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Program Overview
In the Sessions College Professional Certificate in Web Design program, students build proficiency in the technologies that Web design clients and employers demand. Students explore the fundamentals of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, learning visual design techniques to make their work stand out. Students focus on how to create page layouts for standards-compliant Web sites using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Bootstrap, designing sites that are functional and attractive.
- Build proficiency in the technologies that Web design clients and employers demand.
- Create page designs for modern, standards-compliant Web sites using HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, and JavaScript.
- Learn how utilize the Bootstrap framework using Adobe's HTML editor Adobe Dreamweaver.
- Learn the fundamentals of creating graphics with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
- Design websites that are both functional and attractive.
Instructor-Led Program
- Project-based courses from industry-leading design and digital media professionals.
- Learn at your own pace—no mandatory logins or preset meeting times.
- Build skills through mentoring and critique from expert instructors.
A Better Way to Learn
Online
Study 100% online from anywhere with 24/7 access to classes.
Self-paced
Complete your program on your own time in 9 months or less.
Industry Relevant
Develop in-demand skills for your creative field.
Customizable
Customize your program with added courses and concentrations.
Web Design Courses
Program Curriculum
Designed for the busy adult learner, the Professional Certificate in Web Design is a 360 clock hour program completed in nine months studying part time.
Level 1
- 4218 Photoshop Basics - 60 hours
- 4023 Design Foundations - 60 hours
- 5229 HTML and CSS Essentials - 60 hours
Level 2
- 5303 Bootstrap using Dreamweaver I - 60 hours
- 7110 Javascript For Designers I - 60 hours
- 5304 Bootstrap using Dreamweaver II - 60 hours
PROGRAM FACULTY
Get expert feedback in classes taught by our industry-leading faculty.
Andrew Shalat is an author, designer/illustrator, educator, and Mac expert. Since 1985 he has been designing and writing articles about Macintosh, Mac software, and publishing technologies that have appeared in Macworld, maccentral.com and macweek.com (for which he was a columnist writing "Shalat's Web"). He has been a regular speaker/faculty member at Macworld Expo since 2001 and has written three books: How to Do Everything with Online Video (McGraw-Hill, Osborne), Do It Yourself Mac Projects (McGraw-Hill), and MacDesign Out of the Box (Peachpit). Andrew is a regular contributor to design and Macintosh related sites including Inside Mac Radio, InDesign Magazine, and Creativepro.com. His design work covers a large range of media including book, CD and DVD covers, brochures, catalogs, outdoor signage, print ads, artwork, logos, Flash and Web design, and grocery lists. Over the past two decades, Andrew has taught literature, writing, Web design, and print design.
Bruce Bicknell is a writer, instructor, illustrator, animator, Web designer, video editor, marketing pro, and graphic designer based in Tampa, Florida. In his career he has worked on projects for Adobe Systems, ATI, Photoshop Elements Techniques, MacTribe, Yellow Machine, and Mac Design, to name a few. Bruce has Associate degrees in Computer Animation and Web Development from The International Academy of Design and Technology.
Michael Hamm is a Senior UX Designer for Oracle Corporation, Web developer, and Adobe Illustrator expert with over 20 years of experience in the creative field. Michael's technical writing on design has been published in various design books and magazines and Michael co-authored the Glencoe/McGraw-Hill book Introduction to Web Design Using Dreamweaver. Michael is an Adobe Certified Instructor in Adobe Illustrator and holds a Diploma in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Houston. Michael has a passion for illustration software and all things vector.
Piper Nilsson is a graphic designer and educator. Piper was greatly influenced by studying art history at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and learned to apply principles of fine art to graphic design. She has over 10 years of experience teaching at Sessions. Piper has been working with the Web since 1997, when she began her career at a leading Web design agency. Working in various roles as a designer, programmer, and information architect, she blueprinted sites for such global clients as MetLife, Pepsi, ETS, and Citibank. Piper is currently working as a freelancer, based in Valencia, Spain. Her recent projects include a Spanish language podcast and travel app. Piper received a Sessions College outstanding instructor award in December 2011 and won a USDLA Platinum Award Best Practices Awards for Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching in April 2012. Piper holds an Associate's degree in Graphic Design from the Pratt Institute.
View All faculty.
Course Descriptions
4218 Photoshop Basics
Get a thorough grounding in Adobe Photoshop, the premiere image-manipulation tool for print design, Web design, and photography. You’ll learn to choose and use the best techniques for common Photoshop jobs including selecting and isolating objects, creating image composites, masking and vignetting images, setting typography, and improving images with retouching and effects. Every designer must tame this creative powerhouse of a program. Learn More
4023 Design Foundations
Color is a fundamental medium for any artist or designer. Typography is what sets designers apart from other artists. Composition, literally the assembly or construction of elements, is the artful arrangement that guides the viewer's eye through an image. In this course, you will analyze everything from Grand Masters to Madison Avenue ads to tubes of toothpaste, and discover how color, type, and composition are combined to create effective and powerful visual communications. Class projects challenge you to build and apply your design skills in application to real-life creative scenarios. Learn more
4226 HTML and CSS Essentials
To create Web pages, a Web designer must have a foundation in HTML and CSS. This course begins with the basics of HTML markup and specifications for standards-compliant Web pages. CSS scripting is examined as a method for positioning page elements and styling typography. Cutting-edge features of HTML5 and CSS3 are also introduced. The emphasis is on the contemporary use of markup and scripting to create effective and attractive Web sites. Learn More
5303 Bootstrap Using Dreamweaver I
Bootstrap provides a framework of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to speed up your site development. Working with an expert instructor, you'll learn how to build responsive, mobile-first web sites using Bootstrap 4 and Dreamweaver, Adobe's HTML editor. This course will show you how to design web sites by using CSS to structure and design layouts, ensuring that your designs work on a range of platforms and devices. Learn More
7110 Javascript for Designers I
Learn the fundamentals of JavaScript, the programming language that allows you to make things happen when a user interacts with your website. You will learn how to create clean, valid code as you create programs that respond to various kinds of user interaction. Assignments include a range of projects: interactive dialogue boxes, a trivia quiz, a rainbow color picker, a sortable database, and more. Learn More
5304 Bootstrap Using Dreamweaver II
In this course, students will further their exploration of Bootstrap using Adobe Dreamweaver, focusing on the use of CSS, templates, and library items to design responsive sites. Topics includes using image effects, animated content areas, and interactive navigation, and creating mobile and tablet layouts with CSS3 media queries.In this course, students will further their exploration of Bootstrap using Adobe Dreamweaver, focusing on the use of CSS, templates, and library items to design responsive sites. Topics includes using image effects, animated content areas, and interactive navigation, and creating mobile and tablet layouts with CSS3 media queries. Learn MoreLearn the fundamentals of JavaScript, the programming language that allows you to make things happen when a user interacts with your website. You will learn how to create clean, valid code as you create programs that respond to various kinds of user interaction. Assignments include a range of projects: interactive dialogue boxes, a trivia quiz, a rainbow color picker, a sortable database, and more. Learn More
Build Your Own Learning Path
This program is adaptable to a wide range of experience levels. Choose the option(s) below that best meet your learning goals.
Option 1
Specialize
New to the field? Simply complete all required courses in the certificate program.
Option 2
Customize
Already have some industry and/or software experience? Customize up to 50% of your programChoose from courses in Graphic Design, Software, Motion & Video, and more by choosing alternate courses.
Option 3
PLUS
Need more training? After you've completed your program, add concentrations at reduced tuitionChoose from concentrations in Graphic Design, Digital Photography, Illustration, and more to enhance your creative skills.
Program Outcomes
By completing the program, Professional Certificate in Web Design students develop the following competencies:
1. Web Coding/Design
Layout and design responsive websites using standards-compliant HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code, and adapting modern frameworks such as Bootstrap.
2. Technology
Create images and design layouts by effectively and efficiently using design software including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and other industry technologies.
3. Art/Design Principles
Demonstrate the ability to produce visually compelling work by applying knowledge of color, typography, and composition.
4. Web Publishing
Publish sites to the Web, validating and troubleshooting sites to fix errors or cross-browser issues, with a knowledge of accessibility best practices.
Sessions Student Work
Student Work
Career Outlook for Web Designers
Web Designers and Web Developers produce web designs, interfaces, and E-Commerce resources for a wide range of organizations to effectively engage with customers, vendors, and other stakeholders. Web industry professionals need to possess technical skills, communication skills, creativity, customer-service skills, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills.
Job Titles
Graduates could be employed as a Back-end Web Developer, Front-end Web Developer, Web and Digital Interface Designer, Webmaster, Content Editor, Graphic Designer, Content Writer, Advertising Sales Representative, Multimedia Specialist, E-commerce Specialist, Computer Programmer, or Marketing Manager.
Median Annual Wage
According to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics the median annual wage for web designers and digital designers and was $98,540 as of May 2023.
Median annual wages for the professionals in top industries (in which they work):
Computer occupations | $104,420 |
Web and digital interface designers | $98,540 |
Web developers and digital designers | $92,750 |
Web developers | $84,960 |
Total, all occupations | $48,060 |
Job Projections
Employment opportunities for web developers and digital designers are projected to grow 16 percent from 2022 to 2032.
There are about 19,000 openings for web developers and digital designers projected each year over the next decade.
Based on Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and Indeed Job Outlook data.
What Students Say
I’ve always been a creative person, but have never had any real artistic abilities. I finally feel like I have an outlet for my over-analytical brain to create art through building beautiful, functional websites. For the first time in my professional career, work doesn’t feel like work.
Getting Started
Our Web Design Certificate online application process makes getting started easy, fast, and convenient.
What's the Admissions Process?
Open Admissions.
The Professional Certificate is open admissions, with classes starting each month. To apply for the program, simply complete our free, no-obligation application and select your program options. Applicants are expected to have graduated high school.
How Long is the Program?
Nine Month Program.
The program can be completed in nine months studying on a part time schedule. Since you study at your pace, you may complete it sooner! If you need more time to complete, there is a painless extension policy for an additional 6 months of access for students who qualify based on academic progress.
Will the Program Fit My Schedule?
There are no set login times, so you can complete your program at your own pace in our most flexible program. A designated Student Advisor will track your progress from class to class, providing you support and motivation.
What Software or Supplies Do I Need?
To take this program, you’ll need the following:
- Mac or Windows computer with an Internet connection.
- Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver CC.
- Your computer must meet software manufacturer requirements.
- An ad-free Web hosting account (free services are available).
There are no textbook or course material costs to participate in this online program. Student discount on Adobe Creative Cloud software is available to enrolled students.
What are the Program Costs?
Sessions College programs are flexible and affordable. There are no textbooks required; tuition costs include all digital materials.
Tuition and Fees | Professional Certificate | Professional Certificate PLUS |
---|---|---|
Tuition | $2,550 | $3,550 |
Registration Fee | $200 | $200 |
Total Cost | $2,750 | $3,750 |
Paid in Full Discount: Total cost is $2,700 (regularly $2,750) for Professional Certificate students who pay in full. Total cost for Professional Certificate PLUS students who pay in full is $3,700 (regularly $3,750).
Enrollment in any certificate program requires a $200 registration fee (non-refundable after 5 days of enrollment in the program). All tuition and fees must be paid on time, including those paid by third parties.
Can I Use a Payment Plan?
Most definitely. Affording your education is easier with our Payment Plan.
- Pay for your Professional Certificate with 11 monthly payments of $250, or pay for your Professional Certificate PLUS with 13 monthly payments of $288.
- Once you’ve set up your plan, your payments are automatic.
- Your first payment which includes a $200 Registration Fee.