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 Richland College, San Antonio College, HCC, and Northwest Vista 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 UTEP, Texas A&M, University of Houston, and Lamar University.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Wade College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider UTEP, HCC, University of the Incarnate Word, and Cedar Valley.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Lee College, Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, and University of the Incarnate Word.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of SMU, TCU, Texas A&M Commerce, and HCC.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Hardin - Simmons, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, TCU, and Lubbock Christian.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at SMU, The University of Texas, Texas A&M, and TCU.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Hardin - Simmons, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, The University of Texas, and Texas A&M Commerce.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at SMU, TSTC West Texas, Hardin - Simmons, and TCU.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Texas State University • San Marcos, TX
Studying Communication Design (completion in 2009)
• 5/4/2011
"I feel that I learned some aspects of design VERY well, while other aspects were almost nonexistent. My degree is a print based degree, which is really such a small percentage of what designers should be able to competently produce."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, I believe that my school offer some good training. However, they need to improve the student to teacher ratio as well as open more available classes to accommodate the number of students who work and go to school. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Biggest college of graphic design in Texas. We contribute graduates to a major tri city area of Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The QUALITY of instruction is good. The resources are amazing, but the TECHNICAL training is almost nonexistent. |
| Instruction | 5 | I didn't learn AS MUCH as I wanted, plus there was basically no job preparation help. The relevance to the real world work force seemed antique and out of touch. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Graphic design requires very long hours of work. Oftentimes, this work is on a tight schedule which must be met. Graphic design plays with a lot more math and co-ordinate systems than people think. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I feel that there was a good deal of teacher and hands on training, but not enough book training and exercises. To really drill the information that the computer programs we use requires, we need more technical training. (Such as different design systems, like web design or multimedia modeling, etc.) | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | There was a HORRIBLY unbalanced ratio of teachers to students, so many classes were moved, canceled, or added to because the professors' inability to teach at a certain time. I was held back at least a year by my university's inefficiencies while the price went up. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | At my university there is an excellent number of services such as computer labs that stay open late, as well as currently updated media. We always had the latest software and newest models of Mac workstations, as well as many other tools that contribute to graphic design. |
| Social Life | 10 | Texas State has a lot of pride and I found that my colleagues were very hopeful and independent like myself. The people who were in my degree field were passionate about their work, and there were plenty of student associations to commune with. |
| Placement Services | 1 | Got no training or help finding a job. We were completely left on our own to do this. Not even our job counselor was involved in contacting firms and companies. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I have no physical or long distance contact with my alumni association. I have only been contacted by them once. |
American Intercontinental University • Houston, TX
Studying Visual Communications (completion in 2006)
• 7/31/2011
"Overall, I am extremely satisfied with my school. I would have liked to have experienced the social side of college; however, I cannot complain because I was extremely prepared for my career when I left American Intercontinental University."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend American Intercontinental University to anyone wanting to pursue graphic design as a career. At the same time, I would also let them know that the social aspect that many look forward to in their college years will not be available at AIU. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | Many people do not know that American Intercontinental University offers a BA in Visual Communications. Most people in Texas opt to attend the Art Institute for graphic design because of its superb reputation. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I believe that American Intercontinental University has adequately prepared me for a career in graphic design. The visual communications program touches on more than just the field of graphic design, and I do believe that I can use the skills that I was taught in other areas of visual communications should I want to seek another job. |
| Instruction | 10 | The career preparation within the field of visual communications was outstanding. I have always been into graphic design; however, my training has prepared me to tackle endeavors such as desktop publishing, videography, and web design as well. |
| How Difficult | 7 | For someone who was only a graphic designer prior to entering my program of study, it was slightly difficult to wrap my mind around things such as animation, videography, and coding for web design. I was fortunate that the program allowed for hands-on experience as well as tutoring in order to help me overcome some of the challenges to things that I was not as experienced in. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program at American Intercontinental University was very hands-on. For a field such as visual communications, hands-on experience must be utilized more than book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I found that American Intercontinental University was extremely flexible with regards to scheduling. Evening classes allowed me to work in a lower level graphic design position while in school to receive my BA in Visual Communications. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Both the classrooms and computer labs at American Intercontinental University were conducive to the needs of the field of visual communication. In class and when in the lab, we worked with top of the line computers, printers, and video equipment. |
| Social Life | 1 | American Continental doesn't have any athletics and had very view organizations to become involved in. The social activities that they did have from time to time were during the day; therefore, evening school students were not apart of those activities. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I did not receive any job placement or career services from American Intercontinental University. I used Career Builder to find and apply for jobs. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I have updated my information with American Intercontinental University; however, I have not received any communication regarding alumni networking or support. I am not sure if there are any alumni activities within visual communications at AIU. |
Art Institute Of Houston • Houston, TX
Studying Visual Communications (completion in 1985)
• 7/28/2011
"I loved AIH and would do it all over again."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If someone came to me and wanted advice on where to take Graphic Design, I'd send them directly to AIH. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | About 95% of the coworkers I had in my career went to AIH. They always produced the best designers, in my humble opinion. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I feel that the Art Institute of Houston gave me a fantastic education - before computers were even used in my field. It was worth every penny that I paid in student loans. |
| Instruction | 10 | Again, the caliber of instructors was fantastic. They were very professional and honest when discussing what the 'real world' was going to be like. |
| How Difficult | 10 | The program was difficult but rewarding. I stayed up all hours making my artwork as perfect as possible. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school was mainly hands on. We also went on many field trips to paint or sketch various statues and architecture. Awesome. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I went to school for 4 hours a day 5 days a week. It was either in the morning or the afternoon, so I was able to work part time somewhere else. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | AIH has moved since I attended, however all of the student resources were superb. |
| Social Life | 10 | I loved attending each quarter's Portfolio Reviews, as well as Alumni Reunions. |
| Placement Services | 10 | When I utilized their services, they were very good. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I'm not too involved with the school at this point, but if I was, I know I'd enjoy networking with them. |
Texas State University • San Marcos, TX
Studying Communication Design (completion in 2010)
• 7/26/2011
"I enjoyed my time at Texas State and I think my education in my specific program was well worth the time, money, and effort. However I think there were better schools, which I got accepted into, but I was unable to pay for out of state tuition. I was living in Texas at the time and had to attend an in-state school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I think it's a decent program, but I think it depends on a person's living arrangements and talent. I believe there are better programs with advisors that better prepare students for pursuing a career after college. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | Many of the students have been published in communication arts and print magazine and have won competitions. This has helped establish the school's CommDes program. The adjunct faculty has also helped, but as for their specific ranking, I'm unsure. |
| Program Quality | 7 | Texas State's CommDes department has a variety of talented artists and designers, for example Marc Burkhardt and Melissa Grimes. The only negative thing I have to say is that they don't prepare you for the job field after college. |
| Instruction | 5 | I don't think Texas State prepares it's students enough once they graduate and try to pursue jobs. Internships are not mandatory to graduate, and I believe they should be. I think there are some amazing professors to learn from, but the best and most experienced instructors are only part-time. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I believe that the studio courses were more challenging than the design courses I was required to take. I think there is a lack of variety in courses and assignments. Web Design experience, for example, is a huge factor in getting a job and Texas State's web design classes aren't challenging and don't give you enough instruction. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The Communication Design program is very hands-on which I think was the best part of the program. The only book learning that was involved was for the art history courses. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | Throughout my four years in school there weren't enough classes or open seats to match the students. There is no options for online classes and there are very few night courses. During my last year in school, from 2009-2010, the class availability was so low that students began petitioning for the department to hire more professors and create more classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | The art building at Texas State is a fairly new building and has great work spaces and new computer labs with updated Adobe suite software. But unfortunately it is still not big enough for the growing program. Most of the professors are part-time/adjunct which means the availability of classes is low. As for academic advisors, there is only one advisor for the art department which meant that many students could go a whole year without being able to make an appointment. |
| Social Life | 7 | My school had a lot of spirit even though our athletic teams were poor. Texas State is known for it's Greek organizations, volunteer work, and the weekly gatherings at the river for tubing. Texas is known for it's colleges and Texas State is trying to get on par with the top schools, like the University of Texas and Texas A&M. I was involved in a lot of student organizations which helped me meet people and get through school. I was involved in Student AIGA and CASA (Ceramic Arts Student Association) which were great outlets when I was stressed about school. |
| Placement Services | 4 | Internships are not mandatory and if you choose to pursue an internship you are generally on your own, which I think is the poorest part of the program. Students can request advice and recommendations from faculty, but there is not a specific person or department in the art program to assist in job placement. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | The alumni network/support is almost nonexistent. The department doesn't keep up with it's alumni or give it's students the knowledge or opportunities to make contact with alumni. Individual professors take it upon themselves to keep in touch and network with graduated students and professionals. |
Art Institute Of Houston • Houston, TX
Studying Web Design And Interactive Media (completion in 2011)
• 10/1/2011
"I learned a lot from this school but wished I had learned more. I needed more details about my degree plan and this is why I am a graphic designer and not a web designer."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I think a university would be cheaper. It also provides more practice, so I would advise against my school if you are a complete beginner in your field like I was. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The impression is that creative designers come from this school. However, they are often lacking in technical proficiency and social skills. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I learned a lot, but a lot of it was redundant. The things I wanted to know more about were not concentrated on. |
| Instruction | 7 | I think there were areas that could have been more concentrated on. I am lacking in a few areas which is why I am mostly a Graphic Designer and not a Web Designer like I went to school for. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The teachers don't encourage you to do your own tutorials, but they should because they aren't teaching thoroughly enough. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Mostly the professors would teach you something before referring you to the books. They always provided e-books, though. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | There are summer and winter classes. The school offers online and evening classes as well. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The equipment was state of the art. The advisors and professors were always available and helpful. |
| Social Life | 5 | This school is more career oriented so school activities were limited. There were clubs and organizations to join, however. |
| Placement Services | 9 | I always had someone available to help me with job placement while attending. Also, upon graduation, I was helped with interviews and job leads. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | I didn't hear a lot from the school after graduation. Mostly, I contacted them for job placement assistance. |
Rice University • Houston, TX
Studying English (completion in 2000)
• 9/29/2011
"Overall, my experience was positive. I learned a great deal about English literature. Granted, it doesn't have much to do with what I am doing today, but that's not because of any deficiency with Rice--just where I was going in my interests."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend Rice for a good liberal arts education generally. I didn't take any course related to graphic design, since I am mostly self-taught or taught on the job, so I can't evaluate whether they are good for this type of field specifically. But, I don't think of college as vocational training, but as life training. So much of what we do we can learn on the job. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | It is a small but well-regarded program. It is better known and respected as an undergraduate institution than a grad school, though. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Rice has an excellent English department, but it has little to do with what I do now for a living. Still, it was a great program with top-notch professors. |
| Instruction | 7 | The instructors are some of the best in the nation. The only qualm I had is that there isn't much mentoring related to actually getting a job in the field. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Getting a Master's degree should be difficult. I did like the emphasis on original scholarship, though. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | This is to be expected. The study of English Literature needs to be book-oriented. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | This was not really a big concern for me, as I was a full-time student. I never remember having a problem. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Everything at Rice is top-notch. The only exception is the library, which could be more comprehensive. |
| Social Life | 3 | While Valhalla is a fine bar, otherwise, grad students are not much a part of the life of the university. In contrast, the undergraduate life seems quite wonderful. |
| Placement Services | 3 | This is where they fall down on the job. They don't really work hard enough to place students in the marketplace. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | The Rice University name gets a lot of business in Texas. Outside of Texas, it has less ability to pull in potential clients. |
Art Institute Of Houston • Houston, TX
Studying Interactive Media Design (completion in 2009)
• 10/12/2011
"It was experience that I would always remember. The classes were very small and a very imitate setting. I am proud to say I went to AI."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I feel the small courses were a big plus and help with what you need to earn the degree. The program was very up-to-date for the most part, keeping up with the most recent versions of Adobe software. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Lots of people often talk about the Art Institute given that it's a more private school. Only draw back was lots of talk and of my experience that the school was very expensive. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The program was well structured and had a lot of design-related classes. I did like that we focus on group projects as it relates to real world design careers. |
| Instruction | 8 | The design courses were taught very well. Other classes had new teachers who were too inexperienced for teaching at a college level. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Some courses were tough, others were not. One thing I like is having from real world clients brought in as a project for students. In one class we had to create a and design a marketing plan for a local jewelry store. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Very hands-on projects took you from the basics in the first couple weeks of the course. Then after that you would take your skills and complete projects and have group discussions. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Classes were very flexible, but some teachers were very hard on tardiness. Classes were in a block schedule. I even heard later on they added weekend courses, though I never took them due to conflicts with work. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The resources were basic: small library, computers, etc. Most of the classes required books you were required to buy. One plus was that the culinary program at the school provide great food for free or very cheap. |
| Social Life | 6 | I didn't join many activities other then some events hosted at the Art Institute on school grounds. There was no sports team at the AI so that was ruled out. |
| Placement Services | The school had great help and offered a specific class for building design resumes. They also provide demo interviews and help with internship placement. They send a weekly list of job leads from clients seeking designers from the Art Institute of Houston. | |
| Alumni Network | 9 | I feel successful now that I've completed a great degree. I also like the career development staff at the Art Institute - they sent me job leads on a continual basis even after graduating. |
Lone Star College • Houston, TX
Studying Multimedia Design (completion in 2002)
• 12/2/2011
"The school provided a somewhat comprehensive curriculum at a time of this field's infancy when it was only offered at schools charging 4 times as much. It introduced me to graphic design and the wonders of Photoshop."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend it as a starting point. If you have talent and creativity, it may be enough. I suggest then transferring to a 4-year college, if you want a high-paying job. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | I don't believe they are well known for it, although I hear the program has gotten way better with their own wing and actual degrees. It's a lot cheaper than AI, so I would go again if I had it to do again, and then transfer to a 4-year school. |
| Program Quality | 5 | It was a new program at the time, so there were kinks to be ironed out in the curriculum. When I attended, it was a struggle trying to use the better equipment, because of limitations in how many versus class size. |
| Instruction | 4 | Most of the teachers were adjunct staff, and while they had job experience, most did not teach very well. Sometimes it was just as good to learn trial and error, because the teachers were just following the book. |
| How Difficult | 2 | While we did have a good amount of work, most of our class was spent working on our projects. There were not a lot of lectures. What we didn't spend time on in class could be made up with creativity on our projects. Compared to pre-med or the sciences, it's a cakewalk. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Although a lot of the learning was done from the book, especially with teachers that just followed it, it's your trial and error that was your real learning experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | This is where the program shined. In your graphics class, as long as you were there when assignments were given and due and you turned in good work, you could miss days and just do your work in the labs, which were open from 8am - 10pm, M - F, and 10am - 4pm on Saturdays. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | We moved around a lot, but we always seemed to have adequate accommodations. The equipment was standard for the industry. |
| Social Life | 6 | It being a 2-year college with no sports teams didn't provide much in the way of school camaraderie. Interacting with students of all ages was a good experience, although I don't keep in touch with any of them. |
| Placement Services | 2 | I went to the career counseling office myself and submitted my resume. I did receive one job, scanning maps; I guess that's kind of graphics work. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I only got a certificate, so that may be telling. I never received any correspondence from them. It is only a 2-year college. |
International Academy Of Design & Technology • San Antonio, TX
Studying Graphic Design (completion in 2006)
• 2/13/2012
"I am overall satisfied with my school. I have no complaints."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | My school was overall a very good school and I would recommend anyone to go there to pursue a degree in graphic design. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | I've never heard anyone say anything bad about the institution. Generally in the Texas area, people give the school good reviews. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The program was good. I enjoyed doing it and having helpful professors wasn't bad either. |
| Instruction | 7 | The curriculum was excellent. Thorough and very applicable to my current job, as a matter of fact. |
| How Difficult | 6 | It wasn't necessarily hard, but you have to have a certain amount of talent to succeed. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | A bit of both, but definitely mostly hands on work. Graphic designing does involve theory, but a lot of practical applications were done. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | I was able to attend a number of summer classes, some of which could be waived, so definitely good support there. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The resources provided on campus were fairly good. The studio labs were pretty professional. |
| Social Life | 6 | The institution is mainly a commuter one, so there is not much in terms of huge organized events. However, there is still a buzz of school spirit and pride. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I was able to land a job a few months after school, but it was no particular thanks to them. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The alumni and support team were amazing. Always looking out for their students' well-being and overall success. |
University Of Texas • Austin, TX
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2011)
• 2/26/2012
"I loved the school and I am thinking of returning to the school in the future."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | You will love your life if you love what you do. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | It is a great subject and I think more people will jump on board as the days go by. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The school I went to was the best school ever. I learned a ton and met great people. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instructors were very helpful and super smart. |
| How Difficult | 9 | It was very hard, but it paid off. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was a good mix of hands on and books. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They worked with me and helped me find the right times and a plan of action. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Super great place to go to school. Very clean. |
| Social Life | 10 | The social aspect was great; attractive girls and cool guys. |
| Placement Services | I didn't use the job placement service. | |
| Alumni Network | 10 | I am still friends and work with the people I went to college with. |
Texas State University • San Marcos, TX
Studying Major - Advertising; Minor - Graphic Design/Communication Design (completion in 2010)
• 3/2/2012
"Texas State provided just what I needed - an education - but it was not type of place that I looked forward to spending time at. Because it was so large and I'm from a small town, I really longed for a place that felt a little bit more welcoming."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would because my professors and my classes were great and I got a good, reputable degree, but the overall feeling and flow of Texas State isn't for everyone. For anyone really looking to be involved, Texas State is great, but for coming and going, it can be a real headache. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | While I was in school, I felt like every other student I bumped into was a Communication Design student! I knew a lot more students who started as CommDes students than who actually graduated as CommDes students (classes were competitive and getting into times that were good was difficult), but everyone who stuck with it really enjoyed it and felt prepared to go out into the real world and get a career. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I may be biased because I loved what I was doing so much, but I thought our program was great. I was constantly busy and I was up late a lot doing projects, but I learned so much. |
| Instruction | 10 | My professors were phenomenal. They really helped me to learn everything I needed (for a minor) and prepared me to go out and get a job in Graphic Design. They seemed genuinely interested in my success and were always available to help. |
| How Difficult | 7 | College is difficult, that's just a fact of life. I of course was up late all of the time doing projects and nitpicking at details in my designs as every graphic designer does, but because I loved it so much it really didn't seem as "difficult" for me so much as it was "time consuming." |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Learn it, then do it. Most of everything I did was hands on. I got a thorough knowledge of how to use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator because I was constantly required to use it. This really prepared me for what I needed to know and be able to do in my job now. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | While I was always able to get into the classes that I needed and fit them around my work schedule, others weren't so fortunate. Many times you had to have professors hold places in the class for you or make special exceptions to get you in. There are just more CommDes students than there were class seats. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Our Art building was beautiful, pretty newly updated, and very cohesive to an art student's learning environment, but as I mentioned above, there just wasn't enough space. Great space, just not enough. For such a rapidly growing program, we needed more of what we had. But everything available to us was expansive and nice. |
| Social Life | 6 | I wasn't much into the social scene at Texas State. I lived in a neighboring town and worked in another neighboring town, so I pretty much went to class and left. I know some people really enjoy being at Texas State for social reasons, but that wasn't for me. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I never used Texas State's career services. I knew which company I wanted to work for and sought them out myself to get an internship with their head graphic designer. I now work there and love it, but Texas State really played no part in me getting that job. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I have never had much to do with our alumni association at Texas State. My wife has received several scholarships from them so she speaks highly of the association, but I myself have never had much to do with it. |
University Of Mary Hardin Baylor • Belton, TX
Studying Computer Graphics Design (completion in 2002)
• 3/12/2012
"I found my wife at school. I found Jesus at the same school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | It is not a school that fosters graphic design well. It won't prepare you for the design field. |
| Program Reputation | 1 | They are known for nursing. They are also known for producing pastors and teachers. |
| Program Quality | 3 | The school I attended was just getting their design program going, so it was a slow go. For a lot of the classes I was asked to help others while trying to learn myself. |
| Instruction | 5 | There were some good professors who could explain the "real" world to you, but for the most part, the professors were new to the design world. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The difficulty was learning the software. But the programs weren't hard because we just followed a book of instructions. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Every class was facilitated and lead by a book. There was not enough hands-on training. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I was afforded many options of how to take classes. But their offerings are a tad conventional. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | For being new into the design world, they did pay close attention to their facilities. They had a lot of up-to-date computers and media resources. |
| Social Life | 10 | This school is a great place to come into who you are. They offer a comfortable and safe place to hang out, party, listen to music, and play some great sports, like disc golf. |
| Placement Services | 2 | The school is known for placing nurses and teachers, not graphic designers. The school was too small to help place me into the design world. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | They tend to hound the alumni for money. But they keep sending the newsletters and magazines and keep me informed as to what is happening. |
Houston Community College • Houston, TX
Studying Digital Communications; Web Publishing (completion in 2011)
• 3/16/2012
"I would be happier if they managed to teach more about web development. Some of the material needs to be updated, as it is about 3 or 4 years out of date. It's acceptable though, because I know it's hard to make changes to curriculum at schools."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | All in all, it was a great learning experience. All of the projects helped to actually build a design portfolio through the process of getting a degree, which lots of schools don't seem to do as good a job of. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | When students from HCC go to design competitions, they usually do better than students from 4 year colleges with graphic design programs. Students have enough freedom and push to build a portfolio that is their own instead of doing the same projects as all the other students. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The web design program could do better with the code side of things. They need to stop teaching Flash/ActionScript, and start teaching jQuery. They also need to teach more about information design and stop teaching web designers how to edit photos. |
| Instruction | 8 | The teachers are generally extremely knowledgeable in their field. They require an internship, which definitely helps with career preparation. Some of the material isn't that relevant (photo editing is not really that necessary for a web designer). It's all high quality though. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The material isn't very difficult if you're a full time student without a job. Some teachers require significant more work than others, however, and in the end, it all comes down to how well you know the material and how fast you can complete projects. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We rarely ever learned from a book. It was very hands on learning with lots of projects, and the mandatory internship helped with that. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I took classes during the day, at night, in mini-sessions, and entirely online. They also offered weekend classes. I don't think any school has as many options for when and where you want to take classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | All graphic design classes were taught in computer labs or art studios. The computer labs had Macs and PCs with the latest versions of Adobe Creative Suite and other software useful for us. The art studios were what you'd expect from an art studio - they were good quality rooms with decent equipment. |
| Social Life | 7 | I was in a student organization that did fun stuff sometimes, but most students were older or just taking classes to transfer to a 4 year college. There was little school spirit. |
| Placement Services | I never utilized this service. I'm uncertain of the quality the department offers. | |
| Alumni Network | I have been sent letters as an alum, but I ignore them. I don't feel qualified to answer this particular question given my lack of interest in receiving support from the school. |
ITT Technical Institute • Arlington, TX
Studying Information Multimedia (completion in 2007)
• 3/13/2012
"I am now $35,000 in debt for going here. Didn't learn a single thing."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would tell them to go to a real university. Not to fall for their recruiting "tactics" nor their help on financial aid. Also, by going to a real university, you will most likely have better equipment and more knowledgeable instructors. Plus, you will probably get to be a lot more hands on as well. |
| Program Reputation | 1 | I've talked to people that went there, and they've felt the same way as me. Other programs, they are very successful in, just not the multimedia. |
| Program Quality | 1 | The hardware and computers never worked half the time, and half the time we had to wait 3-4 weeks before we even got our learning books. |
| Instruction | 1 | It's almost as if they brought people off the street to teach. In one class, I knew more about Photoshop than the "professor." |
| How Difficult | 1 | The instructors didn't allow us to be creative. Also, they didn't allow us to think outside of the box, and were very strict to what the curriculum called for. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | They expected us to do what was in the book. Never really let us go outside the box and explore and turn stuff in. Very strict. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | All classes were at set times, 5 hours, 3 times a day. Nothing like a regular college. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The equipment was terrible. No library, and the only reason I said average was because the computer labs were plenty big to stick 3 classes in there with "busy work." |
| Social Life | 1 | People were too scared to talk to other people in different programs. No athletics, no real "student activities" to do either. |
| Placement Services | 1 | They say they always keep an eye out for jobs, and for their graduates... Yeah right! I got my job thanks to my mother! |
| Alumni Network | 1 | Everyone there seemed to be an "elitist." I thought I had some friends, but 2-3 months after graduating, I haven't heard from ANYONE. |
Massey Business School • Houston, TX
Studying Business Administration (completion in 1987)
• 3/26/2012
"My education gave me only the basics. I had to learn everything real on the job."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | This school did not prepare me for any real work situation. I had to learn everything over again once I started working. |
| Program Reputation | The school has closed. I have not been able to find any information on it. | |
| Program Quality | 5 | I had to learn everything on the job. My education did not prepare me for the tasks I would need to complete in regard to working for large companies or small businesses. |
| Instruction | 5 | The classes I attended were large. There was not much opportunity for one-on-one instruction. |
| How Difficult | 8 | There was a lack of one-on-one attention. I had to look for answers myself or bother classmates. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was very hands on. They were trying to prepare students for what they would encounter in work situations. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | All classes started early in the morning. This was not ideal for my learning experience. |
| Academic Facilities | 2 | For the time, it was considered state of the art. By today's standards, it did not withstand the test of time. |
| Social Life | 1 | There were no other activities provided. It was solely to prepare students for work. |
| Placement Services | 1 | There was no placement provided. I had to find work on my own after graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | This school no longer exists. I can't even get access to transcripts anymore. |
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