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User interface designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a user interface designer. User interface designers usually study graphic design, fine arts, or computer science. 71% of user interface designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,238 real user interface designer resumes to see exactly what user interface designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for user interface designers are the San Jose State University and the San Jose State University.
There are also many online user interface designer courses to help get the education required to be a user interface designer.
There are certain user interface designer certifications that you should consider. These user interface designer certifications include Master Certified Web Professional - Designer (CWP) and Certified User Experience Professional (CUXP).
What education do you need to become a user interface designer?
What degree do you need to be a user interface designer?
- Bachelor's, 71%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 10%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a user interface designer?
- Graphic Design, 32%
- Fine Arts, 10%
- Computer Science, 8%
- Other Majors, 43%
Most common colleges for user interface designers
| User interface designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| San Jose State University | 9.35% |
| DePaul University | 7.19% |
| George Mason University | 7.19% |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 5.76% |
| University of California - Davis | 5.76% |
Best majors for user interface designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 31.9% |
| 2 | Fine Arts | 9.5% |
| 3 | Computer Science | 7.9% |
| 4 | Design And Visual Communication | 6.7% |
| 5 | Computer Applications | 5.5% |
Best colleges for user interface designers
The best colleges for user interface designers are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northeastern University.
A user interface 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 user interface 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 user interface designers.
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. 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. 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. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
10. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
20 best online courses for user interface designers
Advertising disclosure
1. User Experience Design Immersive (Full-time)
Launch a future-proof career designing digital experiences that power revenue, user loyalty, and product success. Distinguish yourself as a designer by compiling a portfolio to showcase solo, group, and client projects to employers based on UI design and Agile methodologies...
2. User Experience Design (Part Time)
Translate user wants and needs into intuitive digital experiences that power revenue, loyalty, and product success. Build confidence and credibility to tackle complex design problems on the job. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
3. UX Designer
Design impactful user experiences for products in today’s digital world. Build a portfolio that showcases your ability to transform user research to high-fidelity interactive designs...
4. Product Design
Learn the steps you need to turn an idea into reality. By the end of this course you’ll learn how to bring an idea from concept to hand off for development and onto creation of a prototype...
5. User Interface Design
In this Specialization, you will learn industry-standard theory and methods for developing successful user interfaces (UIs). Upon completing this Specialization, you will have fluency with the user research, prototyping and evaluation techniques necessary for creating intuitive interfaces that facilitate good user experiences. You will also have demonstrated this fluency through an in-depth Capstone Project that can be shown to prospective employers in the fast-growing field of UI...
6. Visual Elements of User Interface Design
This design-centric course examines the broad question of what an interface is and what role a designer plays in creating a user interface. Learning how to design and articulate meaning using color, type, and imagery is essential to making interfaces function clearly and seamlessly. Through a series of lectures and visual exercises, you will focus on the many individual elements and components that make up the skillset of an interface designer. By the end of this course, you will be able to...
7. User Experience Design & User Interface Design Fundamentals
Learn the basics of successful User Experience Design and User Interface Design...
8. 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...
9. 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...
10. Intro to UX Design
Are you interested in UX Design, but have no prior experience or an idea of where to start? You’ve come to the right place! In this two-hour livestream, we’ll explore the decision-making process that separates a good user experience from a great one, and learn some tools that you can implement in your own UX process today. All in real time, taught by an industry professional. Come learn the basics and gain the skills you need to begin your UX Design journey!...
11. Design a User Interface (UI) Story Map in Miro
By the end of this project, you will be able to create a user interface story map that your business can use as a roadmap for release planning and as a framework for version and improvement releases over time. The power of the user interface story map is that it places the spotlight of the release process upon the user. This enables the business to stay focused on user experience and needs throughout releases of products and makes it easier for cross-functional teams to home in on what is...
12. Embedded Interface Design
The objective of this specialization is to provide an understanding of interface design approaches and architectures for creating solid user experiences in embedded system prototypes and products. For both machine and user interfaces, we will look at the best practices for the interface design process, including considerations of the nature and content of interaction, whether between devices, between a device and a user, or in more complex systems...
13. 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...
14. Adobe XD Mega Course - User Experience Design
UI Design, User Interface, User Experience design, UX design & Web Design...
15. 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...
16. Learn Figma for Web Design, User Interface, UI UX in an hour
Learn Figma to design Beautiful App, Web designs, UI UX Design. User Interface, Prototyping for virtual App Experience...
17. UX Design Process from User Research to Usability Testing
UX Process for Beginners from User Interviews to Personas, User stories, Information architecture to Usability testing...
18. Learn User Experience Design from A-Z: Adobe XD UI/UX Design
Learn how to become a professional UX/UI Designer and create beautiful websites and applications from scratch...
19. UI UX Design Hybrid from Figma to HTML CSS and JavaScript
Learn how to become a Full-Stack Designer with User Interface Design, User Experience Design, Web Development, Bootstrap...
20. UI UX Design & Prototyping using Adobe XD
Learn Adobe XD for UI/UX Design, User Interface, User Experience Design & Adobe XD Prototyping...
Top 10 most affordable universities for user interface designers
The most affordable schools for user interface designers are Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for user interface 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 user interface designers.
1. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
5. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
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. University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$9,222
Cost of attendance
20,422
9. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Cost of attendance
24,514
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for user interface designers
The hardest universities for user interface designers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northeastern University.
Some great schools for user interface 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 user interface 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for user interface designers
The easiest schools for user interface designers to get into are Notre Dame College, notre dame de namur university, and cardinal stritch university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a user interface 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 user interface designers.
1. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
4. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
5. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
6. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
7. Linfield College
McMinnville, OR • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,117
8. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
9. Longwood University
Farmville, VA • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,065
10. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
Average user interface designer salary by education level
| User interface designer education level | User interface designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $109,777 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $100,322 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $89,744 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025