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 Columbia College, STLCC - Meramec, Moberly Area Community College, and Park University.
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 Drury, Maryville, Columbia College, and Park University.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Stephens College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider STLCC - Forest Park, STLCC - Florissant Valley, Washington University in St Louis, and Park University.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider STLCC - Forest Park, STLCC - Florissant Valley, STLCC - Meramec, and Missouri State-West Plains.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Washington University in St Louis, Kansas City Art Institute, Park University, and Stephens College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Washington University in St Louis, Stephens College, Missouri State, and Kansas City Art Institute.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Washington University in St Louis and Columbia College.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Washington University in St Louis, Columbia College, and Missouri State.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Washington University in St Louis, Kansas City Art Institute, Stephens College, and Missouri State.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Southeast Missouri State University • Cape Girardeau, MO
Studying Visual Design (completion in 2010)
• 5/8/2011
"I liked SEMO, but I don't think I go back there for anything. They are raising the price too high."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It would depend on if they were wanting to stay in the area or not. Also how much time they had for classes. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | SEMO is stating to be one the leading schools in the field. It is still a new degree for them, so as it stands, good. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Since we are about 2 hours away from St. Louis, Cape Girardeau doesn't offer as many internships as I would like. There were limited job openings when we did get out in our area, most had to move to larger cities. |
| Instruction | 9 | They were very helpful in teaching us one on one. We had a lot of group projects too, such as designing a cafe. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The beginning was very easy - simple tasks on Adobe CS3 that most should know. Toward the end with the greater insight to customer views we had to work harder to please the customer, but to stay true to the design. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | In the beginning more book - towards the end it was more working with customers and hands on. It was a good mix. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | They have two campuses plus online work. Though if you really want the good teachers you need to stick to the main campus. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Though most computers have the updated Adobe CS4 software, not all of their printers were up to par. We had to find a Kinkos to print at. |
| Social Life | 4 | I'm sure they are very good, mostly when you join a club. I have a full time job, and 2 kids I don't have time to keep up with that. |
| Placement Services | 5 | They were very helpful to get your resume up to date and to help you send in applications. But this is a smaller town, so not a lot of job openings here. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I'm sure they are very good, mostly when you join a club. I have a full time job, and 2 kids. I don't have time to keep up with that. |
Hickey College • St. Louis, MO
Studying Graphic Design (completion in 2000)
• 7/11/2011
"If I had to do it all over again, I would still choose Hickey College. The teachers were great and I wouldn't trade my education for University training. I believe I learned I all that I needed to know to be successful in my field."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | In the past, I have recommended my school to other people looking for a career in graphic design. Even if they cannot attend Hickey, I strongly recommend that they look into another technical or business school with a graphics program. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | The school is very reputable in the states of Missouri and Illinois. I have heard nothing but good things from employers who have employed students from Hickey. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I have worked with others who hold Bachelors degrees and attended universities time and time again. Every one that I have met has been less knowledgeable because of the programs. I think that universities do not spend enough time training students on the programs. My school made a point to give us lots of hands on experience. |
| Instruction | 10 | Our teachers actually had experience in the graphic design field. They knew how to train us to not only use the programs, but to think about the printing process as well. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Along with design, we were required to take college English classes. Though all of my classes were easy for me, they were semi-difficult for other students. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Hickey gives a very hands on approach to learning. We did have books and were required to take English and Typing classes, so there was some book learning. The majority of our education were art and computer program classes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | I have received a few postcards from Hickey since graduation. When I graduated, I didn't have the options, but they have since added some night and summer classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | We were able to go into the library and computer rooms after school if needed. We could also contact our teachers for support or additional help in the programs. |
| Social Life | 8 | There were no athletics or parties since this is a business school. However, we did have smaller classes which allowed for closer relationships with other students. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Though the school claims to have 100% success in job placement, they did not help me find employment. I found employment without help from the placement department and they still included that in their placement percentile. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I have been contacted a few times since graduation. However, I believe that my school could do a better job of working with the alumni. |
Kansas City Art Institute • Kansas City, MO
Studying Illustration & Design (completion in 1998)
• 7/25/2011
"I am glad I chose this school. I learned a lot, grew as an artist, and made great friends."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I have recommended my school to friends that have children interested in art. It is still a highly rated school. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | My school was rated among top 3 art schools. The Illustration & Design Department housed the most popular majors. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The Kansas City Art Institute was one of the top three schools for art when I attended there. (Walt Disney went there as well!) Great teachers and great classes. |
| Instruction | 10 | During my freshman year, the program was rated #1 of all art schools. My illustration teacher now works for Disney, hiring artists. I learned new techniques and how to take criticism of my artwork. |
| How Difficult | 7 | My Academic classes were Art History, American Films of the 1970's, Film and Literature of the Holocaust, etc. Remembering lots of dates and artists was sometimes difficult for me. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most classes were not "book" classes, except for my history classes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | They offer morning or afternoon courses for your major. Then your electives were placed around that. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The campus is set up well (in a circle). Computer labs for writing reports, computer labs for art classes (learning adobe products, website design etc.), the library, and the studio were all available to work in after class. |
| Social Life | 10 | AWESOME! Halloween was always great fun because of the costume making contests. We had an end of year festival, bonfire, mud wrestling... leave it to artists! |
| Placement Services | 5 | I know they offer assistance, in person or on their website. I just never took advantage of it, because I found jobs on my own easily. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | My school sends out booklets about events going on for alumni. They also help in job searching. But I don't take advantage of it really. |
Kaplan University Learning Center • St. Louis, MO
Studying Arts And Sciences Program (completion in 2006)
• 9/11/2011
"I was extremely satisfied and felt prepared for the work world, but evidently it wasn't prepared for me. I still need a job."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I was happy with the school overall. It's no famous school of liberal arts, but it suited my needs. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | It seems that either my job applications are just terrible, or Kaplan has some kind of curse on it. No one that I speak to finds it reputable, though I thought it was an excellent program. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The Kaplan program was worthwhile, and I'm not going to blame my lack of success on it. |
| Instruction | 7 | I already knew what I was doing, but the instructors made me feel ready to take on the world. Little did I know that being a graphic design artist would be so difficult. Many designs on the internet are free anyway, which simplifies things. |
| How Difficult | 4 | The program was probably easier than my high school classes. I did have year-booking class, and I made designs and comics on my own time. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program was more hands-on, as design should be. I felt prepared and appreciated. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The class schedules were organized and at good times for me. Because there weren't many classes or students, the times were sensible and at regular times. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | I loved the inside of the school. It was colorful and new. |
| Social Life | 6 | Because it was a smaller school, there were not as many opportunities for intramural sports, though it still met my needs. |
| Placement Services | 4 | Coming out of the University, I found a job relatively easily, with three other graduates who were approached right out of class. It was a great opportunity to see how the "system" works. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I made several great friends who I still keep in touch with. The community was small and friendly. |
Kansas City Art Institute • Kansas City, MO
Studying Graphic Design (completion in 2011)
• 11/23/2011
"Great choice of school, overall great environment with teachers that allow you to explore the art world. The only problem was the cost of going there, as it can be expensive."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I had a great experience there and I'm sure others will have the same. It was definitely worth going there. It made me a rather successful graphic designer. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | This is an art institute, and they pride themselves on making sure that their reputation is good. They have a great design program, yet it would've been better if some of the actual graphic design classes were in the main building. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I rated it this way since this major/school helped build the base to my designs. It also taught me great ways to solve aesthetic design problems. |
| Instruction | 8 | The instructors work very well with the students and allow them to express themselves in their own ways. They also allow plenty of studio time for you to work on projects. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It really took a huge chunk out my time - it's very time consuming. If you're a perfectionist, the amount of time given is no where near enough. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It's definitely a lot more hands on, especially when it comes to projects. Book learning was limited, though there is always a section of the books that you could go back and read about for each project. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | It takes a lot of time to get projects done. Despite how time consuming it is, there is still some time left afterwards for entertainment. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Good facility, close to the art museum with homes you can rent nearby. Some of the graphic design buildings are streets away from the main building. |
| Social Life | 9 | I met many great artists and increased my social network dramatically. The events sponsored by the school are also very great and very fun. |
| Placement Services | 8 | The school works with the student in order for them to get an internship with a company. At the end of the students' senior years, most of the time the companies where they are interning at will hire them. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | Great place to meet other artists and designers. It definitely increased my Artist Contacts List dramatically. Very mellow environment. |
Missouri State (Southwest Missouri State) • Springfield, MO
Studying Graphic Design (completion in 1995)
• 11/15/2011
"Had a great time in school. I received a great liberal arts education and became interested in things I didn't know existed. I made great friends for life and overall felt well prepared for my career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I think it's important for designers to have a firm foundation in the fine arts. Although as a graphic designer, you may not be a great painter or draughtsman, you definitely need to be able to "think with a pencil" and understand color, composition and what makes art... art. This school provided that as well as a good liberal arts background. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | It's not an "Art School," but those of us who have been through the program take a closer look at resumes from graduates of the program because we know it's a good school for the degree. I would say it has a good reputation. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The school had definitely spent some time and money developing its fine arts program. It had dedicated buildings and great instructors. The buildings were not "state of the art," though. |
| Instruction | 8 | Great design program. The teachers were experienced designers and illustrators, and several were from Europe. The production instruction was lacking though, mostly because the world was transitioning quickly from paste up to computers back then. |
| How Difficult | 6 | We spent many late nights finishing projects and cramming for history exams. I can't say it was very difficult, though. Our work loads were reasonable and actually light compared to the real world. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Definitely more hands-on. We did have some great texts on color theory and art history. Our design instructors gave us some good books to browse on design, but there was rarely assigned reading. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Many of the art classes were offered in the evenings. This made life easier because they were 3 hour studio classes and were hard to schedule other day classes around. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Professors were very accessible, as were advisors. The art department had a couple of dedicated buildings or floors of buildings. The faculty was fantastic. The production instruction was lacking and I was behind on that when I left school. |
| Social Life | 10 | I found everything I needed at the school. I'm pretty sure everyone could. I changed a lot in that time, but I always fit in somewhere. Great religious communities. Strong Greek presence. |
| Placement Services | Never took advantage of it. | |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I am rating it average because I never took advantage of it. But I have never been that aware of it. |
Ozarks Technical Community College • Springfield, MO
Studying GDT (Graphic Design Technology) (completion in 2012)
• 3/18/2012
"I have not gotten my money's worth. I am not getting taught or helped as much as I should be."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | MSU in Springfield, MO is much better. My school only cares about the money it gets out of the student. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | Many people know about the school and its program. Overall, they do an OK job of advertising it. |
| Program Quality | 5 | They are not the best graphic design school. The professors do not know about graphic design that much. |
| Instruction | 5 | Instructors are inexperienced. They do not try to help the students. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Its not a very hard program. You don't learn a lot from it. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We hardly use books. The teachers don't give hands on instruction either. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | Teachers are really anal about students missing class. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | They have up to date buildings. Students have access to libraries and computers everywhere. |
| Social Life | 3 | School spirit is missing. What do you expect from a community college? |
| Placement Services | 1 | They don't help students find jobs. They could care less if you go hungry. Teachers included. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | They don't try to help you at all. They don't have a relationship with their students. |
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