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Design manager/senior designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a design manager/senior designer. Design managers/senior designer usually study graphic design, fine arts, or architecture. 66% of design managers/senior designer hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 992 real design manager/senior designer resumes to see exactly what design manager/senior designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for design managers/senior designer are the University of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati.
There are also many online design manager/senior designer courses to help get the education required to be a design manager/senior designer.
There are certain design manager/senior designer certifications that you should consider. These design manager/senior designer certifications include Certified Interior Designer (NCIDQ) and National Council Certified Interior Designer (NCIDQ).
What education do you need to become a design manager/senior designer?
What degree do you need to be a design manager/senior designer?
- Bachelor's, 66%
- Associate, 19%
- Master's, 10%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a design manager/senior designer?
- Graphic Design, 28%
- Fine Arts, 9%
- Architecture, 8%
- Business, 8%
- Other Majors, 47%
Most common colleges for design managers/senior designer
| Design manager/senior designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Cincinnati | 9.86% |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 8.45% |
| Art Center College of Design | 7.04% |
| School of Visual Arts | 6.34% |
| University of California, Berkeley | 5.63% |
Best majors for design managers/senior designer
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 27.8% |
| 2 | Fine Arts | 8.7% |
| 3 | Architecture | 8.5% |
| 4 | Business | 8.1% |
| 5 | Drafting And Design | 7.4% |
Best colleges for design managers/senior designer
The best colleges for design managers/senior designer are Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
A design manager/senior 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 design managers/senior designer. 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 design managers/senior designer.
1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
2. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
3. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
4. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
7. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
8. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
9. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
10. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,620
Enrollment
27,730
20 best online courses for design managers/senior designer
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3. UX Designer
Design impactful user experiences for products in today’s digital world. Build a portfolio that showcases your ability to transform user research to high-fidelity interactive designs...
4. Product Design
Learn the steps you need to turn an idea into reality. By the end of this course you’ll learn how to bring an idea from concept to hand off for development and onto creation of a prototype...
5. User Experience Design & User Interface Design Fundamentals
Learn the basics of successful User Experience Design and User Interface Design...
6. Learn Figma: User Interface Design Essentials - UI/UX Design
Master Figma app to get a job in UI Design, User Interface, User Experience design, Web Design & UX design...
7. Visual Design (Part Time)
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...
8. Intro to UX Design
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9. Master Digital Product Design: UX Research & UI Design
A complete design education for product designers: Research the user experience, then design a great user interface...
10. The Complete User Interface Design Bootcamp - Sketch UI/UX
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11. Graphic Design Mastery: The FULL Branding & Design Process
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14. UX & Web Design Master Course: Strategy, Design, Development
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15. User Experience Design Essentials - Adobe XD UI UX Design
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16. Graphic Design Masterclass: Learn Graphic Design in Projects
Graphic design principles, typography, & color mastery using Illustrator, In Design, and Photoshop. For beginners & more!...
17. Learn User Experience Design from A-Z: Adobe XD UI/UX Design
Learn how to become a professional UX/UI Designer and create beautiful websites and applications from scratch...
18. Digital Design Masterclass For Graphic Designers
Icon Set Design, E-book cover, Digitizing Sketches, Social Media Design, Wordpress Web Design, Adobe Xd, GIFS and more!...
19. DESIGN RULES: Principles + Practices for Great UI Design
Learn to design powerful user interfaces for apps, sites and systems...
20. Figma UI UX Design Essentials
Use Figma to get a job in UI Design, User Interface, User Experience design, UX Design & Web Design...
Top 10 most affordable universities for design managers/senior designer
The most affordable schools for design managers/senior designer are United States Merchant Marine Academy, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for design managers/senior designer 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 design managers/senior designer.
1. United States Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$1,080
Cost of attendance
6,646
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
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 design managers/senior designer
The hardest universities for design managers/senior designer to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for design managers/senior designer 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 design managers/senior designer 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. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,545
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for design managers/senior designer
The easiest schools for design managers/senior designer to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, texas a&m; university - kingsville, and university of the incarnate word.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a design manager/senior 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 design managers/senior designer.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
3. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
4. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
5. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
6. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
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. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
10. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
Average design manager/senior designer salary by education level
| Design manager/senior designer education level | Design manager/senior designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $155,851 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $143,671 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $129,910 |
Design manager/senior designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025