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Media designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a media designer. Media designers usually study graphic design, fine arts, or communication. 69% of media designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,106 real media designer resumes to see exactly what media designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for media designers are the Savannah College of Art and Design and the Savannah College of Art and Design.
There are also many online media designer courses to help get the education required to be a media designer.
What education do you need to become a media designer?
What degree do you need to be a media designer?
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Associate, 18%
- Master's, 8%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a media designer?
- Graphic Design, 35%
- Fine Arts, 10%
- Communication, 8%
- Other Majors, 41%
Most common colleges for media designers
| Media designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 12.23% |
| Full Sail University | 11.51% |
| The Art Institute of Pittsburgh | 7.91% |
| The Art Institute of Houston | 6.47% |
| Academy of Art University | 5.76% |
Best majors for media designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 35.4% |
| 2 | Fine Arts | 9.7% |
| 3 | Communication | 7.7% |
| 4 | Design And Visual Communication | 5.9% |
| 5 | Photography | 5.7% |
Best colleges for media designers
The best colleges for media designers are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
A media 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 media 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 media designers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
20 best online courses for media designers
Advertising disclosure
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Top 10 most affordable universities for media designers
The most affordable schools for media designers are University of Florida, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and lehman college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for media 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 media 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. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
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 International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
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 media designers
The hardest universities for media designers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for media 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 media 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,434
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for media designers
The easiest schools for media designers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and curry college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a media 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 media designers.
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. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
6. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
7. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
8. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
Average media designer salary by education level
| Media designer education level | Media designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $62,624 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $58,010 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $52,770 |
Media designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025