Post job

Art director internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an art director internship. Art director interns usually study graphic design, advertising, or design and visual communication. 83% of art director interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 498 real art director internship resumes to see exactly what art director internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for art director interns are the Savannah College of Art and Design and the Savannah College of Art and Design.

There are also many online art director internship courses to help get the education required to be an art director internship.

What education do you need to become an art director internship?

What degree do you need to be an art director internship?

The most common degree for art director interns is bachelor's degree, with 83% of art director interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 8% and associate degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 83%
  • Associate, 8%
  • Master's, 4%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an art director internship?

You should major in graphic design to become an art director internship. 37% of art director interns major in graphic design. Other common majors for an art director internship include advertising and design and visual communication.

Most common colleges for art director interns

Art director interns often get their degrees at Savannah College of Art and Design, Columbia College Chicago, and Fashion Institute of Technology. Here are the most common colleges for art director interns in the US based on their resumes.
Art director internship common collegePercentages
Savannah College of Art and Design9.68%
Columbia College Chicago7.53%
Fashion Institute of Technology7.53%
College for Creative Studies7.53%
Boston University6.45%

Best majors for art director interns

Best colleges for art director interns

The best colleges for art director interns are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.

An art director internship with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for art director interns. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become art director interns.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

20 best online courses for art director interns

Advertising disclosure

1. Visual Design (Part Time)

general_assembly

Gain the vocabulary and tools to tackle diverse design challenges on the job. Kickstart your portfolio and create beautiful, responsive designs for the web. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

2. Modern Art & Ideas

coursera

Welcome to Modern Art & Ideas! This course is designed for anyone interested in learning more about modern and contemporary art. Over the next five weeks, you will look at art through a variety of themes: Places & Spaces, Art & Identity, Transforming Everyday Objects, and Art & Society. Each week kicks off with a video that connects works of art from The Museum of Modern Art’s collection to the theme. You will hear audio interviews with artists, designers, and curators and learn more about...

3. Photoshop and Photography Digital Art Compositing Course

udemy
4.5
(478)

Learn Adobe Photoshop CC and photography by designing levitation digital art composites from four photoshoots...

4. Graphic Design Mastery- AI, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign

udemy
4.4
(4,233)

Graphic Design for beginners including Graphic Design Theories, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, AI & Creative Thinking...

5. Digital Painting in Photoshop: Create Amazing Concept Art

udemy
4.7
(410)

Create stunning concept art with Adobe Photoshop and learn the features to aid in that process...

6. Adobe Illustrator for Mobile Game Art - A Beginners Guide

udemy
4.8
(360)

Create mobile game art in Adobe illustrator just by using basic concepts, essential tools and proven workflows...

7. Painting Machines: Concept Art Vehicles, Robots & Weapons

udemy
4.8
(847)

Learn Incredibly Cool Photoshop Painting Techniques to Create Professional Level Machine Art...

8. Concept Art Architecture

udemy
4.8
(1,338)

Design and Paint Stunning Cityscapes...

9. Concept Art Character Design

udemy
4.6
(1,255)

Advanced Techniques and Portfolios that Succeed...

10. Graphic Design Masterclass - Learn GREAT Design

udemy
4.7
(55,714)

The Ultimate Graphic Design Course Which Covers Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design,Design Theory, Branding and Logo Design...

11. Internationally Accredited Certificate in Art Therapy

udemy
4.2
(1,022)

Therapeutic Art Therapy Course / Masterclass for Healing and Life Coaching...

12. Graphic Design Bootcamp: Advanced Training Using Adobe CC

udemy
4.4
(524)

Project-Based Learning For Intermediate Designers: Use Photoshop, Lightroom, and Other Adobe Creative Cloud Programs...

13. Line Art Master

udemy
4.8
(720)

Create stunning drawings with Adobe Photoshop...

14. How to Make Printable Art To Sell On Etsy

udemy
4.4
(708)

A Complete Beginner's Course Creating a Simple Printable Art Design From Start to Finish Using FREE Graphic Design Tools...

15. Master Graphic Design & Software with Practical Projects

udemy
4.5
(737)

Conquer Popular Graphic Design Projects: Logo, Package, Magazine, Book Cover Design, Branding, Digital Graphics & More!...

16. Photoshop CC for Beginners: Adobe Photoshop Course

udemy
4.8
(600)

This Adobe Photoshop CC course will teach you the basics of Photoshop for web design, graphic design, photography & more...

17. Graphic Design Masterclass Intermediate: The NEXT Level

udemy
4.6
(4,276)

Up Your Graphic Design Skills: Logo Design, Photo Manipulation, Package Design, Infographics, Portfolio Building, Grids!...

18. Graphic Design Mastery: The FULL Branding & Design Process

udemy
4.7
(1,014)

Follows the FULL Graphic Design Process for A Company: Logo, Ad, Social Media, T-Shirt, Package, Website Design & More!...

19. Art Therapy: Personal Development and Self Healing with Art

udemy
4.4
(527)

Arts Therapy heals ! Improve your Mental Health with 30 Art Therapy Exercises ...

20. Pixel art for Video games

udemy
4.3
(3,204)

The essential course for creating stunning pixel art graphics for video-games or stylish illustrations and designs...

Top 10 most affordable universities for art director interns

The most affordable schools for art director interns are University of Florida, lehman college of the city university of new york, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for art director interns are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for art director interns.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for art director interns

The hardest universities for art director interns to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for art director interns are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for art director interns based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for art director interns

The easiest schools for art director interns to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and cardinal stritch university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an art director internship without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for art director interns.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

9. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

10. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

Average art director internship salary by education level

Art director interns with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $94,993 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, art director interns earn a median annual income of $92,973 compared to $75,983 for art director interns with an Associate degree.
Art director internship education levelArt director internship salary
Master's Degree$94,993
High School Diploma or Less$67,713
Bachelor's Degree$92,973
Some College/ Associate Degree$75,983

Art director internship education FAQs

Search for art director internship jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs