Graphic Design Degree Online
Associate Degree in Graphic Design
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Program Overview
The Sessions College Associate of Occupational Studies in Graphic Design program offers an intensive two-year degree for students seeking to enter careers as graphic designers with a focus on print design. Designed for high school graduates and adult learners, the program offers a powerful foundation in graphic design and a working knowledge of contemporary design practices and media.
Foundation studies develop proficiency in the traditional elements of art and design. Software and coding classes build skills in contemporary design tools and technologies for digital imaging, illustration, layout, and Web publishing. Second year classes help students develop a professional design process as they explore a range of media including advanced graphic design and layout projects, print production, and branding and marketing concepts.
When I was looking into going back to school, I was searching for an online graphic design degree program that was 100% remote and affordable. I chose Sessions because it is tailored for learners of all walks of life. I already had a Bachelor’s degree and did the typical 4-year college experience, and was working full-time. I needed something more practical and straightforward that would get me to where I wanted to be.
Student Work By: April Savage, Erika McNamara, Kayla Langley, Cedric Thompson, Bethany Hemesath, Leah Yourstone
Truly Affordable Education
Our Fall 2024 tuition is:
50% lower than the average annual cost of tuition at 4-year colleges in the United States.
Significantly more affordable than other online design / digital media colleges.
So affordable that 100% of tuition costs may be covered for eligible students.* Find out today if you qualify.
*Federal student aid and military education benefits available for eligible students.
Studying Online at Sessions
Founded in 1997, Sessions College has delivered accredited and affordable fully online programs for creative professionals for more than 20 years. Earning your Graphic Design Degree Online at Sessions has never been more accessible. Take a virtual college tour in this video!
What Our Students Say
Associate Degree in Graphic Design Curriculum
The Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) in Graphic Design is a 72-credit program completed in two years. Part-time schedules are available.
First Semester
- DES 121 Photoshop I - 3 credits
- DES 106 Design Foundations - 3 credits
- DES 111 Drawing I - 3 credits
- GEN 104 English Composition - 3 credits
Second Semester
- DES 204 The Study of Graphic Design - 1.5 credits
- DES 131 Logo Design I - 1.5 credits
- DES 141 Illustrator I - 3 credits
- DES 151 Digital Photography I - 3 credits
- GEN 105 Computer Technology - 3 credits
Third Semester
- DES 201 InDesign I - 3 credits
- DES 102 Typography II - 3 credits
- GEN 106 History of Art - 3 credits
- GEN 107 General Psychology - 3 credits
Fourth Semester
- DES 211 Graphic Design I - 3 credits
- DES 222 Photoshop II - 3 credits
- ADV 207 Creative Concept Development - 3 credits
- GEN 207 Copywriting - 3 credits
Fifth Semester
- WEB 101 HTML and CSS I - 3 credits
- DES 205 Print Production - 3 credits
- DES 212 Graphic Design II - 3 credits
- GEN 204 Intro to Marketing - 1.5 credits
- GEN 206 Creative Businesses - 1.5 credits
Sixth Semester
- WEB 222 UX/UI Design - 3 credits
- DES 208 Packaging Design - 3 credits
- DES 232 Logo Design II* - 3 credits
- DES 260 Graphic Design Capstone and Portfolio Review - 3 credits
* Elective course may be replaced by any other 3-credit course in the program, subject to availability and prerequisites.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Program highlights for Graphic Design majors in the AOS in Graphic Design program.
DES 121 Photoshop I - 3 credits
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.
DES 141 Illustrator I - 3 credits
Build a working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator, the graphic designer’s vector program of choice. Course projects explore selection tools, drawing tools, layers, the Pen tool, transformations/distortions, type tools, and modifying paths and shapes. Tapping the power of vector software allows you to produce detailed and scalable art for almost any application.
DES 201 InDesign I - 3 credits
Explore fundamental techniques for Adobe InDesign and develop an efficient workflow for both print and digital publishing. The course will impart a working knowledge of InDesign’s main capabilities, everything from basic features to using master pages, importing and manipulating objects, controlling text flow and style, and organizing content with tables, layers, links, and conveyor tools. Valuable methods for cutting-edge digital publishing techniques are explored, and projects give you give you training in a range of real world print/digital publishing projects: brochures, catalogs, magazines, ePubs, and even an interactive folio for the iPad.
DES 102 Typography II - 3 credits
Learn advanced concepts in typography including type fusion, information hierarchy, expressive type, and 3D type applications. Assignments include advertising, product packaging, civic branding, and currency design. The focus of the course is on improving your design by learning to see type differently.
DES 205 Print Production - 3 credits
Learn the technical fundamentals of producing professional-looking print publications. Areas of focus include managing a print job effectively, communicating with printers, and identifying the best solution within a budget. Course projects build skills in choosing papers and inks, modifying your materials and processes based on a budget, using Adobe InDesign to prepare designs for print, managing the phases of the production workflow, and most importantly producing high-quality work.
DES 208 Packaging Design - 3 credits
Explore the exciting medium of packaging design by creating branded products for retail display. How do you make a product stand out from the shelves? What makes the targeted consumer want to buy it? Students address these questions via course projects including champagne packaging, pizza box, perfume bottle, and mass versus prestige applications.
DES 232 Logo Design II - 3 credits
Build your portfolio by tackling professional logo and branding design projects. Lessons cover such important concepts as corporate identity, image, branding, and repositioning, with reference to intriguing real-world case studies. Course projects offer a range of challenges from a record company logo to an airline branding system, allowing you to build your personal style within constraints of realistic project briefs.
Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) Faculty
Department Head: Andrew Shalat
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.
INSTRUCTIONAL FACULTY
Get expert feedback in classes taught by our industry-leading faculty.
Andrew Shalat
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.
Carolyn Zaikowski
Carolyn Zaikowski is the author of the hybrid novel In Dream, I Dance by Myself, and I Collapse (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2016). Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Denver Quarterly, The Rumpus, PANK, West Branch, Dusie, DIAGRAM, Everyday Feminism, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Naropa University's Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics and is currently an English professor and volunteer death doula. You can find her online at www.carolynzaikowski.com.
Jordon Schranz
Jordon Schranz is an audio/visual artist and designer whose work has been exhibited internationally in New York, Chicago, El Paso, Berlin, Bogotá, and Ciudad Juárez. In addition he has performed hundreds of shows across the United States as part of the free jazz trio, "The Eastern Seaboard" and in the avant-rock group "Quivers" with Ninni Morgia, including New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, and Detroit.
Jose Ramos
Jose Ramos is a publishing solutions specialist and Adobe consultant for the Caribbean region. He's an Adobe certified Design Master, which includes certifications in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, InCopy, Acrobat Pro, and Dreamweaver. He's used Adobe software since 1991, and in 2007 founded the Puerto Rico chapter of the Worldwide InDesign User Group. His success opened the door for many other Latin American chapters. He also co-authored InDesign CS5 Learn by Video, published by Peachpit Press and Adobe Press. Editorial design has always been his passion. In 2010, he art-directed and designed the award-winning La Justicia En Sus Manos, a book commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. In 2012, he worked for Adobe as a Creative Suite and DPS Evangelist, focusing on the Caribbean and Latin American markets. His relationship with Adobe continues as a consultant, community professional, and influencer. He currently owns his own design and consulting studio in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Kevin Hedgpeth
Kevin Hedgpeth is an Arizona native who makes his home in Phoenix, where he actively writes and illustrates in addition to teaching college-level visual arts courses. He is co-author of “Exploring Drawing for Animation” and “Exploring Character Design” for Cengage Learning and illustrated the book, "Raising Unicorns: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Starting and Running a Successful - and Magical! - Unicorn Farm" for Adams Media.
Kristen Becker
Kristen Becker is an educator and a graphic and business designer specializing in e-commerce. She has developed and marketed a niche e-commerce boutique featured in Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, and In Style magazines. With over 12 years of experience as an award winning educator, she has developed curriculum and taught courses in graphic design, multimedia, and e-commerce/marketing. Kristen has an Master's degree in Digital Arts From Maryland Institute College of Art.
Michael Hamm
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
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.
Taz Tally
Dr. Taz Tally is the president of Taz Tally Seminars, a computer publishing consulting and training company, and Taz Tally Photography. Taz is the author of numerous graphics and print production books including Photoshop Before and After Makeovers, Acrobat and PDF Solutions, Avoiding the Output Blues, and Avoiding the Scanning Blues, and he is a contributing author to The Photoshop World Dream Team Book. Taz has produced numerous instructional videos, CDs, DVDs and online training courses on scanning, prepress and printing, Photoshop, color correction, and font management, including an extensive library on Lynda.com. Taz is a frequent presenter at seminars and trade shows throughout the U.S, including the GraphExpo, the annual Chicago Print show, and is a member of the Photoshop Dream Team at the biannual Photoshop World convention. Taz writes for graphics art publications including Printing Industry of America, The Magazine, Layers Magazine, and Photoshop User. Taz is an adventure author who specializes in black and white landscape photography and whose latest book is 50 Hikes in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula.
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Associate Degree in Graphic Design Program Outcomes
By completing the program, Associate Degree in Graphic Design students develop the following competencies:
1. Art/Design Principles
Demonstrate the ability to produce visually compelling work by applying knowledge of color, typography, and composition.
2. Technology
Create images and design layouts by effectively and efficiently using design software including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, and other industry technologies.
3. Research/History
Analyze, evaluate, and synthesize concepts and artistic styles, and effectively communicate concepts based upon research.
4. Design Process
Develop strategic and compelling designs for a variety of audiences and social contexts.
5. Projects
Produce and present a range of standard professional graphic design projects including graphics, posters, ads, logos, page layouts, and packaging.
6. Critical Thinking and Writing
Employ critical thinking to generate, support, and convey ideas through writing for academic or professional contexts.
7. Portfolio
Apply creative problem solving and constructive feedback to conceive, produce, and present an impactful body of work that showcases your skills to employers and potential clients.
Outcomes Assessment
To learn more about our outcomes assessment process, visit our Academic Team.
Student Work
Student Work
Program Benefits
Launch your Creative Career
Earn a degree and launch your creative career in our most rigorous 2-year program.
By Creatives, for Creatives
Collaborate with a community of creative learners and industry professionals.
Maximize Your Portfolio
Projects put you through your paces as you build a body of work. Your program culminates with a guided portfolio review.
Structure and Flexibility
Weekly deadlines keep you on track, but with no set login times you can build your studies around your schedule.
Education You Can Afford
Affordable programs with low per credit tuition, and financial aid available for those who qualify.
Convenient Online Application
Fast, convenient, and student-centered application process.
Career Outlook for Graphic Designers
Graphic Designers produce creative work for a myriad of industries and design for print, web, and a variety of media including television, film, and live streaming. Graphic Designers need to possess technical expertise, analytical skills, artistic ability, communication skills, creativity, time-management, and well-developed attention to detail.
Job Titles
Graduates could be employed as a Graphic Designer, Brand Identity Designer, Web Designer, UX/UI Designer, Production Artist, Desktop Publisher, or Digital Designer.
Median Annual Wage
According to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics the median annual wage for graphic designers was $58,910 (as of May 2023).
Median annual wages for graphic designers in top industries (in which they work):
| Specialized design services | $62,330 |
| Advertising, public relations, and related services | $56,970 |
| Publishing industries | $54,450 |
| Printing and related support activities | $44,500 |
Largest Areas of Employment
| Self-employed workers | 19% |
| Advertising, public relations, and related services | 9% |
| Specialized design services | 9% |
| Printing and related support activities | 6% |
| Publishing industries | 6% |
Job Projections
Employment opportunities for graphic designers are projected to grow 3 percent from 2022 to 2032.
There are about 22,800 projected openings for graphic designers each year, on average, over the decade.
Resources
Based on Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and Indeed Job Outlook data.
To learn more, visit AIGA, Graphic Artists Guild, Society for Experiential Graphic Design.
Getting Started
Our Graphic Design Degree Online application process makes getting started easy, fast, and convenient.
How Do I Apply?
To enter the program you are expected to have earned a high school diploma, GED, or state-approved home school equivalent. Any students under 18 years of age will also need to provide the signed permission of a parent or guardian.
We have a convenient and student-friendly online application process.
To apply, simply complete our application form and provide transcripts, an application essay, and 5-10 samples or art/design work or alternative written assignment, and a $75 application fee. Applications are reviewed by our Acceptance Committee and generally returned within a business week. See our complete application guide and credit transfer policy.
You can begin your creative journey by completing our online application today. There is no charge until you submit your application materials and no obligation to enroll.
How Long is the Program?
The Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) program is a 72 credit program completed in six semesters or two years by a student on a full-time schedule. Students with transfer credit can graduate in under two years and part-time schedules are available.
Will the Program Fit My Schedule?
Weekly deadlines help you stay on track. And with no set login times, you can build your studies around your schedule, wherever you are located. That’s why more than 50% of our degree students complete their programs while working full-time.
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 InDesign CC software.
- MS word or equivalent application
- Your computer must meet software manufacturer requirements.
- Basic drawing and painting supplies including pencils, charcoal, newsprint, and sketch paper.
- Webcam, headphones or speaker, VPN connection, and microphone connected to the computer for live proctored exams.
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?
Truly Affordable Tuition. Since our founding in 1997, we have been committed to making the highest-quality design and digital media education available at the lowest cost.
Our truly affordable Fall 2024 tuition is:
| Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) Program - Fall 2024 Tuition |
|---|
| $300 per credit |
| $3,600 per semester |
| $7,200 per academic year |
| $21,600 total program tuition |
Per-credit tuition is the same full-time and part-time students. Federal financial aid available for eligible students. Ask about our $500-$3,000 scholarships for exemplary applicants.
A $200 registration fee is required to process your enrollment in the program. Registration fees are nonrefundable after 5 days from the scheduled beginning of program orientation. See Degree Program Admissions.
Is Financial Aid available?
Federal Student Aid. Federal student aid is available to students who qualify. If you are eligible, you may be able to fund your program using Pell Grants and Federal student loans. Check out our Financial Aid Information pages and ask to set up an interview with our Financial Aid Director.
Military Student Aid. Military servicemembers and their families who are eligible for GI Bill Education Benefits or active service member Tuition Assistance (TA) may also be able to utilize these programs to pay for their education.
Adult Learner Scholarships. Ask about our innovative scholarships for adult learners. The Designed for You Scholarship Program can help you offset your tuition costs.
Accreditations and Approvals
Get Started Today
Take the first step on a rewarding creative journey towards earning an Associate Degree in Graphic Design.
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