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Senior product designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a senior product designer. Senior product designers usually study graphic design, drafting and design, or fine arts. 60% of senior product designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 954 real senior product designer resumes to see exactly what senior product designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for senior product designers are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
There are also many online senior product designer courses to help get the education required to be a senior product designer.
What education do you need to become a senior product designer?
What degree do you need to be a senior product designer?
- Bachelor's, 60%
- Associate, 28%
- Master's, 7%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a senior product designer?
- Graphic Design, 34%
- Drafting And Design, 17%
- Fine Arts, 8%
- Other Majors, 33%
Most common colleges for senior product designers
| Senior product designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 11.76% |
| Art Center College of Design | 7.84% |
| University of Cincinnati | 7.84% |
| Pratt Institute | 6.86% |
| Academy of Art University | 5.88% |
Best majors for senior product designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 34.0% |
| 2 | Drafting And Design | 17.5% |
| 3 | Fine Arts | 8.3% |
| 4 | Mechanical Engineering | 8.0% |
| 5 | Business | 5.3% |
Best colleges for senior product designers
The best colleges for senior product designers are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford University.
A senior 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 senior 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 senior product designers.
1. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
8. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
9. Iowa State University of Science and Technology
Ames, IA • Private
In-state tuition
$8,988
Enrollment
29,248
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
20 best online courses for senior product designers
Advertising disclosure
1. 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...
2. 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...
3. Mechanical design and Product development process
Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...
4. 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!...
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. User Experience Design & User Interface Design Fundamentals
Learn the basics of successful User Experience Design and User Interface Design...
7. UX Fundamentals: Practical Usability for Product Design
Avoid common mistakes in product design by learning usability principles and analysing tens of real-life examples...
8. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners
Application of product design management principles, concepts, tools and techniques in agile product management...
9. 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...
10. 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...
11. Introduction to Automotive Product Design & development
Learn about the process, milestones and activities from idea to complete design of cars for Automotive engineers...
12. Design for Humanity: A New Perspective on User Experience
Design for inclusiveness by learning to challenge your vision, testing through stress cases, and analyzing real design...
13. Build Persuasive Products
Learn how to apply psychology to design engaging online user experiences that make people take action...
14. Complete Course in CATIA
For Students, Engineers, and Designers...
15. Basics of Sheet metal design for Mechanical design engineers
Learn Sheet metal design, processes and practical design considerations along with Design projects...
16. Graphic Design Masterclass - Learn GREAT Design
The Ultimate Graphic Design Course Which Covers Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design,Design Theory, Branding and Logo Design...
17. The Complete User Interface Design Bootcamp - Sketch UI/UX
Master Sketch software to get a job in UI Design, User Interface, User Experience design, Web Design & UX design...
18. 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!...
19. DESIGN RULES: Principles + Practices for Great UI Design
Learn to design powerful user interfaces for apps, sites and systems...
20. UX Design & User Experience Design Course - Theory Only
This course is for anyone interested in learning the theory of UX design...
Top 10 most affordable universities for senior product designers
The most affordable schools for senior product designers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for senior 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 senior product designers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
7. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
10. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior product designers
The hardest universities for senior product designers to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for senior 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 senior 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
5. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior product designers
The easiest schools for senior product designers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, san francisco state university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior 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 senior product designers.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
5. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
6. Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
1,086
7. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
8. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
9. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
10. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
Average senior product designer salary by education level
| Senior product designer education level | Senior product designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $135,187 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $119,331 |
| Doctorate Degree | $146,592 |
Senior product designer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025