Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Graphic Designers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Rio Salado College, Arizona State, Pima Community College, and Mesa Community College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider The Art Center Design College-Tucson, Arizona State, and Northern Arizona University.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Arizona Western, Cochise, Phoenix College, and Pima Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Phoenix College, Cochise, Pima Community College, and Rio Salado College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of The Art Center Design College-Tucson, Northern Arizona University, Rio Salado College, and Arizona State.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Northern Arizona University, Arizona State, Arizona Western, and Cochise.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Northern Arizona University and Arizona State.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Mohave Community College • Lake Havasu City, AZ
Studying Graphic Design (completion in 2007)
• 5/4/2011
"Some classes in the general studies were fun and had wonderful teachers. But my whole experience was unsatisfactory."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I do not know the answer to this. I have not been to the school in 4 years. They are mostly a Nursing, Casino Dealers, and General study school. |
| Program Quality | 2 | Mohave Community college should not be handing out degrees in this category. They canceled most of the classes for design programs. I had to teach the teachers how to use computers. |
| Instruction | 2 | I had to teach the teachers to use computers. I learn most of the things I know today from the books I got from the one class and from trial and error. |
| How Difficult | 1 | Mostly I took general arts classes. Most of them included Math, English, and Sciences. They were difficult. The classes I took geared toward graphic design were easy. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The teachers did not know the programs enough to answer my questions. I had to learn from the book. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The school offered a good amount of online classes, but the classes I needed either got canceled or moved to another campus 3 hours away. The only way they were flexible was if they could find another class to fit in my schedule for me to waste my money on. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | There wasn't a department for Graphic Design. There were well equipped class rooms with the latest software for design programs, there were just a lack of advisors and classes. |
| Social Life | 3 | Other classes were fun, and engaging. The school is small so there was no school spirit, athletics, or parties. There were social events that included selling popcorn and baked goods for NHS to donate to charities. |
| Placement Services | 2 | The school did not pursue jobs for the students there. It is a community college and most of the students graduate, then move on to a bigger college. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | They send out plenty of requests for me to donate money. They do have a card they give to alumni for discounts around the areas they have campuses. |
MCC • Bullhead City, AZ
Studying Graphic Design (completion in 2006)
• 5/4/2011
"It was very disorganized. I don't think it was very helpful in obtaining a career afterwards."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would recommend people attend a four year program. It would help them move into a higher paying career. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | This is the only school available in this area so everyone here knows about it. However, it isn't known in many other places. |
| Program Quality | 2 | The school was very disorganized. While it did get me into a career, a four year college would have given me more options. |
| Instruction | 3 | I feel like the college gave me the ability to apply for entry level jobs. However I had to be completely retrained once I was in the field. |
| How Difficult | 5 | For me it was easy learning to use programs such as Adobe Photoshop because I already had experience in them. But for someone who hasn't learned these programs yet it might be hard to keep up in the classes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Very little hands on experience was in place. We read books and took tests. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | MCC offers night and daytime classes. However for some classes you have to travel to further away places. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | The library is very small and doesn't contain a lot. The faculty doesn't have degrees higher than bachelors. |
| Social Life | 4 | I made friends in my programs. However there were not clubs and organizations to get to know other students. |
| Placement Services | 1 | The school did not have a job placement program. I looked for my career on my own. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | MCC does have an alumni network. Although they don't contact anyone, or do anything to move forward. |
Art Institute Of Phoenix • Phoenix, AZ
Studying Visual Effects And Motion Graphics (completion in 2008)
• 7/10/2011
"I was extremely disappointed, especially for the amount of money I spent. Looking back, I could have taught myself more during the time I'd been in school and saved a whole lot of time and money."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | Perhaps some other art institutes are better qualified to support a graphic artist who is willing to learn and expects to launch into a career after school. The Art Institute of Phoenix is not the right one. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | Since it's a new major, not much of a reputation has been built. I don't believe they are using the same name or courses in the program any longer. |
| Program Quality | 2 | The major was brand new when I was going to school. The course curriculum was made up as we went along, and it was poorly designed and executed. |
| Instruction | 4 | RARELY did the instruction provide real world training. I never was taught how to market myself, only to pigeonhole my art and style into an ill designed "ideal" fabricated by the school. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Some work was very stressful because a lot of it was based on teaching ourselves. I could not have completed the degree without using the software at home instead of at school. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was mostly hands on with some book learning, but this was very inconsistent between professors. Some would teach perhaps 7-10% of the time and leave the rest to the book, while some would actually want the students to learn only through active hands on experiences. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Only a few times was I forced to take a class at a time I didn't want to. Online classes, however, were very flexible. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | Many times it was difficult to find a computer lab that was free to use. Only one lab had all the software required for my major. Some professors were impossible to access. More than one would outright refuse to help because of pridefulness; extremely unprofessional for a professor. |
| Social Life | 3 | There are no sports at this school, but there were several gaming parties that only students of the game design major would attend. It was very difficult to have a true social experience at this school. |
| Placement Services | 1 | At least in my major, the job placement was completely out of touch with the curriculum taught. Rarely were entry level jobs surfacing on the list of opportunities. All required years of experience in software and fieldwork that we were never taught. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | It's difficult to maintain an alumni relationship without living in the same city. Alumni support and career services are completely out of touch with the curriculum being taught, at least with my major. |
Collins College • Tempe, AZ
Studying Game Design (completion in 2005)
• 8/3/2011
"I'm glad I went for the degree. I'm not glad I about the quality of in-school education."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It really depends on how they have improved. If they have made strides, I would recommend it. If not, it's a huge money sink for experience you'll learn in the field anyhow. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | The reputation wasn't wonderful, but is improving. This is due to the progressing excellence of graduates as they get away from the school and learn actual industry skills. |
| Program Quality | 4 | It was a very lackluster degree. It was more or less self taught. |
| Instruction | 4 | Sadly the instructors seemed to learn as they went. There were some vets, but not many. |
| How Difficult | 3 | It was easy for the most part, mostly due to me teaching myself most of the courses. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Very much hands-on work. Experience was pushed over book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | They were extremely flexible and worked around many schedules. It was one of their better aspects. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | Space was plentiful, but the resources were limited. Everything was mostly provided by the students. |
| Social Life | 10 | There was great social opportunities. The students banded together very well. |
| Placement Services | 2 | This was poor, but not due to their lack of effort. There wasn't a lot in that area. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | The school pushes harder on alumni work than it did with the students. But that's very much expected. Emails and the like are common. |
University Of Arizona • Tucson, AZ
Studying Visual Communications (completion in 2011)
• 8/16/2011
"I was satisfied with my school. There was more to learn than I thought, and there are still things I wish would have been available. I possess skills that only a few people seem to grasp."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If people are looking for professors with real experience, they can find it here. The things that will make you stand out are taught here. The university cranks out thoughtful problem solvers, not pixel pushers and graphic adorners. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | It is considered old, just like the building. This is good and bad. It has strong roots to its beginning, but is slow to get new technologies. The program doesn't bring in much money compared to Optical Sciences, Engineering, and other programs. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I was taught how to think and value my ideas over technical skills. However, I learned to use programs and only became proficient on my own time and dedication. |
| Instruction | 7 | I had excellent teachers, but at times there were technical skills that they did not even know. Creativity was pushed and encouraged most of the time. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I learned the ropes of many design aspects, as well as liberally applied knowledge. I did work hard and it took me a while. It was quite rigorous. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Some classes didn't require books. Others did, but were only a supplement. Most classes made us "do" and engage in the process of thinking. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | I usually had gaps in my schedule because the specialized class options were offered only at certain times. The selections were adequate, but could use improvement. Summer and online courses are only for basic level courses generally. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | Good library, teacher accessibility, and support. The rooms smelled old but had character. Computers were only available in select courses. |
| Social Life | 7 | Being a bit timid, I didn't take advantage of all there was to offer. The atmosphere is very good though. There is plenty of school spirit. |
| Placement Services | 5 | They do try hard, and there are lots of online resources, campus interview, and such. In the end, they only seem to work with the local businesses and Phoenix. It makes it difficult to find work in the city of your choice. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | Alumni are usually friendly if you find any. They are hard to reach unless you dig around social networks. Three alums come judge the annual exhibition. |
Arizona State University • Tempe, AZ
Studying Design Studies (completion in 2013)
• 2/23/2012
"ASU may not have the best reputation, and deservedly so considering the university's 95% acceptance rate. But the design program was top notch and really prepared me for the work force."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The ASU Design program is top notch. Professors are outstanding and always willing to help, facilities are state of the art, and the nature of the program is pertinent and prepares students for the work force. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | ASU has a great design program. One of the top public school programs in the nation. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I really loved that the program was modeled after that of the Bauhaus. I also really liked that the program focused a great deal of attention on social and political issues that have a large effect on design. |
| Instruction | 9 | Most of the professors I had were excellent. Sure, there were a couple less than ideal instructors, but overall, the quality of instruction is outstanding. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Overall, the program as a whole is quite rigorous. Several huge projects and milestones and portfolios must be submitted and approved in order for students to graduate. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My particular program was more book learning than hands on, but I felt this was appropriate for the nature of the discipline. Book learning was extremely important for my area of study and I have found it to be quite beneficial. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | Very flexible. Many weekend, evening, summer, and online options. I especially like online courses for non-major requirements. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Very nice campus overall. Technology can be kind of slow in some libraries, but for the most part, tech equipment is state of the art. |
| Social Life | 8 | There's always something to do at ASU. The majority of the student population are business majors who just want to party and get a degree on the side, but I had a great 4 years. |
| Placement Services | 9 | As previously stated, career services helped me land an internship. I will have a better understanding of the true quality of career services after I graduate. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The graduate job center helped me land an internship. I have already had student workers call me, asking for donations. |
Arizona State University • Tempe, AZ
Studying Visual Communication Design (completion in 2001)
• 3/4/2012
"I am thrilled I transferred. ASU was a wonderful choice."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I think ASU was hard, but it really got me to where I needed to be. Compared to the trade school, it is night and day. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I believe it is pretty well respected. I switched to ASU because I had heard that it had a successful program. |
| Program Quality | 6 | I transferred to ASU from another technical college that was awful. ASU was demanding and prepared me for late nights and hard work. |
| Instruction | 7 | I had good professors who were well respected in the industry. Each of my teachers had considerable training and experience. |
| How Difficult | 9 | My program was exhausting! Don't let anyone mislead you. It was a stressful program with late nights full of cutting, mounting, printing, reviewing. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I can hardly think of any book learning we did. It was all hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | My courses were outlined for me. There was little in the way of choice. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | I wish the art facilities were open later. Otherwise, it had everything we needed. |
| Social Life | I was almost in the dark about this. I did not join any clubs or go to any games. | |
| Placement Services | 10 | As I said, I was given a wonderful position upon graduation that has launched my career. I do not know where I would have been without that recommendation. |
| Alumni Network | To be honest I have not joined the alumni association. I do not intend to do so. |
Collins College • Tempe, AZ
Studying Animation (completion in 2002)
• 2/28/2012
"The only thing I wish I could have done was participated in the current 4 year program. I loved having an entire building dedicated to our program and even teachers that worked in popular animation and design fields."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I think I've explained why I like this school so much, but if you want a high quality education by professionals who have made it in the field and have amazing things on their resumes, then this is the place. You get graphic design, traditional animation, flash animation, 3D animation, and fine painting/model work all in one package. What more could you ask for? |
| Program Reputation | 10 | They extended their program to a required 4 years and I believe that will provide more time to soak in the curriculum. I only had an 18 month course and I know some classes that were 5 weeks. I'd have loved to have spent more time there to get more out of it. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Everything from the location to the type of courses struck well with me. I liked that the school focused solely on animation and graphic design rather than using general elective courses like English, Math, etc. I did go to college again for a pure Graphic Design degree and took those courses, but I loved that Collins did not have that focus so I could only concentrate on what I loved. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instructors let me know when something I did would not work in the real world and if it would sell well. They proposed things from a point of view as if we were already creating projects in the work field and rating our designs based on who would get the job bid. It really helped and got us used to competition. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It was difficult in that they were always challenging you and pushing you to be better than your best. As far as the difficulty in the actual work? There was none because this comes natural for me... well, I can't say NONE, but not a lot. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We didn't even have books in some of our classes. For some classes we had some worksheet handouts and a lot of verbal teaching while we did our projects. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They have morning, midday, and night classes. They also provide weekend and even online classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | For my program they had one entire building called "Toon Town" dedicated to it. Rooms upon rooms with the SGI computers, Mac rooms, and even live drawing rooms where they brought in models for referencing -- they even had old school animation and design rooms to teach the basics. |
| Social Life | 9 | I didn't really do much socially at my school except for a few social events, but I made tons of friends and went out with them often. It was one of the better parts of my life. |
| Placement Services | Again, I didn't utilize these services once I finished. I moved back across the country and got in with a business there. | |
| Alumni Network | I did not really utilize the after graduation help and fairs. I moved back home across the country and have gotten in with local companies to get started. |
Northern Arizona University • Flagstaff, AZ
Studying History, Spanish And Humanities (completion in 1995)
• 3/10/2012
"NAU allowed me to broaden my horizons only so much in the classroom. However, my experiences abroad opened up the world to me and having come from a small town that was very important. I would never have gotten the opportunity to travel as much as I did if it hadn't been for my education."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | If you want to be a graphic artist then you need to study arts or graphics or both. I don't know that a classroom setting is required for that. As a matter of fact I think there are very few artists anymore in graphic arts. I would recommend learning how to use a pencil, before getting on a computer. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I can't imagine that it has changed all that much. The school was known for its education program and not much else. |
| Program Quality | 5 | It was not a top notch program. There wasn't a lot to challenge me. |
| Instruction | 3 | I don't use my degree. I'm a graphic artist not a professor. |
| How Difficult | 3 | The program wasn't much of a challenge academically. It was hard to get motivated to attend the classes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My Spanish program was a definite mix. I spent well over a year in Mexico and Spain as well as numerous hours in the classroom. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | NAU was really good about availability of classes. The school was designed with the understanding that the students had to support themselves financially. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | It was definitely better than average. The computer room was top notch with lots of Mac computers for graphics work. |
| Social Life | 5 | I enjoyed my friends company, most of whom lived off campus. My on-campus activities included attending classes and working. |
| Placement Services | I didn't use any placement services that might have been available. I understand that they were good with teacher placement. | |
| Alumni Network | I don't have any contact with my old school. I'm not the type to reminisce over my college days. |
Cochise Community College • Douglas, AZ
Studying 3d Modeling/Graphic Design (completion in 2011)
• 3/28/2012
"Good for what it is. There are much better schools elsewhere."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If they were in my general area, I would recommend the school. Otherwise, I would not recommend it, as there are better schools. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Does not specialize in game design and 3d modeling as other colleges do. It was the only option for the area I live in. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Taught me everything I had wished to learn. Had excellent teachers, excellent equipment to learn on, small classes, and individual attention. |
| Instruction | 10 | Every student got a lot of attention from the teachers. Only twenty or so students to a class, and two teachers. |
| How Difficult | 6 | I have always excelled in school, and especially on computers. I pick up almost anything on computers very quickly. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Almost no books. Mostly hands-on modeling in Autodesk Maya. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Went when I could. When I couldn't, assignments were sent to me. Excellent. |
| Academic Facilities | Only classes were provided; no extras. Still taught everything I really needed to know. | |
| Social Life | I didn't live there. I only went for classes. I wasn't there enough and I am not very social. | |
| Placement Services | Don't really know. Started my own game design studio right out of college. |
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