What Degree Do You Need to Become a Graphic Designer?

Students looking to become Graphic Designers may be concerned with the educational requirements for the position. In most cases, there isn’t a specific degree requirement for becoming a Graphic Designer. Still, you will want some measure of professional skills instruction if you want a competitive application. Many students will enter the job market after completing a four-year bachelor's degree program in a visual or creative field. Most will specialize in the skills required of Graphic Designers, but this won’t be a strict requirement if you have received this training in other places. Others will pass a certificate-granting program demonstrating that they have received dedicated career training in graphic design. While there are more advanced training options available, such as technical education and graduate degree programs, these are rarely necessary for Graphic Designers since it is experience rather than education that will make you competitive for more advanced, higher-paying job opportunities.

What is a Graphic Designer?

A Graphic Designer is a creative professional who combines text and visually appealing imagery to share a message with an audience. This could be through advertising, social media, or product packaging, to name a few. They are well-versed in design principles like color and typography and are committed to staying up-to-date on the latest trends. Whether they work for an agency or freelancer, they collaborate with clients and other team members to create high-quality designs that appeal to new and existing customers. 

In addition to proficiency in professional design programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, a successful Graphic Designer must also work well with others. Graphic Designers rarely work alone, and since their job is to create a product that matches a client's vision, they must be willing to accept feedback and suggestions from others. Time management skills are also crucial for a Graphic Designer; since most of them work freelance, they often work on multiple projects for many clients simultaneously. 

Read more about what a Graphic Designer does. 

Do I Need a Degree to Become a Graphic Designer?

Whether Graphic Designers need a degree is a surprisingly divisive topic amongst professionals; some will say that a degree isn’t nearly as valuable as a portfolio, while others point out that self-teaching requires a great deal of time and discipline. There are plenty of Graphic Designers who hold a bachelor’s degree in art, design, or a related field. Some companies require a degree, but it’s becoming increasingly common for creative professionals to gain experience through freelancing and completing personal passion projects. 

The short (and overly simplified) answer is: A degree is not a requirement, but it helps. If you’d like to pursue a degree to help you stand out in a competitive market, you might consider minoring in public relations, marketing, or advertising. Since Graphic Designers are commonly employed to help sell a good or service, knowing some marketing principles could help you understand the ins and outs of a solid campaign. These added skills will make you more marketable and help you land a lucrative career outside of graphic design if you need more time to build your portfolio.

Read more about if you need a degree to become a Graphic Designer.

Common Degrees for Graphic Designers

Most graphic design degrees are four-year degrees specializing in graphic design as a major. This isn’t the case for all Graphic Designers, but since there is a commonly offered four-year degree major, it is likely to be the most common option taken up by aspiring Graphic Designers. Longer and shorter training programs exist, but these degrees (two-year Associate degrees and six-plus year Master’s degrees) are less common.

A few common degrees held by professional Graphic Designers include:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design
• Bachelor’s Degree in The Fine Arts
• Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Communication
• Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Marketing
• Associate's Degree in Graphic Design
• Master’s Degree in The Fine Arts
• Bachelor’s Degree in an unrelated field

Tips for Starting a Graphic Designer Career Without a Degree

Some students may want to become Graphic Designers, but they aren’t able to attend a four-year university training program. There are a few steps for these students to improve their chances of getting hired for a graphic design position even without a terminal college degree.

The first and most important step is making sure that you have received the necessary skills training to compensate for your alternative educational path. There are many ways besides a four-year degree program to learn tools like Photoshop, InDesign, or Illustrator, but these aren’t skills that you can reasonably pick up on the job. You’ll need to have these skills down well before you start applying for jobs in earnest. There are many different routes to learning these skills outside of a college classroom, so prospective graphic designers should consider exploring their options for career-focused graphic design courses, such as the ones offered through Noble Desktop. These are accelerated training programs meant to prepare students for work in the field of graphic design and assist students by providing them with several important professionalization workshops and seminars.

After they are comfortable with the training they’ve received, students will want to focus on building the most important element of their job materials: their design portfolio. The design portfolio is where prospective designers can communicate to hiring managers that even though they don’t have a formal degree, they are still ready to start producing evocative graphic designs. This can be challenging because students who take accelerated training courses will have less time to build their portfolios and establish a distinct style. However, this is a very important step since you’ll need to use your design portfolio to compensate for the lack of a degree.

Finally, students will want to be sure to cultivate and build close relationships with their colleagues and potential employers. One of the biggest professional advantages of getting a college degree is networking with other students and professionals and taking advantage of programs that put students into direct contact with potential employers. Students learning graphic design in other venues, particularly those learning graphic design online, will need to take the initiative to build these networks of relationships to find work more easily. This will usually involve actively soliciting freelance work and working closely with clients to build relationships. It may also entail searching out work that involves collaborative design practices to build a stable of fellow graphic designers who can recommend and assist you (and you can recommend and assist them).

Learn the Skills to Become a Graphic Designer at Noble Desktop

If you want to start a career in graphic design, the graphic design classes offered by Noble Desktop are an excellent place to start. Students can take all their classes remotely or in-person at their Manhattan campus. For students who want to start slow by just learning one popular design program, Noble offers an Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp, an Adobe InDesign Bootcamp, and an Adobe Illustrator Bootcamp. These beginner-friendly courses take just a few days to complete and will provide students with foundational design skills.

For those who feel ready to dive into a more comprehensive program, Noble Desktop’s Graphic Design Certificate might be a better fit. Students will complete hands-on assignments using popular design programs, including Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. This program is ideal for those hoping to start a career as a Graphic Designer. Certificate students at Noble Desktop receive individual career mentorship, where experts in the design industry help craft resumes and portfolios and provide helpful tips for finding lucrative employment. 

If a class isn’t feasible for your current schedule, Noble Desktop has a host of resources on its website to help start your graphic design career. You can browse their collection of articles about Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign if you’re curious about how each program works. You can also review information about other design tools to see if another field might interest you more.

Key Takeaways

• The most common degree path for students wanting to become Graphic Designers involves earning a Bachelor’s degree in a graphic design field. Most schools have a graphic design major available, but many Graphic Designers have degrees in programs like visual communication or the fine arts.
• Some students may want to become Graphic Designers without needing to enroll in a four-year program. While this is possible, it comes with caveats and added responsibilities.
• These students will want to take accelerated training courses to learn the necessary design tools, and they will want to work to ensure that they have a strong design portfolio that communicates to hiring managers that they have technical design skills, even if they don’t have a degree.
• These students will also want to work on building their own small network of fellow designers and potential employers.
• Students looking to learn these skills to build a career without a professional degree may want to consider enrolling in a comprehensive graphic design training program through Noble Desktop. These courses are taught by expert instructors and are available through live online and in-person classrooms.