| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh |
| 2 | Temple University | Philadelphia |
| 3 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia |
| 4 | Drexel University | Philadelphia |
| 5 | Moore College of Art & Design | Philadelphia |
Our 2024 ranking of the top 5 graphic design school programs in Pennsylvania. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is home to the College of Fine Arts (CFA), which houses the School of Design. Within the school is a four-year Bachelor of Design (BDes) program. Equivalent to the BFA, the program has with three tracks: Communications (Graphic Design); Products (Industrial Design); and Environments (Physical and Digital). BDes students have the option to focus in one or all three areas or pursue a focus that combines two of the three tracks.
Other program features include access to collaborative dedicated studio spaces; the opportunity to work in multidisciplinary teams in the areas of Design for Service (Sv) and/or Design for Social Innovation (Si); participation in Confluence—a career event that attracts more than 70 major companies; and study abroad opportunities in places such as Paris, London, Korea, the Netherlands, Milan, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.
Graduates of the CMU BDes program have worked on a number of major projects including the Starbucks logo; the Pinterest interface design; typefaces for The Guardian; and the title sequence of the Spiderman movie.
The School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University has several other options for undergraduate students seeking a degree or program that combines liberal arts and design with interdisciplinary studies across pathways. The most notable option is the interdisciplinary BXA. The curriculum for this program combines components of the CMU Bachelor of Humanities and Arts (BHA), Bachelor of Science and Arts (BSA), and the Bachelor of Computer Science and Arts (BCSA).
BXA students may add a Design concentration, which consists of 98 units of required courses and 10 units of design electives. Course examples include Studio I: Form and Context; Collaborative Visualizing; Design Lab; Design Studies: Systems; and Prototyping Lab. BXA graduates go on to work in areas such as user research, strategic planning, and information systems analysis.
Another option is the Design minor. Consisting of 54 units (including 27 units of design electives), this program is open to students who would like to focus in design within another major. Course examples for the program include Design for Interactions for Products; Human Experience in Design; and Design for Interactions for Communications.
Finally, Carnegie Mellon University provides an Integrative Design, Arts, and Technology (IDeATe) program that allows students to add a concentration in an area such as Media Design, Design for Learning, Sonic Arts, Immersive Technologies in Arts and Culture, or Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Graduate programs for designers include a one-year Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Design, a two-year MDes in Design, and a Transition Design PhD. The CMU Design graduate programs are interdisciplinary with hands-on exposure to design, thinking, and skill processes.
Across programs, graduate students will take seminar and studio courses such as Communication Design Studio: Theory and Practice; Framing Proposals for Change; Experiential Futures; Design Writing Workshop; Studio + Lab: Designing for Interactions; Seminar: Advanced Interaction and Service Design Concepts; Design Research Methods; Seminar: Interaction and Service Design Concepts; Studio: Research Based Design for Interactions; and Transition Design.
The culminating experience for the MDes program is the thesis completed across four courses. MPS students may complete a colloquium for their culminating experience. During years two and three, PhD students will complete Research I, II, III, and IV. During the final year of the program, across two courses, PhD students will assemble a 60,000- to 80,000-word dissertation or a body of written and practical work consisting of 40,000 to 60,000 words.
Graduates of the Design programs at Carnegie Mellon University are prepared to pursue leadership roles across industries. Program alumni have been hired at major companies, firms, and organizations such as Microsoft, Google, Apple, Mayo Clinic, IDEO, Whirlpool, R/GA, the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Volkswagen/Audi, Skype, Motorola, Pinterest, Meta, and global creative agency Isobar.
Founded in 1900 by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, Carnegie Mellon University began as Carnegie Technical Schools. Today, the school serves more than 14,500 students from 100+ countries with access to over 200 programs across seven colleges and schools. This private, global research university also has more than a dozen degree-granting locations, along with 20+ research partnerships in Silicon Valley, Australia, Africa, and Qatar. Carnegie Mellon University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University (Temple) began in the 1930s as Stella Elkins Tyler School of Fine Arts. Around 1965, the school’s name was changed to Tyler Schol of Art, and the Tyler Study Abroad program in Rome was founded. Today Temple University Rome is one of the top fine arts study abroad programs in Europe and the Tyler School is now known as Tyler School of Art and Architecture.
The school’s 255,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility sits on Temple University's main campus in Philadelphia. The space houses classrooms, lecture halls, collaboration spaces, exhibition spaces, and Temple Contemporary—Tyler's visionary center for public programming. Tyler's 50,000-square-foot Architecture Building consists of three floors of studios and analog and digital research fabrication.
Tyler School of Art and Architecture also houses the Department of Graphic and Interactive Design (GAID), which leads to a BFA or MFA. In partnership with Temple University’s Fox School of Business, the Tyler School also provides a Graphic and Interactive Design/Entrepreneurial Studies BFA. This interdisciplinary program focuses on art, art history, business, and entrepreneurship.
Both GAID and GAID/Entrepreneurship students will begin their programs with the common foundation curriculum before advancing to GAID coursework and projects that explore typography, illustration, packaging, virtual reality, web design, real-life spaces, and social media. Across programs, course examples include Advanced Typography; Packaging, Interactive Design; Publishing; Advanced Graphic Design; Brand Identity; Art Direction; Design for the Public Good; Senior Illustration; Hybrid Design; Digital Narratives; Computer Graphic; The Business of Design; Advertising Design; Computers for Design; and Collaborative Design Workshop in Rome (six weeks).
In addition to fulfilling requirements for the traditional GAID BFA program, GAID/Entrepreneurial Studies students will complete courses such as Doing Well by Doing Good: Where Innovation and Entrepreneurship Meet Social Impact; Launch a New Venture in 100 Days; Pitching and Funding Entrepreneurial Ventures; Lean Startup: Fast and Inexpensive Ways to Test and Launch Your Ideas; and Entrepreneurial and Innovative Thinking. All students may also complete the Field or Rome internship.
Students in the 126 credit hour GAID BFA program will complete two portfolio review cycles in each academic year: the end of the Fall semester (December) and the end of the Spring semester (May). GAID students may also Students may complete an optional concentration in Art Education.
The GAID and GAID/Entrepreneurial Studies BFA programs at Temple University culminate with the Senior Thesis course Senior Graphic Design: Projects in Authorship, and the Senior Portfolio course. GAID graduates are prepared to pursue design roles across industries. GAID/Entrepreneurial Studies BFA graduates are prepared to pursue employment or launch their own studios or other businesses.
The Graphic and Interactive Design MFA at Temple University is an interdisciplinary, research-driven program that combines electives with project, seminar, and art history courses. Project and seminar courses include Visual Design Graduate Seminar (12 credits/four terms); Graduate Professional Practices (three credits); Graphic Design Graduate Projects (nine credits/three terms); and Visual Design Thesis (12 credits/four terms).
The GAID MFA at Temple University culminates with the Thesis Exhibition and Slide Show. Graduates are prepared to pursue leadership design roles across industries.
GAID program alumni work at in-house design studios, advertising agencies, publishing companies, web design firms, packaging companies, and film and television studios. Some MFA graduates have launched their own design studios and freelance careers, while others have gone on to teach at top universities and art schools. Some of the top employers of Temple University graduates include Amazon, SEI, Lockheed Martin, and Vanguard.
Founded in 1884 as a night school, Temple University Serves 30,530 students, making it one of the largest universities in Pennsylvania. Temple provides more than 500 academic programs across 17 colleges and schools, including five professional schools. Temple University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA-CESS). Temple University is also an member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
The College of Arts & Sciences at University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) is home to Stuart Weitzman School of Design. Within the school is a Design BA program for students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering. The program explores areas such as graphic design, emerging technologies, web design, animation, and design systems.
Course examples include Graphic Design I: Creative Technologies; Graphic Design II; UX/UI Design; Information Design and Visualization; Immersive Media Studio; Interfacing Cultures: Environmental Animation; Designing for Mobile, Web and Public Media; Artificial Intelligence in Art; Procedural Design Systems; Pixel to Print; Art of the Web: Interactive Concepts of Art and Design; and Visual Culture.
In addition to a variety of courses, Design BA program features participation in the Spiegel Wilks Artist Residency Program, which hosts lectures, studio tours, and workshops; the Silverstein Photography Studio Abroad Program and Lecture Series; and the opportunity to study global contemporary art through UPenn’s relationship with the Institute of Contemporary Art.
The Design BA program at University of Pennsylvania culminates with a year-long design project, design brief, public exhibition, and panel review with experts in the field. Graduates are prepared to pursue design roles across industries.
Most UPenn students graduate with offers for full-time employment in their fields. UPenn alumni have been hired at companies such as Hearst Magazines, AMC Networks, HBO, The Walt Disney Company, MSNBC, Riot Games, Adidas, Williams-Sonoma, Target, Ann Taylor Loft, Nestle, West Elm, Digitas Health, Pitchfork Media, Modern Luxury, and Unity Technology.
Established in 1740, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) is one of the nation’s oldest universities. The school, which houses 189 research centers and institutes, provides more than 400 programs to approximately 28,710 students from across the U.S. and just about every continent. Programs at UPenn are housed across 16 colleges and schools. The University of Pennsylvania is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
The Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design at Drexel University (Drexel) houses the Graphic Design BS program and a Graphic Design minor. Consisting of 24 credit hours, the Graphic Design minor requires courses such as Visual Communication; Graphic Design: 20th Century and Beyond; Design for Media; Computer Imaging; and Typography. Available to all students, the minor takes two-plus years to complete.
The Graphic Design BS at Drexel University is a collaborative, project-based program the helps students develop advanced skills in data visualization; book, magazine, and package design; brand identity; website design including CSS, HTML, and JavaScript; user experience (UX); exhibition and experiential design; typography; Adobe, Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign; motion graphics; drawing and painting; design research; exhibition design; wayfinding systems; and identity graphics.
Electives and minor options for this 183 credit hour program allow students to pursue advanced study in other areas such as experimental publication design; technology information management; business; environmental graphic design; computing technology; marketing; product design; web design; human-computer interaction (HCI); writing; virtual reality and immersive media; web design; project management; nonprofit communication; motion graphic design; and photography.
Course examples for the Drexel Graphic Design BS program include Publication Design; Book Design; Motion Graphics; Storyboarding and Development for Time-Based Media; Computer Imaging I: Introduction to Adobe Illustrator; Corporate Identity; Information Graphics: Mapping; Wayfinding; Data Visualization; Computer Imaging II: Intro to Adobe Photoshop; Physics: Light and Sound; Production - Introducing the Tools and Methods of Production Management for Print and Screen Media; and Web Graphics/Web Design.
All degree-seeking students will participate in Drexel University’s cooperative (co-op) education program. Established in 1919, this is the oldest, largest, and most well-known co-op program in the U.S. A university requirement, the program allows students to gain valuable hands-on experience before graduation. Past co-op experiences have taken students to places such as Spain, London, Ghana, Hong Kong, and Greece.
Co-op students have also worked with major corporations such as Amazon, Lockheed Martin, Google, Comcast, and Exelon Corporation. Graduates of the Drexel University Graphic Design BS program are often hired for full-time positions with a co-op employer.
Other BS program features include access to state-of-the-art studios and labs such as the Hybrid Making Lab, the Computer Lab, and wood and metal shops; frequent field trips including studio tours and Design Philadelphia events; and participation in the annual field excursion to New York City. Recent trips have included the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial; Soviet avant-garde design at the Jewish Museum; and the Bard Center for Graduate Studies tour and curator talk on Jan Tschichold.
The Graphic Design BS program at Drexel University culminates with the Senior Showcase, attended by industry professionals, family, friends, and the Drexel Community. This event gives students the opportunity to display creative work through their final capstone projects.
Graduates of the Graphic Design BS program at Drexel University are prepared to pursue positions in areas such as advertising, package design, marketing, exhibition design, brand management, poster design, illustration, publication design, content development, UX/UI design, and web design.
Program alumni have been hired at places such as Saatchi & Saatchi, Marvel Entertainment, Meta, ESPN, Penguin Random House, Urban Outfitters, Sesame Workshop, Time Inc., ESPN, Comcast, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Under Armour, Siemens, Brooks Brothers, Philadelphia Magazine, QVC, Bloomberg, The Franklin Institute, Digitas, and SAP.
Drexel University was established in 1891 as Drexel Institute of Art, Science, & Industry. The school serves approximately 21,700 students enrolled in more than 200 degree programs across 15 colleges and schools. Drexel University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). The school’s Digital Media and Animation & Visual Effects (VFX) programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Arts & Design (NASAD).
Moore College of Art and Design (Moore) is the only art and design college to provide a $1,000 paid internship for every student. Consisting of 240 work hours in the field, internships are available through small businesses, galleries and museums, artist studios, and in a variety of industries. Moore also has the only curriculum that requires a business minor. This unique component of every Moore program consists of 12 credit hours that introduce students to the fundamentals of business. Courses include Principles and Practices; Accounting; Marketing; and Entrepreneurship.
For students looking to pursue a career in graphic design, Moore has BFA and minor options. The Graphic Design BFA consist of 120 credit hours completed over four years. Program features include the opportunity to add an additional minor (double minor) such as Comics, Animation and Game Art or Illustration; frequent studio tours; workshops and critiques; mentorship experiences with design professionals; and access to state-of-the-art equipment, studios, and labs with the latest versions of After Effects, InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Spark.
The Moore Graphic Design BFA explores areas such as packaging, web design, motion graphics, branding, print, and advertorial composition. All courses for the program are taught by design professionals who are active in the industry. The program begins with the foundation year, which includes courses such as Art History I-II; Introduction to Graphic Design; 2D and 3D Design; Visual Thinking; Drawing Visual Communications; Creative Design; and Foundation Drawing I.
Second year and upper division course examples include Design Thinking and Application; The Printed Word; Design Thinking and Application; Publication Design; Expressive Typography; UX Design I-II; Time Based Design; Web Design I-II; Strategies and Applications; and Digital Image Making. In the final year of the program, students will complete the Graphic Design Thesis course, resulting in a final project and professional portfolio.
Graduates are prepared to pursue design roles across industries. Moore College of Art and Design alumni enjoy a near-perfect 97% success rate. Students have been hired at companies such as Apple, GAP, Vanity Fair, Campbell’s, Apple, Urban Outfitters, Princeton University Press, Anthropologie, Comcast, The Franklin Institute, MERJE Design, Brownstein Group, Philadelphia Brewing Company, Exit, Quirk Books, Philadelphia Horticultural Society, and Lenox Inc.
Founded in 1848, Moore College of Art & Design is the nation’s first and only historically all-women’s visual arts college. Also a private, non-profit college, Moore serves approximately 390 students enrolled more than 20 degree and minor programs. Moore College of Art & Design is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
