Graphic Design Degrees in Illinois (I-M)
If you love using computers and new technology, today might be the day you look at graphic design degrees in Illinois. Graphic designers work for large marketing firms and companies, but they also run their own companies and deliver products to clients. As a designer, clients will call on you to create websites, brochures and pamphlets, but you might also create packages and designs for new products. Whether you live in Illinois or dream of living in one the state’s biggest cities, you can find a great graphic design program that will help you launch your career in graphic design.
Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago
The Commercial Art School opened in Chicago in 1916 before becoming the Ray School a few years later. At the time, it was one of the only institutions of higher learning that emphasized and focused on the creative arts. During the 1920s and 1930s, many locals referred to the school as the Vogue School because of its cutting edge fashion programs. Now known as the Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago, the college offers programs in all areas of art, including fashion, computer generated art, graphic arts and the culinary arts, and it has an enrollment that tops 2,000 students.
Graphic & Web Design
The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago offered a degree in graphic arts for a number of years, but it later changed that program to let students earn a degree in Graphic and Web Design. With newspapers and magazines shutting down all around the world, the artists working in publication fields today need more experience with computers and publishing software. While this program covers concepts relating to computer arts and websites, it also emphasizes graphic arts. All students take courses on color and design fundamentals, interactive motion graphics, layout and concept design, web page scripting and interface design. After completing your first year in the program, you can choose to focus more on web design or graphic design. Web design courses include information architecture, experience design and designing for mobile devices, while graphic design courses include package design, art direction, the business of graphic design and concepts for advertising.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
350 N. Orleans Street, Suite 136-L
Chicago, IL 60654-1593
(312) 280-3500
Website
Illinois Central College
Department of Arts and Communication
Founded in 1967, Illinois Central College opened to meet the needs of the large number of students living in the Peoria area. Prior to the foundation of the college, many of those students entered the workforce or moved to another part of the state for school, but after the college opened, a large number of students entered the college. The college now comprises a large school district that consists of more than 2,000 square acres of land and welcomes students from several counties. Those students can take courses in dozens of different programs, including some that let them transfer their credits to another school.
Graphic Design (AAS) Program of Study
The Graphic Design (AAS) Program of Study is a 62 credit hour program designed for students planning to work as designers immediately after completing the program. While some students do transfer credits and earn a Bachelor degree from another college, the majority of students end their studies with this program. Most students follow a set path and take four to five classes each semester and graduate after four semesters. Students start out taking general education courses on English, communications, math and science with a few introductory level graphic design courses. Some of the more advanced graphic design classes in this program include computer illustration, typography, 2D design, digital photography and digital production. At the end of the program, you will gather your work into a portfolio that you present to your professors. ICC requires this completed portfolio in lieu of an additional final graphic design project.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
1 College Drive
East Peoria, IL 61635-0001
(309) 694-5422
Info@ICC.edu
Website
Illinois Valley Community College
Like many community colleges, Illinois Valley Community College originally opened as a small junior college. Then known as LaSalle-Peru-Oglesby Junior College, the college met in a small high school and had a total student body of less than 40. When the surrounding district voted to award the school more than $8 million, it moved its campus and adopted its current name. That move allowed the college to add new buildings and programs that helped it develop a good reputation in the community. IVCC now accepts students from all across the state and is part of a district that covers eight different counties.
Associate in Arts/Associate in Science in Graphic Design
Illinois Valley Community College focuses on helping students gain a strong foundation and background before transferring to another college. Students entering the graphic design program can obtain an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science in Graphic Design. The college recommends that new students look at the requirements of the campus they hope to transfer to before deciding which program to follow. The main difference between the two programs is that one emphasizes art courses, while the other emphasizes science courses. To graduate from the program, you must complete 64 credit hours of coursework, maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or higher and receive a minimum grade of C in three English and speech classes. Full-time graphic design students typically take four or more classes each semester in the program, including courses on art survey, drawing, fundamentals of speech and at least four credit hours of electives.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
815 North Orlando Smith Road
Oglesby, Illinois 61348
(815) 224-2720
Website
John A. Logan College
Though the Illinois Junior College Act established the John A. Logan College in 1967, the college didn’t hold classes until the following year. Those first few years saw just a few hundred students enrolling in its programs, but it later increased its enrollment to more than 7,000 students. Named for a former military hero and politician, the college operates its own museum on campus. Called the John A. Logan College Museum, it houses several important works of art, a historic schoolhouse and a number of other local artifacts, and students can stop by the museum in between their classes.
Associate in Applied Science in Graphic Design
The founders of the Associate of Applied Science in Graphic Design program at John A. Logan College developed the program in the hopes of preparing students for working in print shops, for magazines and newspapers, for marketing companies and in business fields. This 66 credit hour program involves several core and general education courses that help students interact with others and work with the clients they’ll see on the job. Speech, psychology, English and mathematics are a few of those core courses. John A. Logan College doesn’t require as many general education courses as other programs do, and it emphasizes the importance of taking courses in various areas of graphic design. During your first year, you’ll take introductory courses on drawing, two-dimensional design, computer art and computer applications. Requirements for your second year include more advanced courses on presentation graphics, video production, web page design, industrial art, art history and animation.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
700 Logan College Road
Carterville, Illinois 62918
(618) 985-3741
John Wood Community College
AAS Technical Degree – Graphic Design
John Wood Community College wants students to graduate its graphic design program without feeling like they need additional experience or education before finding a job. Though other programs in the state encourage students to continue their studies later, the AAS Technical Degree – Graphic Design program at JWCC wants students to quickly find success and join the workforce. Students entering the 64 credit hour program take several basic courses on psychology, introduction to computers and introduction to the Internet, but they also take a few specially designed courses. Blazing Your Trail is a short course worth one credit hour that shows students how to find clients and showcase their graphic design skills, while Portable Document Format teaches them how to format and condense documents for sending to their clients. You will also take computer and graphic design courses that include graphic and photo manipulation, principles of marketing, computerized illustration and business writing.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
1301 South 48th Street
Quincy, IL 62305
(217) 224-6500
Website
Judson University
Department of Art & Design
Northern Baptist Theological Seminary was a large college that operated out of Elgin, Illinois for several years. When the founders of that school decided to move its campus to another part of the state, they opened Judson University in the former seminary. Officially established in 1963, the university is a private Baptist university with more than 1,100 undergraduate students and just over 100 graduate students. Its gorgeous campus, qualified and dependable professors and wide range of courses are just a few reasons why students choose Judson. It now ranks as one of the top private colleges in the state.
Visual Communications: Graphic Design
The Visual Communications: Graphic Design program at Judson University is a four year program, and the university requires that full-time students take a minimum of 15 credit hours each semester. Students must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours for graduation. The program requires 70 credit hours of courses in graphic design, 47 credit hours of general education courses and a three credit hour elective from another department. As a private college, Judson also requires that students take some unique courses on religion, including Questions of Life: Entering the Judson Conversation. During the summer between your second and third year and the summer between your third and fourth year, you have the option of taking and internship or practicum that gives you working experience in the field. Judson will give you one to three credit hours towards your degree for those programs, depending on how long the experience lasts and the work you put into the program.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
1151 North State Street
Elgin, IL 60123
(847) 628-2500
Website
Lewis & Clark Community College
Looking for a school that lets you make new friends but still feels small and welcoming? At Lewis & Clark Community College, you can mingle with the 33,000 students currently on campus and the more than 13,000 new students who enroll every year. Established in 1970, LCCC originally formed a partnership with Monticello College. That college started life as a finishing school and only admitted female students. After the school closed the following year, LCCC took over its former campus and opened its classes to students of all ages and sexes, which helped it become one of Illinois’s largest community colleges.
Computer Graphics
Computer Graphics is a fast growing field, and Lewis & Clark Community College hopes that its graduates will remain on the forefront of the industry. The college now offers an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Graphics and several certification programs for its students. Earning your AAS in Computer Graphics will typically take two years, but you might spend longer in the program to earn one or more certifications. The animation certification will show you how to use computer programs to create three-dimensional representations and videos, while the photography certification teaches you how to shoot and edit your own images. You can also earn a certification in digital publishing. Digital publishers create e-books, websites and blogs for clients. As the computer graphics field continues changing with each passing year, the program teaches you how to use existing technologies in your work and how to keep abreast of new changes to further your career.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
5800 Godfrey Road
Godfrey, Illinois 62035
(618) 468-700
scampbel@lc.edu
Website
Moraine Valley Community College
Moraine Valley Community College gives its students access to all the best that Chicago has to offer without actually taking classes in the Windy City. Situated in Palos Hills, Illinois, the 294-acre campus is just a short drive from Chicago, which makes it a popular choice for students living in neighborhoods and suburbs outside of the big city. Work began on the college in 1965, but it took two years for the college to raise enough money and gain approval to open its campus. By the time the college finally constructed its first few buildings, its enrollment hit 4,000 students, which later grew to 36,000.
Computer Graphics-Digital Art/Design – Associate Applied Science
Before seeking work as a graphic designer, you must possess skills in animation, computer graphics and several other fields. Moraine Valley Community College believes that students develop those skills in its Computer Graphics-Digital Art/Design – Associate Applied Science program. This is a 63 credit hour program that culminates with students earning an AAS degree, which helps them seek employment in advertising firms, software firms, design houses and marketing companies, but students will also develop skills that help them work from home as an independent designer or build their own design firms. MVCC recommends that students take 15 credit hours of courses for three semesters and 18 credit hours of courses in a fourth semester. Computer graphics, computer animation, computer storyboarding, computer physics simulation and three-dimensional character modeling show you how to use programs and software to create videos, images and websites, while introduction to AutoCAD teaches you more about creating architectural representations and models.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
9000 W. College Pkwy.
Palos Hills, IL 60465-2478
(708) 974-4300
Do you love working under tight deadlines, handling multiple projects at once and sharing your love of graphic design and computer art with others? Graphic designers do this and much more every day, and Illinois offers some of the best programs in the country. Those who received graphic design degrees in Illinois now work all across the state and across the country too.
For more information on Graphic Design Degrees in Illinois, please see:
Graphic Design Degrees in Illinois (A-F)
Graphic Design Degrees in Illinois (N-Z)
For information on earning your graphic design degree online, take a look at Top 10 Online Graphic Design Degree Programs.
