Web site designer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a web site designer. Web site designers usually study graphic design, business, or computer science. 61% of web site designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 407 real web site designer resumes to see exactly what web site designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for web site designers are the University of Iowa and the University of Iowa.

There are also many online web site designer courses to help get the education required to be a web site designer.

What education do you need to become a web site designer?

What degree do you need to be a web site designer?

The most common degree for web site designers is bachelor's degree, with 61% of web site designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 27% and associate degree degree at 6%.

Bachelor's, 61%

Associate, 27%

Master's, 6%

High School Diploma, 3%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a web site designer?

You should major in graphic design to become a web site designer. 13% of web site designers major in graphic design. Other common majors for a web site designer include business and computer science.

Graphic Design, 13%

Business, 13%

Computer Science, 9%

Fine Arts, 8%

Other Majors, 57%

Most common colleges for web site designers

Web site designers often get their degrees at University of Iowa, Kansas State University, and University of Maine. Here are the most common colleges for web site designers in the US based on their resumes.

Web site designer common college	Percentages
University of Iowa	8.33%
Kansas State University	6.25%
University of Maine	6.25%
University of Pittsburgh	6.25%
University of California - Davis	6.25%

Show more common web site designer colleges

Best majors for web site designers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Graphic Design	13.4%
2	Business	12.8%
3	Computer Science	9.3%
4	Fine Arts	7.6%
5	Drafting And Design	5.2%

Show more common web site designer majors

Best colleges for web site designers

The best colleges for web site designers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

A web site 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 web site 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 web site designers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

8. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

9. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$58,230

Enrollment

6,600

10. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

20 best online courses for web site designers

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Gain fluency in JavaScript — the world's most popular programming language — and start leveraging its versatile capabilities to build rich, interactive websites and applications. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

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20. Web Design for Beginners: Real World Coding in HTML & CSS

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Launch a career as a web designer by learning HTML5, CSS3, responsive design, Sass and more!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for web site designers

The most affordable schools for web site designers are California State University - Long Beach, brigham young university, and queens college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for web site 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 web site designers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

4. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

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 South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

9. Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Laie, HI • Private

In-state tuition

$5,560

Cost of attendance

18,043

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for web site designers

The hardest universities for web site designers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for web site 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 web site 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

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

SAT average

1,492

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for web site designers

The easiest schools for web site designers to get into are La Roche College, cardinal stritch university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a web site 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 web site designers.

1. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

2. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

5. Baker University

Baldwin City, KS • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,126

6. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

7. Longwood University

Farmville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,065

8. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

9. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

10. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

Average web site designer salary by education level

Web site designers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $61,944 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, web site designers earn a median annual income of $59,313 compared to $57,140 for web site designers with an Associate degree.

Web site designer education level	Web site designer salary
Master's Degree	$61,944
Bachelor's Degree	$59,313
Some College/ Associate Degree	$57,140

Web site designer education FAQs

What is the best college for Web Site Designers?

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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