Graphic Communication

Types of Degrees Graphic Communication Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many graphic communications graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	3,434
Associate Degree	1,825
Basic Certificate	1,098
Undergraduate Certificate	896
Master’s Degree	424
Graduate Certificate	53

What Graphic Communication Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, graphic communication majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Graphic Communication Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Skills for Graphic Communication Majors

A major in graphic communication prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Graphic Communication Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a graphic communication student include the following:

• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

What Can You Do With a Graphic Communication Major?

People with a graphic communication degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Multimedia Artists and Animators	8.4%	$72,520

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Communication?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 3,201 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in graphic communications in 2021, making it rank #99 in popularity. This major is dominated by women with about 56% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of graphic communication majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	364
Black or African American	287
Hispanic or Latino	476
White	1,599
International Students	337
Other Races/Ethnicities	371

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Graphic Communication, too. About 9.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Graphic Communication

Some careers associated with graphic communication require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for graphic communication careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	6.7%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	38.6%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	9.2%
Some College Courses	17.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	14.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	13.0%
Master’s Degree	0.0%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.4%

Online Graphic Communication Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	187	6
Certificate (2-4 Years)	11	1
Associate’s Degree	231	10
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	25	1
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Graphic Communication

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to graphic communication.

Major	Number of Grads
Audiovisual Communications	6,764
Communications Technology	990
Other Communication Technology	188

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Construction under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.