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 Front Range Community College, Community College of Denver, Pikes Peak Community College, and Mesa State.
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 Mesa State and Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Community College of Denver, Trinidad State Junior College, Pueblo Community College, and Arapahoe.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Morgan Community College, Arapahoe, Trinidad State Junior College, and Colorado Mountain College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of University of Denver, Colorado Mountain College, Trinidad State Junior College, and Mesa State.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Mesa State, University of Denver, Trinidad State Junior College, and Colorado Mountain College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Denver.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at University of Denver, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, and Mesa State.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Colorado State University • Fort Collins, CO
Studying Journalism - Video Communications And Broadcast (completion in 2011)
• 7/18/2011
"CSU was a fantastic school and some of my greatest memories are from my years at the school. It was my first choice for higher education and became my only choice."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | CSU has a specific major pertaining to graphic arts, but just as I did, there are many other ways to learn the skills to become a graphic artist. Many of the other programs at the school are linked to graphic arts and provide a wide range of opportunities to get into the field. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The professors are very knowledgeable in what they teach. The alumni of my school include many successful people who have excelled in their fields. |
| Program Quality | 7 | As a journalism student, I didn't learn as much about graphic design as I wanted. It was through the school broadcast station where I received most of my knowledge in graphic design. |
| Instruction | 6 | My professors didn't focus as much on the graphic design aspect of broadcast, but more on news production. I was mostly on my own, teaching myself and using the internet to learn more about graphic design. |
| How Difficult | My studies in broadcast news wasn't so difficult academia-wise, but more-so socially. The hardest part was learning how to make ethical choices within my work and learning new software and the large amount of workload required within the field. | |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The general education courses were more book oriented. As I moved up into courses that related to my career path, classes became very small and extremely hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | Classes were very flexible. Students got to more-or-less choose their own schedules. The only issue was when there would be only one section of a required class where a student would be forced to choose that specific time to take that class. A wide variety of summer and online classes are offered every year and there are no classes on the weekends. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | CSU was in the process of rebuilding many sections of campus. The facilities were always decent and worked well for what was necessary. The only issue was that construction called for detours at times. |
| Social Life | 8 | CSU has an amazing amount of school spirit and it resonated during my time there. Our athletic teams were not the greatest, but games were always enjoyable to attend. As a college town, Ft. Collins was never lacking in the party and social scenes. |
| Placement Services | 8 | As mentioned before, my professors were more than happy to put in a good word for me as long as I was a hard worker. The school held many career fair events throughout the years to help students get their "feet in the door." |
| Alumni Network | 8 | My professors were people who have previously worked in the field. They were more than happy to put me in contact with people who could help me progress in my field. |
University Of Denver • Denver, CO
Studying Digital Media Studies (completion in 2007)
• 12/15/2011
"It was a bit too bookish and lacking in career support, but overall, the DMS program at DU was a lot of fun and really improved my design skills. The professors there are great, and with proper funding, they could be even greater."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | A student pursuing a pure design curriculum should look elsewhere. DMS is for pan-disciplinary study. When you get out of the program, you can do a little of everything, making you an ideal manager or member of a smaller company where everyone has several areas of responsibility. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I don't know that DMS at DU has much of a reputation. It's a small program at a small school. Within the school itself, the reputation was good, however. |
| Program Quality | 8 | DU's Digital Media Studies program focuses a little too heavily on academic concerns, and not enough on design production and the professional concerns of their graduates. |
| Instruction | 9 | The wide variety of classes and teachers available was very high quality. I learned numerous design techniques, as well as hands-on printing practices. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The workload itself wasn't terribly taxing, but the discussions in class could be. We were expected to participate heavily in conversations about design theory. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Some classes were extremely hands on and some were entirely book based. Very few balanced the two. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Weekends weren't a scheduling option in my program, nor were Fridays. However, the school did make special arrangements for another MA student who was pregnant. Another in my cohort had to go on a month-long overseas business trip, and allowances were made there, too. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | The professors were great, but when I was there, DU was just catching up to the fact that design and art were so heavily digital. Facilities were a bit behind the times, and libraries didn't have much in the way of materials for my field. |
| Social Life | 10 | I loved socializing at DU. Comparing it to my undergrad experience at OSU, I've often said that I felt like DU was the college experience I was supposed to have the first time around. |
| Placement Services | 4 | Like the alumni services, DU's career services were good if you wanted to stay in Denver. If you wanted to move away, they didn't have much to offer you. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | DU's DMS program provides great support if you stay in the Denver area after graduating. Unfortunately, they very rarely offer any resources or networking opportunities elsewhere in the country. |
University Of Denver • Denver, CO
Studying Electronic Media Art Design And Digital Media (completion in 2011)
• 3/13/2012
"I made lasting friendships and connections and I really value my education. Of course, there are things I would change, but I think that would be the case for anything."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If you solely wanted to be in the graphic design world, a more technical institution would be best. If you would like a wider knowledge base, than yes, I would recommend DU. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Not many people know about this program, as it is pretty small. The Daniels College of Business is really the only known program at DU. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Since it is a liberal arts education, the program was not a technical one, which is what you really need to be a confident graphic designer. I liked the program, but I feel like I came out of it knowing a little bit about a lot. |
| Instruction | 10 | Our professors are great. They are all practicing artists who are working on projects alongside the students. They are always available for help and even if they are not your current professor, if their door is open, you could ask them a question. |
| How Difficult | 8 | This program was very time consuming and took a lot of planning and preparation. It was not a book heavy program, so you needed to be physically in the space you were working on, which made it hard to be anywhere working than the art building. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The eMad and DMS schools have to be completely hands on. Most classes do not even require the students to purchase the text book, only if they want it for supplemental reading. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | They do offer some classes on the weekends, but not in my program. We had one time slot that was 6pm - 9pm, but that was all they offered that was not during normal work or school hours. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The eMad and DMS labs are top of the line. Everything was always new and easy to use. The layout was great and they even had a special room full of projectors for exhibits. |
| Social Life | 3 | The school sponsored events were weak and we had very little school spirit. I think this was partly because we do not have a football team, which is a major source of school spirit. |
| Placement Services | I have never used their job services. I would imagine they are pretty average since we are a well known university in the Mountain West region of america. | |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I have not used the alumni network. I live in Denver still and they have a lot of recent graduate happy hours, which is nice if you would like to participate in those. |
Colorado Mesa University • Grand Junction, CO
Studying Bachelors Of Art With Emphasis In Graphic Design (completion in 2001)
• 3/14/2012
"Good school, good teachers. Very nice facility and resources. Friendly Students and faculty. They taught me what I needed to know."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Good school, good teachers that new what they were doing. Friendly peers and a good art program. The design program was good, I only wish they had more web stuff (they probably do now as this was 10 years ago). I would tell students to take advantage of all subjects they are interested in while in school as you don't really get another chance down the line. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I believe the program has a good reputation. The school certainly has a great reputation in the area. It is not known for its design program, but I learned what I needed to know. |
| Program Quality | 7 | Good school, great teachers. I liked the program, there was good camaraderie and good teachers that taught well. |
| Instruction | 8 | Good teachers, very accessible, they knew their stuff. I wish they had done a little more with web design, but this was 10 years ago. |
| How Difficult | 6 | Not that hard for me. The workload for general ed was not something I enjoyed. The program had some challenges, but mostly in the upper level stuff, where they should be. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Good mix, some book learning in particular fields (advertising and illustration techniques) and hands on work required in computer labs, art techniques and 'field trips' to print shops, etc. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Good class flexibility. They also have a campus/extension in Montrose, CO that works for nontraditional students as well. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Good labs that were state of the art at the time. Very nice separate art building with great studios, etc. The library is large and new with good computer labs. |
| Social Life | 5 | I'm not very social. I did participate in some organized social events within my program, so I would say it was average or maybe slightly above average. Nice students and faculty. |
| Placement Services | 7 | Good job placement help, and they had a wide range of contacts. Every student was required to have an intern position in a print shop or design studio. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I didn't use their network much. I had good access to teachers and do still keep in touch with some students, so I would say they have a pretty good network. |
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