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Creative services designer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a creative services designer. Creative services designers usually study graphic design, fine arts, or drafting and design. 73% of creative services designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 269 real creative services designer resumes to see exactly what creative services designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for creative services designers are the Savannah College of Art and Design and the Savannah College of Art and Design.

There are also many online creative services designer courses to help get the education required to be a creative services designer.

What education do you need to become a creative services designer?

What degree do you need to be a creative services designer?

The most common degree for creative services designers is bachelor's degree, with 73% of creative services designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 73%
  • Associate, 17%
  • Master's, 7%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a creative services designer?

You should major in graphic design to become a creative services designer. 31% of creative services designers major in graphic design. Other common majors for a creative services designer include fine arts and drafting and design.

Most common colleges for creative services designers

Creative services designers often get their degrees at Savannah College of Art and Design, Pratt Institute, and School of Visual Arts. Here are the most common colleges for creative services designers in the US based on their resumes.
Creative services designer common collegePercentages
Savannah College of Art and Design10.42%
Pratt Institute10.42%
School of Visual Arts8.33%
New York University6.25%
Northern Illinois University6.25%

Best majors for creative services designers

Best colleges for creative services designers

The best colleges for creative services designers are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

A creative services designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for creative services designers. 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 creative services designers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

20 best online courses for creative services designers

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

6. 47 Graphic Design Projects for Photoshop Beginners

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Photoshop graphic design for beginners!  Includes 47 Photoshop projects for your graphic design portfolio...

7. Visual Design (Part Time)

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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...

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17. Graphic Design Bootcamp: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign

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19. Adobe Photoshop Graphic Design

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Design 4 Beautiful eye catching Graphic Design Projects from Scratch with Adobe Photoshop Graphic Design Basics...

20. Business Card design with Photoshop CC - for beginners

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An easy step by step guide on how to design a professional business card on Photoshop CC for complete beginners...

Top 10 most affordable universities for creative services designers

The most affordable schools for creative services designers are University of Florida, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and fashion institute of technology.

If the best universities for creative services designers 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 creative services designers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

3. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for creative services designers

The hardest universities for creative services designers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for creative services designers 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 creative services designers 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for creative services designers

The easiest schools for creative services designers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, mount saint mary's university, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a creative services designer 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 creative services designers.

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. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

7. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

8. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

9. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

10. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

Average creative services designer salary by education level

According to our data, creative services designers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $93,476 annually. Creative services designers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $85,771.
Creative services designer education levelCreative services designer salary
Master's Degree$93,476
Bachelor's Degree$85,771
Some College/ Associate Degree$77,111

Creative services designer education FAQs

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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.

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