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 Utah Valley State, Salt Lake Community College, Brigham Young, and Weber 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 University of Utah, Southern Utah University, and Brigham Young.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Brigham Young, College of Eastern Utah, Southern Utah University, and University of Utah.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of College of Eastern Utah, University of Utah, Brigham Young, and Southern Utah University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Brigham Young and University of Utah.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at College of Eastern Utah and University of Utah.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Brigham Young University • Provo, UT
Studying Visual Arts (completion in 2002)
• 10/22/2011
"I loved my experience as well as the instruction I received. Any issues I had in getting a job afterward was on account of my own laziness and not for lack of opportunities provided by the school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Of course I would recommend. See previous answers, for goodness sake. Strong education and great instructors as well as a vibrant social scene. Who wouldn't want to go there? |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Tons of video game designers come out of BYU. As far as other fields go, I'm not so sure they have a widely know reputation. |
| Program Quality | 8 | They gave me a lot of post-school opportunities for advancement. I did not take them, but that's not their fault. |
| Instruction | 10 | My instructors were well versed in their fields. They provided great instruction and guidance. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I am pretty lazy and I got through fine. I went an entire semester without using a tablet. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | When it comes to art, most of it is hands on. However, we did have a few book learning classes and sessions, when it pertained to the material. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | I could take classes in the morning and afternoon. I could take classes in the summer and fall. I never had to fight to get into a class. Pretty good, if you ask me. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | They were adequate. However, I was not informed of a large part of the facilities until halfway through my time there. My fault, really. It was a big campus. |
| Social Life | 10 | I loved the people in my classes and everyone was incredibly friendly. We had a great time within and out of the programs. |
| Placement Services | 8 | As I stated before, they provided opportunities. However, I did not personally take them. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I do not take advantage of the network. I'm not sure how supportive they are. |
Southern Utah University • Cedar City, UT
Studying BFA Graphic Design (completion in 2009)
• 2/24/2012
"There are things the school can work on. Overall, I am satisfied with the education that I received from this school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The graphic design department is great, because it has small classes and most of the professors were good. The school is well known for its art department and how it is a lot of fun. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Everyone who takes that program is generally happy. I am happy overall with the education I received for the amount I paid in tuition. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The teaching of print design was pretty good. The web design teaching was highly lacking and I didn't get much out of it. They had horrible web design teachers. |
| Instruction | 7 | The career preparation was average. The web design preparation was below average. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The workload was sometimes stressful. Overall, the courses were easy. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | In the graphic design department, it was very hands on. In others, I know it was more book based. It depends on what classes you were taking. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | The school is very small and when I went there, there were only limited class times. The bigger departments had better flexibility, but graphic design was still fairly small. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The library was really convenient and there were multiple computer labs for me to use. The teachers were almost always available for help. |
| Social Life | 8 | The school was pretty good about having activities for students. There seemed to always be something going on to participate in, from sports to art galleries. |
| Placement Services | 2 | As far as I was aware, there were no good job placement services. Other departments had better placement services. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | Sometimes I receive emails about alumni activities. Some departments are better than others. |
Provo College • Provo, UT
Studying Graphic Design (completion in 2004)
• 3/13/2012
"The school was great. The field is not."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If they could afford it, then yes I would. I would not recommend it to anyone like me who needed financial assistance. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | It didn't have the best reputation for Graphic Design. It may have changed since, but I really doubt that. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The school was great, but the field is not. I do love graphic design, but have found minimum uses for it. |
| Instruction | 7 | The instruction was very good. The relevance to the real world was lacking. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I felt it was a good challenge. The work load was not overwhelming, but it kept me interested. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was more hands on. We would present projects as if the instructor was a potential client. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | There seemed to be a lot of flexibility. No online options at that time, but they were willing to work with you. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | For the price of tuition, I expected more. Sometimes there just wasn't enough to go around and everything had to be bought brand new. |
| Social Life | 5 | People were there for school. I had a good social experience, but it was what you made of it. |
| Placement Services | 2 | It's really not the school's fault. There was not a big demand for graphic designers fresh out of college. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | It's not a school set up for alumni. Once you're gone, you stay gone. |
University Of Utah • Salt Lake City, UT
Studying BFA - Graphic Design (completion in 1978)
• 3/13/2012
"I think that for the time period, it served its purpose. I think a student with my economic background would benefit more from the community college in today's world."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would recommend a community college. They teach more practical applications and it is much cheaper. I don't think that graphic design is a field that can support a ton of school debt. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | In my own studio I have employed more community college graduates than University Graduates. These people seem to have more practical training so they can get right to work, which I like. |
| Program Quality | 5 | More theory than practicality. I learned more on the job. |
| Instruction | 4 | All classes in this emphasis were taught by the same man. There was not a variety of opinions. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I worked two jobs at the time, which made everything difficult. I felt very disadvantaged by the fact that 90% of the other 11 students in the program emphasis did not hold a job. Therefore, my time was limited that I could spend on school projects. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was much more emphasis on theory of design than practical application. We did not have any text books. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Not at all flexible, so it required me being late for my second job on most occasions. The "one" professor in my emphasis was extremely difficult to talk to. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | I had my own cubicle in the art building which I could access 24 hours. Peers were always available for discussions, the professor not as much. |
| Social Life | 5 | It was basically a commuter school, so other that the few people that lived on campus, there was not much going on socially. I did have two jobs, so it was difficult to find the time to socialize. Athletics were and still are top notch. |
| Placement Services | 5 | There was no assistance back in 1978. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | The only contact that I have with them is when they want money. I do believe the art department has some great gallery shows, though. |
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