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Product designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a product designer. Product designers usually study graphic design, drafting and design, or mechanical engineering. 61% of product designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,751 real product designer resumes to see exactly what product designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for product designers are the Art Center College of Design and the Art Center College of Design.
There are also many online product designer courses to help get the education required to be a product designer.
There are certain product designer certifications that you should consider. These product designer certifications include Certified Interior Designer (NCIDQ) and Certified Agile Developer (CAD).
What education do you need to become a product designer?
What degree do you need to be a product designer?
- Bachelor's, 61%
- Associate, 25%
- Master's, 8%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a product designer?
- Graphic Design, 36%
- Drafting And Design, 16%
- Fine Arts, 7%
- Other Majors, 32%
Most common colleges for product designers
| Product designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Art Center College of Design | 7.76% |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 6.85% |
| Rhode Island School of Design | 6.62% |
| Purdue University | 6.39% |
| University of Cincinnati | 6.16% |
Best majors for product designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 36.2% |
| 2 | Drafting And Design | 15.9% |
| 3 | Mechanical Engineering | 9.5% |
| 4 | Fine Arts | 6.5% |
| 5 | Business | 3.4% |
Best colleges for product designers
The best colleges for product designers are Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A product 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 product 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 product designers.
1. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$47,646
Enrollment
2,924
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$42,345
Enrollment
12,886
10. Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$12,960
Enrollment
16,157
20 best online courses for product designers
Advertising disclosure
1. 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...
2. Engineering and Product Design Processes
Welcome to “Engineering and Product Design Processes!” In this short course, you will learn how engineering design processes and product design processes are carried out. After the course, you will be familiar with the steps in both design processes. You will also be familiar with the main goal of each design process, as well as their similarities and differences...
3. Mechanical design and Product development process
Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...
4. 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...
5. Automotive product design using CATIA V5
Automotive domain design using CATIA, interior and exterior trims on CATIA, Plastic product design in Automotive sector...
6. Ultimate Guide to Product Design: Design Thinking Approach
Uncover the Secrets of Successful Products for Outstanding User Experience. Design unique product that your users love!...
7. User Experience Design & User Interface Design Fundamentals
Learn the basics of successful User Experience Design and User Interface Design...
8. User Experience Design Essentials - Adobe XD UI UX Design
Use XD to get a job in UI Design, User Interface, User Experience design, UX design & Web Design...
9. UI UX Design & Prototyping using Adobe XD
Learn Adobe XD for UI/UX Design, User Interface, User Experience Design & Adobe XD Prototyping...
10. UI/UX design with Adobe XD: Design & Prototype a Mobile App
Learn how to design a beautiful and engaging mobile app with Adobe Experience Design (XD). Learn-by-doing approach...
11. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners
Application of product design management principles, concepts, tools and techniques in agile product management...
12. Adobe XD Mega Course - User Experience Design
UI Design, User Interface, User Experience design, UX design & Web Design...
13. UX Fundamentals: Practical Usability for Product Design
Avoid common mistakes in product design by learning usability principles and analysing tens of real-life examples...
14. 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...
15. Adobe XD UI/UX Design, prototype, and handoff from scratch
Learn how to design and prototype apps and webpages using Adobe XD...
16. Adobe Photoshop Graphic Design
Design 4 Beautiful eye catching Graphic Design Projects from Scratch with Adobe Photoshop Graphic Design Basics...
17. Graphic Design Masterclass - Learn GREAT Design
The Ultimate Graphic Design Course Which Covers Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design,Design Theory, Branding and Logo Design...
18. Introduction to Automotive Product Design & development
Learn about the process, milestones and activities from idea to complete design of cars for Automotive engineers...
19. 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!...
20. Graphic Design Mastery: The FULL Branding & Design Process
Follows the FULL Graphic Design Process for A Company: Logo, Ad, Social Media, T-Shirt, Package, Website Design & More!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for product designers
The most affordable schools for product designers are California State University - Long Beach, suny farmingdale, and university of south florida.
If the best universities for product 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 product designers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
4. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
5. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
6. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Cost of attendance
24,514
9. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
10. Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,645
Cost of attendance
20,098
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for product designers
The hardest universities for product designers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for product 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 product 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. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
10. Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
51%
SAT average
1,395
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for product designers
The easiest schools for product designers to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, notre dame de namur university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a product 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 product designers.
1. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
5. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
6. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
7. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
8. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
9. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
10. Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
1,086
Average product designer salary by education level
| Product designer education level | Product designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $121,139 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $111,615 |
| Doctorate Degree | $132,663 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $101,813 |
Product designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025