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Graphic Design Degree Online at Sessions College

Graphic Design Degree Online

Associate Degree in Graphic Design

Scholarship Application Deadline: March 15th. ENROLL NOW for our next start:
April 29, 2024.

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.

Courney Nicli

AOS in Graphic Design, Class of 2022

Student Work By: April Savage, Erika McNamara, Kayla Langley, Cedric Thompson, Bethany Hemesath, Leah Yourstone

Program Benefits

Launch your Creative Career

Earn a degree and launch your creative career in our most rigorous 2-year program.

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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.

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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.

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Convenient Online Application

Fast, convenient, and student-centered application process.

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.

Graphic Design Major - Year One

First Semester

Second Semester

Third Semester

Graphic Design Major - Year Two

Fourth Semester

Fifth Semester

Sixth Semester

* 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 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

Faculty

Piper Nilsson Faculty profile image Piper Nilsson is a graphic/Web designer and award-winning instructor.
Kristen Becker Kristen Becker is an educator, graphic designer, and entrepreneur specializing in e-commerce.
Andrew Shalat Andrew Shalat is an author, designer/illustrator, educator, and Mac expert.

VIEW ALL PROGRAM FACULTY

Get expert feedback in classes taught by our industry-leading faculty.

Instructor Biography Degree(s) Earned
Andrew Shalat

Andrew Shalat is an author, designer/illustrator, educator, and Mac expert who is a regular speaker at Macworld and has written several books on design for McGraw-Hill and Peachpit Press.

  • MFA, Savannah College of Art and Design
  • MA in English and American Literature, Brandeis University
  • BA in English Language and Literature, State University of New York at Stonybrook

Carolyn Zaikowski is the author of the novel A Child Is Being Killed (Aqueous Books, 2013) whose fiction, poetry, and essays have been published widely.

  • MFA in Creative Writing, Naropa University, CO
  • BFA in Psychology, University of Massachusetts, MA
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.

  • MFA in Combined Media, City University of New York
  • BFA in Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art
Jose Ramos

Jose Ramos is a publishing solutions specialist and Adobe consultant for the Caribbean region. Jose has Adobe certifications in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, InCopy, Acrobat Pro, and Dreamweaver.

  • AS in Fashion and Illustration, Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale

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 and illustrator of several published books.

  • BA in Studio Art at Arizona State University, AZ
Kristen Becker

Kristen Becker is an educator and a graphic and business designer specializing in e-commerce. With over 12 years of experience as an award-winning educator, Kristen has developed curriculum and taught courses in graphic design, multimedia, and e-commerce/marketing.

  • MA in Digital Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art
  • BA in Environmental Systems, University of Maryland

Michael Hamm is a Senior UX Designer who has worked for Oracle Corporation and Expedia, and an Adobe Illustrator expert with over 20 years of experience in the creative field.

  • Diploma in Graphic Design, Art Institute of Houston, TX
Piper Nilsson Faculty profile image

Piper Nilsson is a graphic/Web designer and educator. Piper has been working with the Web since 1997, working in various roles as a designer, programmer, and information architect, Piper blueprinted sites for such global clients as MetLife, Pepsi, ETS, and Citibank.

  • AOS in Graphic Design, Pratt, NY
Taz Tally

Dr. Taz Tally is the president of Taz Tally Seminars and Taz Tally Photography and author of numerous graphics and print production books and instructional videos, CDs, DVDs and online training courses on scanning, prepress and printing, Photoshop, and color correction.

  • PhD in Geology, University of California Santa Barbara, CA

View all faculty.

Getting Started

Our Graphic Design Degree Online application process makes getting started easy, fast, and convenient.

What's the Admissions Process?

Classes start in January, April, and August, with early start options in February, June, and October.

Students entering the program are expected to have earned a high school diploma, GED, or state-approved home school equivalent. Any students under 18 years of age will need to provide the signed permission of a parent or guardian.

To apply, you’ll need to complete our convenient online application and provide an application essay, official transcripts from high school OR for any college degree completed, and 5-10 samples of your art/design work. (Transcripts must be provided for any course you wish evaluated for credit transfer.)

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?

The tuition for full-time Associate Degree students is as follows:

Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) Program
$510 per credit
$6,120 per semester
$18,360 per calendar year
$36,720 total program tuition

Per-credit tuition for part-time students is the same as for full-time students. Federal financial aid available for eligible students. Ask about our $500-$2,500 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

Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC)

Get Started Today

Take the first step on a rewarding creative journey towards earning an Associate Degree in Graphic Design.

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