Digital Media Schools in Oregon

Because digital media artists have such a diverse skill set, they can find work in a variety of fields from advertising and public relations to web design. In the state of Oregon, particularly in Portland, jobs in advertising, graphic design, publishing, and web design are fairly easy to come by. In addition to promising job prospects, Oregon also has a nice collection of colleges that offer degree programs for those just starting out to artists seeking an advanced degree. Just a few popular Oregon art and design schools include Pacific Northwest College of Art, Southern Oregon State University, and Portland State University.

While many of the state’s accredited colleges offer programs for artists and designers, two top-rated colleges offer the best programs for aspiring digital media artists. Continue reading to find out which Oregon schools are tops for aspiring digital media artists.

Oregon Digital Media Schools

Oregon is home to 60 Title IV colleges and universities. A Title IV school is eligible for financial aid programs, which makes them more accessible to students with financial need. Two Title IV colleges (Pacific University and Eastern Oregon University), offer excellent digital media programs. What’s even better is, even with Title IV status, one of the two schools (Eastern Oregon University), is very affordable whether you’re resident or not!

Forest Grove
Pacific University - Degrees Offered: B. A. Integrated Media

La Grande
Eastern Oregon University – Degrees offered: B. A./B. S. in Computer Science with a Multimedia Concentration, B. A./B. S. in Media Arts with a Digital Media Concentration, B. A., B. S. in Art with a Graphics Emphasis.

More Digital Media related programs to consider:  

Employment and Salary Trends for Oregon Digital Media Professionals

According to the March 2012 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state of Oregon is home to 23,840 artists and designers. This group includes digital media artists. The population has increased quite a bit since 2002, when the state was home to 18,790 artists and designers. The salary outlook looks even better. In 2002, the average salary for Oregon artists and designers was $37,790. Today, the average salary is $47,710.
 
Although the average salary looks great for artists and designers overall, it is important to keep in mind that individual salaries may vary by industry, education and experience, company, location, and other factors. For example, at $47,00-$50,000, Portland-based digital media artists earn the highest average salaries. Bend and Springfield-based artists average around $39,000 per year.

Across the nation, the industries with the highest employment levels for digital media artists overall are film and video; advertising, public relations and related services; colleges, universities, and professional schools; radio and television broadcasting, and local government. Top paying industries for digital media artists are independent artists ($82,870), aerospace ($67,830), film and video ($67,200), manufacturing ($62,760), and office and administrative services ($60,430)  www.bls.gov.