Gateway Technical College

Graphic Design Programs at Gateway Technical College

Gateway Technical College appears in our ranking of the 20 Most Affordable Associates in Web Design and Development Online.

Gateway Technical College offers practical training programs for students with an interest in graphic design. One of its more popular programs allows students to major in graphic communications. This associate program offers hands-on training through computer labs and courses that ask students to design their own graphics and artwork. The college has a number of 3D printers and other equipment and resources that students can use. Available online, this program is also open to students on the Racine and Elkhorn campuses. The 60 credits of courses that graphic communications majors take include Advanced Illustration, Computer Illustration and Drawing Technology, Advanced Problems in Graphic Design, Advanced Design Concepts and Applied Exist Strategies.

Students who have an interest in graphic design but want to work in the automotive industry might consider the college’s mechanical design technology program. It’s available on the Elkhorn campus and the iMET Center established by SC Johnson. The program features 63 credits of courses that ask students to create mechanical designs and drawings that they will submit for grading. Introduction to MET is the first course that majors take. It introduces them to the technology and resources they’ll use in their classes. Some of the other courses that mechanical design technology majors take include Engineering Graphics, Elements of Machine Design, Material Properties and Fluid Power and Design.

The college also offers an online information technology program with an emphasis on web software development. It provides students with the training needed to work as web developers. Students take 61 credits of classes that include Web Developer Orientation, Technical Reporting, Developers ASP and Advanced PHP. Majors will take a web development project class in the last semester and do a final project that shows the development skills they gained in the program. Gateway Technical College offers a similar program in software development that focuses on the software and apps that designers create. All of these programs include communications courses that show students how people can connect through software and designs.

About Gateway Technical College

Gateway Technical College is a small college in Wisconsin that acts as both a vocational school and a community college. Founded in 1911 when the then Governor of the state, Francis McGovern, launched a continuation program that offered opportunities for students beyond high school. The Racine Continuation School opened that same year and offered classes for the 150 students who enrolled. As it did not have a campus of its own, it offered classes through other school buildings, usually at night. This school would later build a campus and become the Racine Technical Institute. The Kenosha Vocational School opened in 1912 and worked closely with the Racine school. Both would merge to become Gateway Technical College in 1987.

The GTC name now applies to the Kenosha and Racine campuses as well as one in Elkhorn. GTC opened five extension centers, including the LakeView Advanced Technology Center in Pleasant Prairie and the Inspire Center in Kenosha. GTC employees more than 600 faculty members and professors, many of whom have decades of experience in the fields they teach. Across all the campuses and regional centers, the technical college has an enrollment of more than 25,000 students.

Gateway Technical College Accreditation Details

GTC has full regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), which makes it one of the only schools with regional accreditation in Wisconsin that offers vocational programs. The college is also part of the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS), which includes other technical and vocational schools in the state.

Gateway Technical College Application Requirements

High school students, adult learners, and traditional students can all apply to GTC. The college hosts Get Ready Application workshops on all its campuses a few times a year. These workshops allow students to meet with admissions specialists and get help filling out the application. It takes around 15 to 20 minutes to complete the application. Students need to know which campus they want to enroll at, what they want to study and the names and dates of the schools they attended. They also need a credit or debit card to pay the $30 application fee. Those who apply during a workshop can pay this fee with cash, a check or money order.

The only requirements for graphic design majors are the application and fee and the student’s transcripts. GTC asks for a high school transcript and will accept a GED transcript/score from those who did not finish high school. Those who have college credits should submit transcripts from those colleges, which GTC will evaluate. Most of the credits earned from other community colleges and technical and vocational schools will transfer.

Incoming students without any college experience must also take a reading, math, and writing placement test. This test is available on each GTC campus and takes about an hour to complete. Their scores show students which English and math classes they need to take. Students with the highest scores can completely test out of those classes.

Tuition and Financial Aid

All Wisconsin residents attending GTC pay $136.50 per credit hour. The college charges an additional fee of $68.25 for nonresidents, which will increase their costs to $204.75 per credit hour. Adult learners signing up for basic education courses can enroll and take those classes for free, but those who do not live in Wisconsin will still need to pay the nonresident fee. Students also pay a $5 parking and technology fee and a $7.51 student activity fee per credit hour. Each time the student takes a placement test, the college charges a $15 fee.

Though GTC is more affordable than the University of Wisconsin and other schools in the state, students may still want to apply for financial aid to pay the cost of attendance. The college allows students to log into their profiles and apply for a payment plan. They can make low monthly payments or pay one amount upfront and make smaller payments later. The GI Bill and other benefits help veterans and active duty students pay for college. Students can also use the FAFSA to apply for aid and then use their profiles to accept the financial aid awarded to them. Graphic design majors will find that Gateway Technical College disperses their financial aid near the beginning of the semester.