs leading to a diploma, certificate, or degree, and also offers certificate programs for students seeking to become advertising layout specialists, digital illustration specialists, and graphic design and prepress professionals.
Associate of Applied Science in Design and Media Production Technology
This Associate of Applied Science degree prepares students for work in a variety of media production settings. Hands-on experience is emphasized in specialized areas as well as in the main coursework, so that students gain a degree in design and media production with a specialization in at least one of the following areas: graphic design and repress, printing operations, web interface design, computer animation, or motion graphics. The degree requires a total of 61 semester hours, which include 15 hours of general education credits and 23 semester hours in general core requirements. The remaining semester hours are taken from the student’s choice of specialization. Within the 23 semester hours, students will take courses in vector graphics, raster imaging, and introductions to computers and design/media production. An exit review course is also taken as part of these required core courses and should be taken in the last of the five semesters needed.
Contact
Lanier Technical College
2990 Landrum Education Drive
Oakwood, GA 30566
770-531-6300
Reinhardt University
School of Arts and Humanities, Art and Design Department
Reinhardt is a private, comprehensive university with an emphasis on the liberal arts and a long-standing association with the United Methodist Church. It offers 41 degree programs at undergraduate and graduate levels and 67 concentrations to choose from. The Arts and Humanities division is one of five areas offered by the university, along with business, education, math and science, and the performing arts. The degree described here falls under the arts and humanities umbrella and within the art department, which offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts in both fine art and digital art.
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Art and Graphic Design
This is a fairly new degree program at Reinhardt, which seeks to continue expanding its programs to continue meeting the needs of as many students as it can reach. With the fine arts undergraduate degree in digital art and graphic design, students will learn digital imaging and motion media, as well as web and print designs. Students will receive education in the foundational and conceptual aspects of art and design while also learning to apply a broad and in-depth understanding of current digital tools. Coursework is cross-disciplinary, with basic art concepts taught in the technical context of web design, print media, and image sequencing. The emphasis is on visual communications and critical thinking about the relationships between the concepts and the final form of digital art and design. The ultimate goal of this program is to produce students who are ready for graduate work or for a variety of careers in visual media.
Contact
Reinhardt University
School of Arts and Humanities
7300 Reinhardt Circle
Waleska, GA 30183
770-720-5600
AWG@Reinhardt.edu
Website
Savannah College of Art and Design
Graphic Design Program
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private, nonprofit educational institution accredited to award Bachelors and Masters degrees. Currently, it offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Architecture, and Master of Urban Design degrees. The Graphic Design program offers coursework rooted in traditional design foundations and then expanded to instruction on designing for emerging technology and media. Courses throughout the majors offered within this program will cover form and space, web design, mobile applications, and art history.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Graphic Design
This undergraduate degree requires a total of 180 credit hours for completion and involves coursework in foundational courses, general education courses, electives, and concentration courses. Foundational courses include such subjects as drawing form and space, drawing composition and media, design elements and organization, and color theory and application. A studio elective is also required under the foundational courses, bringing the total credit hours to 25 for this portion of the degree program. General education courses account for an another 90 credit hours with this degree and include courses in subjects such as surveys of western art, 20th century art, and surveys of computer art applications, in addition to the usual coursework for a general education portion of the baccalaureate degree. The concentration courses make up a total of 45 credit hours and include specifics on graphic and digital design concepts, with the remaining 20 credit hours allotted to electives.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Graphic Design
This undergraduate degree differs from the BA in that it provides more of a concentration of design-related subjects and less of the general education and electives. The total number of credit hours needed for completion is still 180, but these are broken down into different emphases than the BA degree. For the BFA, foundational courses total 35 credit hours and include the same subjects as are covered in the previous degree but with two additional courses included to cover 3-D designs in space and visual design systems. The general education courses total 55 credit hours and include more art- and design-related subjects and less math, science, social science, and language arts. Major coursework includes some of the same courses as are included in the concentration courses for the BA degree, but with more courses added to total 75 credit hours. Additional electives account for the last 15 credit hours.
Master of Arts (MA) in Graphic Design
The Master of Arts degree in graphic design extends the student’s knowledge of graphic design with more in-depth and specific coursework to prepare for careers at higher levels of the graphic arts fields. Completion requires a total of 45 credit hours in courses that carry potentially much more intensive work and study than that found in the undergraduate degrees and that eventually lead to a culminating course in which the student assembles a portfolio of his or her work done over the course of the graduate program. Course subjects at this level include visual communication history, research, and discourse, typographic communication, integrated design media, graphic seminar on methodologies, graphic design studio on methodological practice, and the role of graphic design on social media. The remaining courses are electives, split between classroom electives and studio electives and with the majority offered at the 700 level of coursework.
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Graphic Design
The Master of Fine Arts in graphic design includes the coursework covered in the Master of Arts degree described above and then goes further in-depth to include a total of 90 credit hours. Going beyond methodologies, the MFA degree program includes pairings of seminar with studio courses for subjects such as media, typographic, and visual information. It also includes a thesis preparation course and courses on the final thesis and visual thesis. As with the MA degree, there are a number of electives included within the 90 credit hours, all at the 500-700 level of coursework. Graduates of this degree will have a wide variety of options for career in the graphic design and media industries, and will also be prepared to enter higher management within these fields, having studied not only the methodologies of graphic design but the ways in which they may be applied as well as the user experience as a matter of course.
Contact
Savannah College of Art and Design
22 E. Lathrop Avenue
Savannah, GA 31415
912-525-5100
admission@scad.edu
Website
The Art Institute of Atlanta
Design
The Art Institute of Atlanta offers Associate of Arts and various Bachelor degrees in areas of design, culinary, media arts, and fashion. Each of these areas in turn offers degrees in several programs to meet the widest range of student interests when considering the Art Institute. The design subdivision offers degrees in such areas as advertising, interior design, illustrations, and graphic and web design. Students attending the Art Institute can earn a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Fine Arts, depending on the area of interest, in addition to the Associate of Arts.
Associate of Arts in Graphic and Web Design
This two-year program instills the ability to effectively communicate visually with consideration of the end user of your creations. It involves hands-on instruction using industry-standard technology for the best possible preparation for transition into your career or further education. At the beginning of the program, students take the same common core classes prior to choosing a concentration in either graphic design or web design. Within the graphic design concentration, students have a chance to create corporate identity systems, brochures, posters, direct mail, product packaging, and more. Students graduating with the degree and this concentration are prepared for entry level positions in areas such web and print advertising, publishing, and television. The web design concentration is geared more toward preparation for careers designing and developing websites and interactive communications. In both cases, students build a portfolio of work that can then serve them when entering the workforce.
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic and Web Design
As with the Associate of Arts degree described above, students in this program will begin with a common core of coursework and then choose a concentration in either graphic design or web design. For students who chose to enter this baccalaureate program after first achieving the Associate of Arts degree from The Art Institute, they can continue in their chosen concentration and receive more in-depth instruction intended to prepare them for more specific and higher level positions in their chosen field. In the graphic design concentration, students take courses in conceptual thinking, problem solving, project management, and the business end of design. For the web design concentration, further courses also include problem solving skills and more in-depth understanding of the technologies and structures of the web and interactive media projects. Students in either concentration will further build their portfolio and may participate in internships and other practical experiences while still in school.
Contact
The Art Institute of Atlanta
6600 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, N.E.
100 Embassy Row
Atlanta, GA 30328
770-394-8300
Website
Westwood College in Atlanta-Northlake
School of Design
Westwood College is a higher-learning institution with 14 locations across five states and online. It specializes in occupational training and offers unique, hands-on training in what are considered to be high growth fields. It also offers three year bachelor degree programs in these fields. The College is divided into schools that cover specific areas of study, including technology, healthcare, business, justice, and design. The School of Design at this location offers three degrees, two Associate degrees and one Bachelor degree. The Associate degree in graphic design is offered at the Northlake location. Otherwise, the other two degrees described below are offered at the Atlanta Midtown location, both Midtown and Northlake, or online.
Associate degree in Graphic Design
In keeping with the Westwood College philosophy, students in this program will learn through projects and hands-on learning, creating a portfolio that will then be used when entering the workforce to showcase the graduate’s work and abilities. Coursework prepares students for Adobe certifications in industry-relevant programs such as InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop. Students are instructed in areas of effective page layout, image editing, web design, print production, and digital design. The program is expected to take 17 months to complete, over which time students will take general education courses and other required courses along with the required core courses in graphic design. In the course breakdown, over half of the courses taken are dedicated to the core courses for the major. Graduates with this degree will be prepared to successfully begin a career in several areas of graphic design, allowing for flexibility in choosing an area of particular interest.
Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design: Major in Game Art
Game artists create and develop the vision and visual content of video games. This program is expected to take about 34 months to complete and features coursework in subjects such as game design process, texture mapping for games, level and environment design, and character development, setup, and animation. Students will once again take general education courses when working toward this degree, as well as other required courses. However, these other required courses are a very small percentage of the overall program, and the general education courses represent roughly one-third of the total coursework needed for this degree. The remaining coursework involves hands-on training in the major, with the student creating a final portfolio to showcase skills and knowledge to prospective employers upon graduation. Once again, students will be prepared to seek Adobe certifications and will have the opportunity to compete in an annual college-level 2D Game Development Competition, judged by industry professionals.
Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design: Major in Visual Communications and Multimedia
The particular degree prepares students to work in both print and media. Students will use industry-standard technology and learn to create layouts, web design, and packaging design. Similar to the other degrees described here, the coursework for this one is mainly centered on courses in the major subjects, with general education and other required courses making up less than half. This degree is also designed to be completed in about 34 months, or just less than three years. While coursework here also prepares for some of the same Adobe certifications for students who wish to become certified, courses also emphasize web design, digital color theory, and advanced image editing. The final portfolio will contain images in print, digital and web formats, showcasing the student’s versatility in a range of mediums. Graduates with this degree can then use the portfolio to begin careers in their chosen media area.
Contact
Westwood College
2309 Parklake Drive N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30345
770-743-3000
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College
Professional Services Department
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is the flagship technical college of the state, offering more than 100 programs for skills and workforce development during an unstable economy. The programs are guaranteed, with curriculum developed in conjunction with members of the local business communities and industries. Of all the programs offered here, 31 options for degrees exist, with the graduate obtaining an Associate degree in the subject or major of choice. The degree described below falls under the jurisdiction of the Professional Services Department, which also offers degrees in areas such as drafting technology, culinary, horticulture, and early childhood education.
Associate Degree in Design and Media Production Technology
This degree program prepares students for careers in a variety of media production technologies. Required coursework involves completion of between 61 and 66 credit hours for the degree, including coursework in a chosen area of specialization. Students can choose from Graphic Design and Prepress, Printing Operations, Web Interface Design, Computer Animation, or Motion Graphics. General education courses total 15 credit hours, followed by core courses for the major totaling between 46 and 51 credit hours. The core courses are broken down into foundational coursework that is common to all of the specializations and then the courses under the specializations themselves. Finally, students participate in a practicum or internship. Foundational courses consist of the standard introduction to computers and to design and media production subjects, as well as vector graphics and raster imaging. Hands-on production is emphasized throughout the degree program, which is offered at the Valdosta campus of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.
Contact
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College
4089 Val Tech Road
Valdosta, GA 31602
229-333-2100
Website
Georgia is serious about workforce development, as evidenced by the many programs offered throughout the state. By gaining any of these graphic design degrees in Georgia, you could create a career for yourself that would feed your creative side and provide economy stability and room to grow as the technology grows and changes.
For information on earning your graphic design degree online, please see Top 10 Online Graphic Design Degree Programs.
