Embarking on a UI design career doesn't necessarily require a degree, but does require a solid understanding of industry fundamentals and tools. With the right combination of self-learning, networking, and portfolio development, even individuals without access to traditional education can build a successful UI design career.

Key Insights

  • While many UI Designers hold degrees in fields such as graphic design or computer science, hiring managers often prioritize proven skills over formal education.
  • A career in UI design can be started without a degree, but requires learning industry fundamentals and tools, often through self-study or specialized programs.
  • Building a professional network and portfolio is crucial for aspiring UI Designers, regardless of their formal education background.
  • Gaining practical experience, often through working in related fields, is a common stepping stone into a UI design career.
  • UI Designers must stay current with the ever-evolving technology and industry trends, meaning continuous learning is a key aspect of the profession.
  • Noble Desktop offers comprehensive UI design courses, both in-person and live online, that can equip individuals with the necessary skills to successfully enter the UI design field.

Aspiring UI Designers may be concerned about the educational requirements for the position. Most UI Designers possess a college education, often in graphic design or computer science. However, in most cases, there isn’t a specific degree requirement for becoming a UI Designer. Some entry UI Designers choose to attend a UI design bootcamp to acquire the necessary industry skills. With or without a degree, hiring managers prioritize professional portfolios or other demonstrations of skill over education. This holds especially true for advanced or senior positions that offer higher-salaried opportunities. 

What is a UI Designer?

A UI Designer designs user interfaces, usually for digital applications such as the web, mobile, or video games. They build visual and interactive elements such as buttons, menus, and widgets. They also develop prototypes and refine their designs based on information gained from user research. Primary job duties of UI Designers include:

  • Developing and enforcing a style guide that establishes a consistent visual “look” across the application.
  • Designing each screen and individual elements within that the user can interact with.
  • Making decisions about layout and visual elements that drive an intuitive user experience.
  • Creating animations.
  • Building wireframes and prototypes.
  • Ensuring layout responsiveness across various screen sizes.

UI Designers craft designs for various industries, such as financial and banking, healthcare apps, retail apps, education, automotive, and gaming. A UI Designer’s primary goal is to design applications so that users intuitively understand how to use them and perform the actions or find the information they need without learning how to use the application first. UI Designers play a significant role in influencing how we use digital technology in our daily lives. 

Read more about what a UI Designer does. 

Do I Need a Degree to Become a UI Designer?

Around 71% of UI Designers hold bachelor’s degrees in either graphic design or computer science. However, obtaining a degree to become a UI Designer is not required. Since UI design is an interdisciplinary field, no single degree will cover everything a UI Designer needs to know. Graphic design won’t teach technical skills, and computer science won’t teach design. Because of this, work experience is valued more in the field than in formal education.

Even if you choose to pursue a degree, you’ll likely still have skill gaps to fill. The best way to fast-track a career in UI design is to attend a UI design course that comprehensively covers all the skills you need to learn. In addition to graphic design and computer science principles, you’ll also learn to use the most popular industry tools. 

Should you choose not to pursue a degree or a formal UI design training course, you can locate free resources to learn UI design independently. You’ll need to develop personal projects and build a portfolio of your work. Then you can seek an entry-level or a related job position to get your foot in the door. Deciding to train on your own will be a more difficult path than choosing either form of education.

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

Common Degrees for UI Designers

Most UI Designers hold four-year degrees specializing in graphic design. However, this isn’t the case for all UI Designers. About 10% hold Associate Degrees, and 16% have pursued Master’s Degrees. Some UI Designers only hold high school diplomas, and others choose to attend a 3- or 6-month long bootcamp training course. Most UI Designers develop their skills on the job, so holding a degree (though common) is not required for most UI Design positions. 

A few common degrees held by professional UI Designers include:

  • Associate's Degree in Graphic Design
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Design & Visual Communication
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Applications
  • Master’s Degree in Human-Computer Interaction
  • Master’s Degree in Software Engineering
UI Design Certificate: Live & Hands-on, In NYC or Online, 0% Financing, 1-on-1 Mentoring, Free Retake, Job Prep. Named a Top Bootcamp by Forbes, Fortune, & Time Out. Noble Desktop. Learn More.

Tips for Starting a UI Designer Career Without a Degree

Some individuals may wish to become UI Designers but cannot pursue a college degree. 

Since no specific degree leads a professional to become a UI Designer, even those who pursue a degree may find they have skills yet to learn for a UI design career. The following includes tips for becoming a UI Designer without a degree and increasing UI design skills.

Surround Yourself with UI Design

A good place to start learning UI Design is to set out to absorb as much information as you can. You can start by reading UI design blogs, following industry trends, joining UI design forums and communities, and experimenting with UI design tools. Surrounding yourself with UI design ideas and trends will give you the headstart you need to develop skills and networks, as well as locate further resources for learning UI design.

Consider a Bootcamp Course

Professional training isn’t required for becoming a UI Designer, but attending a 3-6 month bootcamp course for UI design can be informative and cover any skill gaps you might have from self-learning. You’ll quickly learn the fundamentals of UI Design as well as industry tools. Many of these courses also offer career assistance through mentorship, job search assistance, or portfolio workshops. If you aren’t ready to attend a professional class, you can move this step to anywhere else on the list. You may also omit it entirely.

Learn the Fundamentals of UI Design

Once you’ve set out to surround yourself with UI design, your next step should be to learn the fundamentals. UI Design is built on the principles of interaction and visual design. You can use free resources such as seminars or training videos from skills-sharing websites to learn these core concepts. In the end, you’ll need to feel confident in your understanding of how elements such as graphics, text, space, and layout influence visual aesthetics, as well as how users interact with a digital product.

Learn the Industry Tools

Once you have the fundamentals down, it’s time to learn the industry tools. The most popular tools include Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator, but there are others, such as Sketch and Adobe XD. You don’t need to learn every tool. Instead, you can review job listings to see which tools employers are looking for. Alternatively, you could choose whichever tool seems the most intuitive to you. You’ll likely learn various tools throughout your UI design career, and most design or wireframing tools are similar. So learning one will help you pick up others. Many tools offer free trials and learning resources, so you can begin practicing independently at no cost.

Build Your Portfolio

You’ll need a portfolio to showcase your skills to employers. If you’ve elected to attend professional training, you can start your portfolio with the projects you completed in class. With or without coursework, you’ll need to build your own projects. Several online websites offer UI design prompts, case studies, and fake client requests to jumpstart your projects. Remember that a portfolio showcases more than just finished designs. You should document the need your project was designed to fulfill and show each step of your creative and technical process. Be sure to go into detail about the methods and tools used.

Network

Networking can make a huge difference in finding a job in UI design. Networks can also be excellent resources for getting feedback on your portfolio or resume, advice on which skills you need to improve, and locating additional training resources. Use websites like LinkedIn or Twitter to find and connect with industry professionals, including designers, entrepreneurs, and recruiters. You can also build connections in online forums and communities. You can find UI events or meet-ups in your local area. 

Find a Mentor

A mentor is someone with years of industry experience in UI design and who can guide you on your path to becoming a UI Designer. They can provide you with personal insights into the industry and offer individual feedback on your skills. If you choose to attend a UI design bootcamp, your instructor commonly serves as a mentor during your time with them. They may even agree to mentor you after the course if you foster a relationship. Otherwise, your network is the best resource for finding a mentor.

If you struggle to find a personal mentor, you can find a UI designer whose work you admire and who shares their advice and expertise online through blogs, video tutorials, and social networks. Study what they have to teach, learn the paths they took to UI design, and dig into their favorite learning resources. 

Gain Experience

It may be necessary to gain real-world work experience before landing an entry-level job in UI design. Look for volunteer or freelance opportunities in UI design. Your network might even have some work opportunities for you. If your UI design job search isn’t working out, you may need to take a position in an adjacent field, such as visual design, graphic design, interaction design, or web development. However, you can gain experience and later transition to a role more suited to your desires.

Continue to Grow

UI Designers always continue learning. Technology is constantly changing, and industry trends follow along with it. Any successful UI Designer has to stay on top of these emerging ideas. Even when you find a job in UI design, don’t assume you’re done. Continue to immerse yourself in UI design and keep up with your network of professionals. Stay in contact with your mentor or find a new one with new insights to pass on. Attend conferences and events and strive to learn new skills.

Learn the Skills to Become a UI Designer at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers several UI design classes for those seeking professional instruction in pursuing a career as a UI Designer. Classes are small and feature expert instructors and free retake options. Courses can be attended in person in NYC or online from anywhere. 

The UI Design Certificate is designed to prepare students to launch a career in UI design. You’ll learn essential design principles as well as how to use the most popular UI design tools: Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Throughout the course, you’ll complete a number of hands-on projects and build a portfolio to showcase your skills to potential employers.

Should you be interested in UX design as well as UI design (the two fields commonly overlap), you can pursue the UX & UI Design Certificate. You’ll learn the design principles and industry tools of both UX & UI design, build a professional portfolio, and receive one-on-one job preparation assistance. 

Bootcamps are also available where you can learn the ins and outs of the most popular UI design tools, including Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator. These courses are open to pure beginners and are designed to guide you to mastery of the program. 

If you’re not ready to jump into a full UI design course, you can explore Noble Desktop’s learning hubs. These hubs are designed to inform you about a topic and offer learning resources, including free tutorials and self-guided education. UI design learn hubs include:

Key Takeaways

  • Common degrees held by UI Designers include graphic design and computer science.
  • Though many UI Designers possess four-year degrees, one is not required to become a UI Designer.
  • Not all UI design skills can be acquired through a single degree, so hiring managers value proven skills over education.
  • Starting a career in UI design without a degree requires self-learning industry fundamentals and tools. 
  • It is also crucial for aspiring UI Designers to form a network and build a professional portfolio. 
  • Aspiring UI Designers may need to gain experience by working in adjacent fields before breaking into UI design.
  • You can receive comprehensive training to become a UI Designer through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop.