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Art director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an art director. Art directors usually study graphic design, fine arts, or design and visual communication. 75% of art directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 28,618 real art director resumes to see exactly what art director education sections show.
The most common colleges for art directors are the School of Visual Arts and the School of Visual Arts.
There are also many online art director courses to help get the education required to be an art director.
There are certain art director certifications that you should consider. These art director certifications include Certified Interior Designer (NCIDQ) and Professional Certified Marketer (PCM).
What education do you need to become an art director?
What degree do you need to be an art director?
- Bachelor's, 75%
- Associate, 15%
- Master's, 6%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become an art director?
- Graphic Design, 47%
- Fine Arts, 14%
- Communication, 4%
- Other Majors, 27%
Most common colleges for art directors
| Art director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| School of Visual Arts | 13.84% |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 9.13% |
| Pratt Institute | 7.10% |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 6.56% |
| Syracuse University | 5.90% |
Best majors for art directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 46.6% |
| 2 | Fine Arts | 14.4% |
| 3 | Design And Visual Communication | 7.7% |
| 4 | Communication | 3.7% |
| 5 | Photography | 3.4% |
Best colleges for art directors
The best colleges for art directors are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Duke University.
An art director 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 directors. 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 directors.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
20 best online courses for art directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for art directors
The most affordable schools for art directors are University of Florida, fashion institute of technology, and lehman college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for art directors 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 directors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
3. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for art directors
The hardest universities for art directors to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Duke University.
Some great schools for art directors 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 directors 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. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
6. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for art directors
The easiest schools for art directors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, mount saint mary's university, and curry college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an art director 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 directors.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
4. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
7. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
10. Clarke University
Dubuque, IA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
1,058
Average art director salary by education level
| Art director education level | Art director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $101,258 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $76,525 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $99,473 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $84,180 |
Art director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025