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Production graphic artist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a production graphic artist. Production graphic artists usually study graphic design, fine arts, or design and visual communication. 62% of production graphic artists hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,357 real production graphic artist resumes to see exactly what production graphic artist education sections show.

The most common colleges for production graphic artists are the School of Visual Arts and the School of Visual Arts.

There are also many online production graphic artist courses to help get the education required to be a production graphic artist.

What education do you need to become a production graphic artist?

What degree do you need to be a production graphic artist?

The most common degree for production graphic artists is bachelor's degree, with 62% of production graphic artists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 27% and associate degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 62%
  • Associate, 27%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Master's, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a production graphic artist?

You should major in graphic design to become a production graphic artist. 47% of production graphic artists major in graphic design. Other common majors for a production graphic artist include fine arts and design and visual communication.

Most common colleges for production graphic artists

Production graphic artists often get their degrees at School of Visual Arts, Bowling Green State University, and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Here are the most common colleges for production graphic artists in the US based on their resumes.
Production graphic artist common collegePercentages
School of Visual Arts10.22%
Bowling Green State University6.57%
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh6.57%
The Art Institute of Philadelphia5.84%
Savannah College of Art and Design5.84%

Best majors for production graphic artists

Best colleges for production graphic artists

The best colleges for production graphic artists are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

A production graphic artist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for production graphic artists. 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 production graphic artists.

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 production graphic artists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for production graphic artists

The most affordable schools for production graphic artists are University of Florida, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and fashion institute of technology.

If the best universities for production graphic artists 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 production graphic artists.

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 production graphic artists

The hardest universities for production graphic artists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for production graphic artists 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 production graphic artists 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 production graphic artists

The easiest schools for production graphic artists 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 production graphic artist 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 production graphic artists.

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 production graphic artist salary by education level

Production graphic artists with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $89,009 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, production graphic artists earn a median annual income of $78,429 compared to $67,064 for production graphic artists with an Associate degree.
Production graphic artist education levelProduction graphic artist salary
Master's Degree$89,009
Bachelor's Degree$78,429
Some College/ Associate Degree$67,064

Production graphic artist 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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