How To Become A Graphic Design Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a graphic design instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Sarah Satterfield Ph.D.

The average graphic design instructor salary is $51,786. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an graphic design major. It usually takes 6-12 months of experience to become a graphic design instructor. Graphic design instructors with a Master Certified Web Professional - Designer (CWP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 6,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a graphic design instructor?

Dr. Sarah Satterfield Ph.D.

Department Chair Visual and Performing Arts, Professor of Music and Humanities, College of Central Florida

I was once told, if you do what you love, you will never "work" a day in your life. I have found this true in my own career and hope our VPA graduates will find it true in theirs as well. The arts offer such a unique means of engaging and we, as arts educators, have an ability to "reach" those we have contact with, in a unique way.

ScoreGraphic Design InstructorUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,786

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.2

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 10.42%

Black or African American 3.42%

Hispanic or Latino 10.63%

Unknown 4.99%

White 70.17%

Gender

female 42.19%

male 57.81%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress level

4.2

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.9

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a graphic design instructor

Explore graphic design instructor education requirements

Most common graphic design instructor degrees

Bachelor's

64.5 %

Master's

16.5 %

Associate

14.8 %

Start to develop specific graphic design instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
Adobe Illustrator	11.14%
Adobe Photoshop	9.48%
Web Design	9.20%
Typography	7.47%
Course Curriculum	7.40%

Complete relevant graphic design instructor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New graphic design instructors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a graphic design instructor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real graphic design instructor resumes.

Research graphic design instructor duties and responsibilities

Redesign and manage the e-commerce websites using Dreamweaver.
Create / design personalized logos, business cards, brochures, banners
Instruct students in the fundamentals of 3d character rigging and animation.
Used HTML and various online plugins to create a more dynamic site.

Prepare your graphic design instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your graphic design instructor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a graphic design instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable graphic design instructor resume templates

Build a professional graphic design instructor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your graphic design instructor resume.

Apply for graphic design instructor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a graphic design instructor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do graphic design instructors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Graphic design instructor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2022

Pros

There is so much to like about working as Graphic Designer ... the seeing how all the elements of words, space, colors, visuals (photos, graphics, charts,...) come together on a page...sharing info with others to learn and use

Cons

When working with others who can not make up their minds as deadline approaches nor take responsibility and blames others for their own "misdoings".