Prepress/Desktop Publishing
Types of Degrees Prepress/Desktop Publishing Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many prepress/desktop publishing & digital imaging design graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Basic Certificate | 465 |
Associate Degree | 455 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 209 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 8 |
What Prepress/Desktop Publishing Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to prepress/desktop publishing were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
Knowledge Areas for Prepress/Desktop Publishing Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in prepress/desktop publishing should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
- 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.
Skills for Prepress/Desktop Publishing Majors
When studying prepress/desktop publishing, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- 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.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Abilities for Prepress/Desktop Publishing Majors
A major in prepress/desktop publishing will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- 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).
- Visual Color Discrimination - The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Prepress/Desktop Publishing?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of prepress/desktop publishing majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 0 |
Black or African American | 0 |
Hispanic or Latino | 2 |
White | 3 |
International Students | 3 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 0 |
Geographic Diversity
Prepress/Desktop Publishing appeals to people across the globe. About 37.5% of those with this major are international students.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Prepress/Desktop Publishing
Some careers associated with prepress/desktop publishing require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.
Find out what the typical degree level is for prepress/desktop publishing careers below.

Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Less than a High School Diploma | 1.3% |
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 24.6% |
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) | 13.1% |
Some College Courses | 19.0% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 25.0% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 13.8% |
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. | 3.3% |
Online Prepress/Desktop Publishing 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) | 52 | 3 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 2 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 61 | 3 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Master’s | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Explore Major by State
Alabama
California
District of Columbia
Idaho
Kansas
Maryland
Mississippi
Nevada
New York
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Utah
West Virginia
Alaska
Colorado
Florida
Illinois
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Missouri
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Oregon
South Dakota
Vermont
Wisconsin
Majors Related to Prepress/Desktop Publishing
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to prepress/desktop publishing.
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.